Tangent thread - are long manes dangerous in your opinion?

[Tarragon]

But, to answer the question...
in my humble opinion, excessively long manes are impractical and unnecessary but are not inherently dangerous and can look beautiful in a barbie-horse way, if well maintained.

 

[PapaverFollis]

I've wrapped a tail in a kind of vet wrap bundle before now. Both times when horses had wounds on hind legs that I thought would benefit from not being thwack with grubby tail hairs. Horses didn't seem to notice as all. I keep threatening to wrap Beast's tail for winter to keep it clean. But every year it turns out I don't care that much. ?

 

[blitznbobs]

Hogged mane is more so - nothing to grab onto ...

 

[Alibear]

Daisy the one in my profile picture likes to use her bagged tail as a weapon, on people, horses and other animals too. It's slightly less painful for me than when it's just in a long plait. It also looks rather thinner and perhaps dare I say nibbled a bit, after she raised her foal last year There's not enough there to bag currently.

 

[Dave's Mam]

I love my practical Exmoor ponies - breed rules state they have to be kept natural, so no need to pull or plait, and they tend to have not overly-long manes and tails and are usually the Thelwell-classic-pony in style, and they only come in shades of brown

Absolutely agree!

 

[Nudibranch]

I have a Dales and need to keep her mane long for showing as per the breed standard. However I do trim it "naturally" now and then. It would easily grow to her knees I suspect, but I really dislike overly long manes. They also do no favours whatsoever for conformation. So I keep hers a couple of inches above the bottom line of her neck, maximum. I don't faff on with sprays or plaits or whatever. Awful. Her hair is straight and smooth so doesn't tangle and I don't brush it very often. So it stays thick and healthy. It doesn't particularly tangle in the reins either.

There seems to be a fad these days for certain Dales and Fell owners to plait to get wavy manes and tails. Judges ought to stamp that out straight away! Hideous.

I also keep her tail a few inches above the ground since my vet said he's dealt with cases of paralysed rectums in traditional cobs, caused by them standing on their own tails while getting up.

 

[marmalade76]

Re the bagging of tails to look good and protect them, I'd just keep the tail short enough so that the horse can't step on it, and then it's also easier to keep it clean and tangle free.

The sound of the constant banging of the bagged tail against the horse's hocks was loud enough to give me a headache. Goodness knows what the horse thought.

Not to mention being unable to use the tail as nature intended.

I hate over-long tails, particularly if they are thick and heavy and prevent the horse from carrying it. They collect the dirt and get tangled, mine get lopped off just below the hocks in autumn regardless of breed.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

There seems to be a fad these days for certain Dales and Fell owners to plait to get wavy manes and tails. Judges ought to stamp that out straight away! Hideous.

Same with Shetlands. Its completely against breed standard and I find that it's the newer people to showing that are plaiting their ponies manes and tails over night before a show not the old school crew.

God knows what I am going to do with Gummy Bears mane! She is 4yo and if is still like foal fluff just a lot longer! So when you brush it you get an afro!

 

[palo1]

I've no idea how to deal with my native mare's mane; I don't need to work to a breed standard/presentation (Welsh D), but I hate plaiting as for years I have either had silky Arab type manes which are not uncontrollable or appaloosa manes which don't need anything much done at all so I am slow and pretty cack handed to plait up. This vast new mane dilemma is a poser for me tbh!! For mud related reasons I wouldn't want a ground length tail, nor knee length mane either. But I don't really know what to do with this:- (and this is only one side of the mane-beast as it is almost but not quite as generous on the other side...) I have tried using a solo comb but it grows back very quickly. Suggestions are welcome!

 

[southerncomfort]

I have a Dales and need to keep her mane long for showing as per the breed standard. However I do trim it "naturally" now and then. It would easily grow to her knees I suspect, but I really dislike overly long manes. They also do no favours whatsoever for conformation. So I keep hers a couple of inches above the bottom line of her neck, maximum. I don't faff on with sprays or plaits or whatever. Awful. Her hair is straight and smooth so doesn't tangle and I don't brush it very often. So it stays thick and healthy. It doesn't particularly tangle in the reins either.

There seems to be a fad these days for certain Dales and Fell owners to plait to get wavy manes and tails. Judges ought to stamp that out straight away! Hideous.

I also keep her tail a few inches above the ground since my vet said he's dealt with cases of paralysed rectums in traditional cobs, caused by them standing on their own tails while getting up.

My boy's mane has a longer section which is now covering his shoulder and is looking a bit unruly.

How are you managing to trim your pony's mane? Wondering if you do the same as I do with Bo's tail which is to snip upwards doing a very small section at a time...?

 

[planete]

I use a very sharp Opinel knife that I scrape downwards along one pinch of mane at a time to take some of the length off. I do this to mane and tail to keep them from getting too long. I keep the tail a couple of hands' width from the ground and like the bottom of the mane to follow the line of the underside of the neck. It ends up looking quite natural with none of the sticking out bits you get when cut hair regrows and I do not get knots if I brush a few drops of baby oil into the hair occasionally. I also brush through mane and tail several times a week which thins it a bit, much needed with a Fell x traditional cob.

