MAINTAINING MANES!
Manes and tails can be quite frustrating! Well, at least they can be for humans.
Us horsies don't mind them at all! They help swish flies away!
Today we will be focusing on Mane Care (let's leave Tails for next time).
Now, each breed of horse has a slightly different type of mane.
For example, Thoroughbreds and Arabians tend to have thin, straight manes and tails while Morgans and Mustangs are known to have thicker, waver (harder maintained) manes and tails.
Whether you keep your horse's mane long or short can depend on multiple things such as Breed standards, personal perference, time constrants, etc.
Currently, Mommy keeps my mane trimmed short.
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| My Short Mane (Do for another trim) |
There are a few different reasons for this.
- I have a very thick, very wavy mane (especially for a baby), The thickness combined with the waves cause constant tangles and split ends.
- I tolerate quite well the brushing, spraying, bathing and trimming of my mane, however I do not "enjoy" the brushing or the bathing of it. So the less time Mommy has to spend on my mane care routine, the better it is for both of us.
- Mommy normally has multiple horses to work with or care for on any given day, so the less time she has to spend on my beauty routine, the better.
Short Mane Care:
Most of you horsie people have probably heard the common idea that manes and tails should only be brushed once or twice a week.
The belief behind this, is that the more often you brush out our hair the more likely it is that it will break or develop split ends.
There is a great deal of truth to this but not only does each breed have slightly different manes but each horse as well.
Mommy bases Mane care routines on the specific horse she is caring for.
For example Papa Pollo has a very thin, very straight mane. Mommy sprays it with detangler twice a week, but she only brushes it out once a week or sometimes every other week.
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| Papa Pollo has a very thin and straight mane |
If it's humid my mane is frizzy, if it's rainy it's tangled and if it's warm my mane is fine.
Brushing & Detangler:
Mommy uses detangler on my mane two - three times a week.
Her favorite brands of detangler are:
but she definetly perfers the Super Body Shine.
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| ShowSheen Show Ring Shine (Photo found on Google) |
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| Cowboy Magic Super Body Shine (Photo found on Google) |
Every time my mane is sprayed it is also brushed out.
Whenever possible (if my mane isn't too tangled) Mommy uses a soft bristled hair brush on my mane.
This type of brush is easier on the hairs than the average mane and tail brush and is less likely to cause split ends.
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| Typical Soft Bristle Human Hair Brush. (Photo found on Google) |
Obviously, you can find brushes like these at your local dollar store or supermarket.
If my mane is too tangled for the soft bristled brush than Mommy will use a Mane and Tail brush, you can get at the tack store.
But, she NEVER uses combs of any kind, they tend to be harsher on the hairs but also don't tend to help with the tangles, only cause more.
Washing:
About once a month Mommy with bathe my mane and tail with shampoo and conditioner.
She really likes the Elite Equine Evolution Shampoo
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| Elite Equine Evolution Anti-bacterial Shampoo (Photo found on Google) |
but she is looking for a new conditioner, the one she has leaves a slight film on the hairs.
Long Mane Care:
It probably goes without saying, but just like in Humans, horses with longer hair need more matience than those with short hair.
The best way to care for a long mane that is kept loose is to spray it with detangler at least every other day and brush it out at least three times a week to avoid dred locks.
Long manes ideally should be shampooed and conditioned once a week.
A better way to maintain a long mane is to put it in straight braids after it is washed.
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| Maintenance Braids (Photo found on Google) |
They should be done tighly to keep from falling out but not tightly enough to snap any hairs or pull too hair on the horse's crest.
NOTE: A horse that rubs his mane should not be braided as he might rub off the hairs.
There are also many forms of products on the market that were designed to help protect long manes.
There are also many forms of products on the market that were designed to help protect long manes.
The three most popupor products are:
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| Mane Bags (Photo found on Google) |
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| Sleazies or Hoods (Photo found on Google) |
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| Mane Tamers (Photo found on Google) |
Any of these products are worth a try but the Sleazies or the Matience braids are my Mommy's favorite!
A horse that has a long mane should have about a half inch cut off at least every other month, this will encourage fresh hair growth.
As for short manes, many people perfer to pull their horse's mane with a "pulling comb"
This is done by selecting a section of hair about two finger widths wide, brushing half the hairs upwards.
Pulling & Trimming:
A horse that has a long mane should have about a half inch cut off at least every other month, this will encourage fresh hair growth.
As for short manes, many people perfer to pull their horse's mane with a "pulling comb"
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| Mane Pulling (Photo found on Google) |
The next step is to twist the remaining hair around the comb and pull it out.
It is widely believed that this does not hurt the horse.
However, My Mommy does not think this is accurante.
Some horses stand quietly for mane pulling but most of them do not like it.
If a horse can feel something as small as a fly anywhere on their body, doesn't it make sense that a Human putting weight on a comb and tearing hair out of their neck might be quite uncomfortable, if not painful?
Mommy believes that it makes no sense to say they can't feel it , she perfers to trim our manes, not pull them.
Trimming a horse's mane does take a bit of practice. An there is a right and wrong way to do it.
The ideal look when finishing both Pulling or Trimming the mane is to make it look as natural as possible.
When trimming the mane, it is importan to cut upward not across.
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| Incorrect (Photo found on Google) |
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| Correct (Photo found on Google) |
NOTE: It is important that you never trim or pull the forelock as it does not grow back nearly as fast as the rest of the mane.
Hope this helps some of you with your Ponies' beauty routines! Next time we will talk about tails!
Hope this helps some of you with your Ponies' beauty routines! Next time we will talk about tails!
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