Very long manes, care and management

Enfys

Enfys

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What do you do? Does it work, and have you had disasters?

Wash, don't wash, plait, don't plait, bag, don't bag, brush, comb, fingers, detangler ... ???????

I've been reading and now I wish I hadn't, because, as always, there are a hundred ways to do the same thing. Just curious what other people do.

It also gives you the opportunity for gratuitous flowing locks photos ;)

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I love long manes... :)

Plaiting is how I keep it nice. Don't use products with silicone, instead use oils if you need to. Makes it brittle.

And erm..... well, regular brushing :D

It's hard work keeping a long mane, shortcuts usually has drawbacks. Would never dream of a mane-bag (what is that??).

I usually just do a running plait (spanish plait) for day-to-day. Stays in for about a week until it gets truly messy, then I brush out and start again. If it rains, I always undo as you don't want damp hair, this makes it brittle and it breaks. Better for it to dry before going at it again with a brush.

P.s. I use a human padded brush for mane and tail. Never a comb.
 
I just leave it alone, tease out any wind knots and every so often brush through with a human vent hairbush. I use main and tail conditioner or a few drops of baby oil now and again. :)
 
My old horse, Jasper had a long mane. I juts used to keep it tied back in a running plait most of the time. I would brush it throughand re-plait it 2-3 times a week. If it was down I used to use Canter Mane & Tail spray or Cowboy Magic Detangler to keep it soft and tangle free, but not too much as it makes the plait drop out very quickly when you plait it back up!

Jasper sporting his plait


And with it down:


It was beautiful, but a bit of a faff! I'm enjoying the fact that my new horse Bob has a nice short mane, much easier! :)
 
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I rarely wash at the moment, it's been SO wet and cold! I mostly just ShowSheen and brush with a human hairbrush once a week or so. It would get washed if we were going to a show!

I don't plait or bag because my colt likes to grab and pull, and I don't think Casper would have any mane at all if I made it into something completely biteable.

He has lost a bit due to playing since this photo, so I have bought some mane thickener (senior moment, can't remember the name!) and once it's warmer I will wash his mane and apply some of this once a week or so.



More pictures and videos can be seen on Facebook if anyone is interested, follow the link in my sig :)
 
My little companion has an amazing mane, I've not washed it / him in 4 years (not great with water/ hose), I unwind wind plats with my fingers and maybe once every three months brush it through with mane and tail.
Less is better for him or I'd pull it all out brushing all the time.
But I don't ride him so I don't have to worry about it getting in the way.
 
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I keep my boys braided and bagged most of the time. I give it a good brush through once a fortnight but try to leave it alone otherwise.

I love the Alva products and I never brush it without protecting it with some sort of detangler first.

Other thing is if you want a long mane forget using rugs with necks for any length of time!
 
We leave the ones at work natural. Every now and again they'll get a wash with conditioner as well and then brushed through but the majority of the time we leave them and the manes look fine and when we do clean them up they look amazing with no broken bits. Sometimes I think less is more. Definitely don't try to force a brush through it :)
 
I don't brush my girl's mane. I tease out any knots with my fingers and do a running plait to ride her. I would never leave the plait in as it might break the hairs.
I will only brush it very carefully when it has had a wash. When i wash it i use a normal human conditioner.
 
Native pony manes and tails here. Mine are dark coloured and appear to have coats made of teflon so they are 'wash-and-go' ponies - biggest issue we have is rubbing chunks out (usually just before the biggest show of the year of course) but we just live with that as we like them to live out as much as possible and we've got fairly adept at some creative 'comb-overs';)

We usually leave well alone apart from teasing out knots, burrs and dry mud with fingers.
Hot-cloth the roots with a dash of diluted cider apple vinegar to keep the scurf at bay and minimise itching.
Choose rugs carefully - normal rugs always without necks, flyrugs with the extra insert at the withers, own design home-made fleece snoods to dry off when very wet.
For showing: wash with a horse shampoo, comb when dry with a dog-comb that has rotating teeth and then dash of brylcreme before going in the ring.

ETA: for got to say the biggest help we find is actually nutritional - feed linseed, it really does seem to make the hair shiny and strong.
 
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Ooh, I love long manes!
I have an Arab and a hairy pony, both with lovely manes. I don't do too much, and definitely don't brush them regularly because it breaks the hair. I use a good detangler and during the winter I plait the manes, taking it down and re-plaiting every week or so.
Here's one from yesterday, showing mane ready to be re-brushed and plaited


I think the way to kill a mane is to faff about with it too much. I don't worry about big wind tangles during the winter, just soak in detangler and gently tease them out every now and then.

I might take more pics later when I have a Pony Pampering session.
 
brush it every other day or so, de-tangler once a week or so, running plait for riding and long plaits when I can be bothered but most of the time it is left loose to do at it wishes


 
Barney&Buzz said:
Pull it, sorry hate long mane's
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Meow! :p

My long mane method is very basic. I gently tease out wind tangles but apart from that I pretty much leave the mane alone. I totally agree about neck covers though and try not to use them. I would brush and condition for a special occasion.
 
This is one of my girls mane. I never brush it unless freshly washed, I tease out wind knots with my fingers.





It usually looks like this. I keep her forelock plaited as she has cataracts (she is 30 years old).

 
Barney and buzz, :D That's OK, I feel the same about short manes, which is why I have breeds that are traditionally not trimmed. Tbs etc look tatty and unkempt with long hair I do agree.
 
this is my Friesian boy - generally I keep him in a running plait and re do it about once a week..... can not ride him with his mane loose as my hands get caught up in it!

I brush it out with a human "paddle brush" - absolutely brilliant for his mane / tail

for the past 2 days he has been going out in the field naked and so thought it only right that his locks could blow in the breeze!



this is him just replaited



better view of his plait

 
touchstone said:
I just leave it alone, tease out any wind knots and every so often brush through with a human vent hairbush. I use main and tail conditioner or a few drops of baby oil now and again. :)
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Pretty much do the same as this. Seren had a beautiful long mane, and Nell is growing a pretty impressive long thick mane also. I tend to use a little baby oil and a human hair brush
I used to plait Seren up for hacking and in hot weather to keep her a little cooler
 
I keep my cob's mane in a running plait most of the time, and re-do when it looks tatty - generally once a week or so. I wash fairly regularly in the summer to keep grease at bay, but a bit greasy by now so just tangles in the reins if I leave it down at the moment... When I'm re-plaiting, I just take it down, spray with pig oil, then brush and plait. It seems to have grown a fair bit over the winter with this regime :) I do use full neck rugs - and no problems so far.

I used to do a few plaits, but since he scratched on a tree and pulled most of one out, leaving a massive chunk missing, I just do a running plait :rolleyes:

I do love the flowing locks, but how on earth do people ride without it getting tangled in the reins?!
 
I run baby oil through with my hands about every month, pick out any tangles as they occur (and twigs and thistles, grr!), et voila!

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It does get tangled in the reins, insists on working its way under the saddle and is therefore shorter at the bottom, and her tail picks up loose tree branches sometimes :-O more baby oil needed!
 
My New Forest has a long mane - I tend to do very little!

I plait to keep mud out when fields are very muddy & I'll put it in a running plait to keep it out the way. But otherwise, bar the odd spritz with mane & tail spray I leave it alone.

Less is more, I find!
 
JFTD
You've given me so much mane envy. Those luscious long locks are beautiful. It's high time I but my lady hair extensions I think! Her mane just stops growing any longer when it reaches a certain length :(
 
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