 

[Gloi]

I had one like that! Isn’t it weird! I loved it as I like a smart horse and I hate doing anything nasty to them ? win win

Funny creatures. I pulled a few hairs from mine for a DNA test and he went crazy like I was trying to kill him.
I had a slightly feral mare one time that if you put your finger and thumb each side of her nose and held quite lightly it worked like a twitch and she totally chilled out. handy when having her feet done as she wasn't the easiest with men.

 

[Nudibranch]

How are you managing to trim your pony's mane? Wondering if you do the same as I do with Bo's tail which is to snip upwards doing a very small section at a time...?

I'd love to say I do it very carefully, a section at a time but quite honestly it's a case of go along the bottom and cut off all the long stragglers at the angle I want (diagonally up the neck really), which gives a blunt finish. Then go along vertically, snipping upwards. I find doing it as quickly as possible seems to work best!

 

[PapaverFollis]

If she'll tolerate it being vigorously brushed then having a metal mane comb firmly run through it that should bring out a fair bit of hair and thin it out, palo. Not pulling but combing with the mane comb will catch out all the hairs that are on the verge of coming out anyway. Obviously I would only do this if the horse is relaxed about it, it's not otherwise (MrT seems to enjoy it!). Then I would cut the ends to length with scissors before using a razor comb to scrape them to look more natural. And use sharp scissors to make upwards cuts into the mane to feather the ends as well.

I don't want MrT's mane to be much longer and thicker than it is now so I'm starting to leave it unplaited, as long as he's not too hot, and giving it a good brush out daily and a comb out twice a week. To thin it and break the hairs. The opposite of what you do when trying to grow it basically.

 

[laura_nash]

I've no idea how to deal with my native mare's mane; I don't need to work to a breed standard/presentation (Welsh D), but I hate plaiting as for years I have either had silky Arab type manes which are not uncontrollable or appaloosa manes which don't need anything much done at all so I am slow and pretty cack handed to plait up. This vast new mane dilemma is a poser for me tbh!! For mud related reasons I wouldn't want a ground length tail, nor knee length mane either. But I don't really know what to do with this:- (and this is only one side of the mane-beast as it is almost but not quite as generous on the other side...) I have tried using a solo comb but it grows back very quickly. View attachment 72258Suggestions are welcome!

I have an Ostler mane and tail rake for my daughters pony. Her mane is very similar, incredibly thick on both sides of her neck but not that long. I also use it on her tail which gets so heavy I don't think its comfortable for her. I have used it on her feathers too prior to pig oiling as they tend to dreadlock.

I always thought my cobs mane and tail were thick until we got her, she's a whole new level of hairy.

 

[palo1]

If she'll tolerate it being vigorously brushed then having a metal mane comb firmly run through it that should bring out a fair bit of hair and thin it out, palo. Not pulling but combing with the mane comb will catch out all the hairs that are on the verge of coming out anyway. Obviously I would only do this if the horse is relaxed about it, it's not otherwise (MrT seems to enjoy it!). Then I would cut the ends to length with scissors before using a razor comb to scrape them to look more natural. And use sharp scissors to make upwards cuts into the mane to feather the ends as well.

I don't want MrT's mane to be much longer and thicker than it is now so I'm starting to leave it unplaited, as long as he's not too hot, and giving it a good brush out daily and a comb out twice a week. To thin it and break the hairs. The opposite of what you do when trying to grow it basically.

Good advice thank you! She loves being groomed in every way and would probably love to be a show pony lol!!

 

[palo1]

I have an Ostler mane and tail rake for my daughters pony. Her mane is very similar, incredibly thick on both sides of her neck but not that long. I also use it on her tail which gets so heavy I don't think its comfortable for her. I have used it on her feathers too prior to pig oiling as they tend to dreadlock.

I always thought my cobs mane and tail were thick until we got her, she's a whole new level of hairy.

I will have a look at the Ostler mane and tail rake thank you. At the moment I either just brush and brush and brush to keep it clean and tangle free or hack a bit off and put up with it looking dreadful for a few weeks. I would actually like it to be manageable and look nice!!

 

[Dave's Mam]

Have to throw this one in here. Not really long as such, but today it had a mind of its own!

 

[PapaverFollis]

New potential danger of long manes.... beware if they appear to be possessed! ?

 

[PapaverFollis]

I should report that I tried to shorten MrT's mane yesterday, just to tidy it up, and made a right pigs ear of it so now I'm going to have to shorten it up more than I would like just to get it more level. ? I'm going to use some tips from Brad Mondo to try and do a better job this time.

 

[Dave's Mam]

I should report that I tried to shorten MrT's mane yesterday, just to tidy it up, and made a right pigs ear of it so now I'm going to have to shorten it up more than I would like just to get it more level. ? I'm going to use some tips from Brad Mondo to try and do a better job this time.

We need video.