About his mane! (What would you do with it?)

mestep · 10-14-2005, 08:08 AM

Ok, the deal is possibly this fall, but no later than spring we plan to start showing Bucket! What would you guys do with his mane? Roach it, band it, or something else? Don't worry we are gonna use some MTG on his forlock, he had a fight with the burs and they won!!

version1955 · 10-14-2005, 08:34 AM

Your fellow looks like he'd put up with ANYTHING that you did to his mane. What a honey!

Uh humm, okay, back to the question. I don't like roaching because its so permanent! Well, for a looong time anyway. And I do like the banding because you can put little rosettes (hmm not strike that, it would insult his masculinity) okay COLORS of ribbons or whatnot TASTEFULLY and artful to heighten his image as the dude that he is. Getting all the tack and everything to color coordinate is wonderful to see, makes them seem to move more gracefully.

My humble and goofy opinion!

mestep · 10-14-2005, 08:44 AM

Well, as for his tack he will be sporting a light oil very tooled plenty of good silver saddle with matching bridle, his blanket for showing is a black, purple, and pink, with matching light oil leather and silver on the corners.( that is till I find a more manly one that fits my budget! )

chappel16 · 10-14-2005, 09:05 AM

If western leave long and flowing. English do a running braid. Here is one I did on a friends horse. Wasnt a perfect one since practicing but you can see it done up.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../Jazzbraid.jpg

mestep · 10-14-2005, 09:22 AM

He will be shown western! For right now we will not be able to leave his mane long and flowing

, he has broken off several sections of it, so we are gonna have to pull a lot of it and allow it to regrow!

allison · 10-14-2005, 10:07 AM

If you want a serious 'western pleasure' look, you'll have to pull, or cut his mane to about 4 inches. Your guy has a nice thin neck, so you can even go a little shorter to enhance the length of it. His mane is not to thick, and it lays nicely to one side, I would absolutely pull and thin his mane, instead of cutting it off. It'll give you a very clean cut, polished and professional look.

mestep · 10-14-2005, 10:17 AM

Thanks alot!

A J · 10-14-2005, 10:32 AM

Yes, as western pleasure horse he will definilty need his mane pulled and shorted up. I would probably go even a little less than four inches with his build. Take your time banding - evenly spaced, small bands (about 1/2 inch wide) will make his neck look nice and long (If I recall from other pictures he doesn't have a real long neck - or not obviously so, anyways). Don't worry, he'll look great!

mandelyn82 · 10-14-2005, 10:33 AM

I love the "running braid". I did that on a kiger mustang for an english show since they didn't want to cut it. It covers up missing chunks well too with a little gel. I've never seen it in a western ring though.

I would pull it to 4 inches, and thin it to match any bare-ish areas. Just make sure your mane puller is sharp and do it at a 45 degree angle for best results. I learned that from cutting people hair. It'll keep the blade sharper longer too. The mane should be wet, and shoot for 5 inches, that way dry it's 4 inches or so. Then after that you could band it in 1 inch sections. Or braid a ribbon through it to match the saddle pad.

There was a girl who had over pulled her horses mane so I banded it, then braided in ribbon, then did a running braid of the ribbons and curled the loose ends (loosely, not tight). It looked really cool and was very unique. In case pulling doesn't go so well.

Good luck with whatever you decide on!

QuartersAllTheWay · 10-14-2005, 10:38 AM

I would say trim it to 4 inches also.

tiggypoodle · 10-14-2005, 01:39 PM

You want it to be about the width of your hand but..... a well trimmed mane can really emphasize a good neck, or hide some faults

A lot of people think that a long mane will hide a bad neck, but just the opposite is true-- your horse must have a really nice neck in order to look good in a long mane. I personally am NOT a fan of the long mane (yeah, and I'm breeding and showing Arabs, lol), I just love how professional a short mane looks... I used to get made fun of, any horse that came to me lost their long mane-- I used to say it was like boot camp, time to work so get rid of that hippie hair!

If your horse has a reeeaaallllyyy nice neck, you can go with an even shorter mane..... I've seen some western pleasure horses with super short manes that look REALLY good. But, to be safe, about the width of your hand is proper-- and CUT IT don't PULL IT, lol-- if you pull it incorrectly, you end up with a frizzy mess.

I know pulling is the proper thing to do for hunters, but I don't do it

because it stretches the hair and looks terrible. Plus, the "in" thing right now is to have that sharp, clear line along the bottom of the mane. If your horse's mane is thick and bushy, cut it short and then pull the hairs from the underside..... but don't mess with the top ones.

Also, make sure your bridle path is only a few inches long (no longer than the horse's ear when it's laid back against it's neck). Otherwise, you end up with the half Arab-y, half stock horse look that's especially unappealing

Okay now that I've written a book about this, GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!

Lily

version1955 · 10-14-2005, 02:17 PM

I've heard different opinions on the best method to pull a mane and I've never done it before. Any opinions here?

tiggypoodle · 10-14-2005, 02:55 PM

It's really pretty simple...... get a mane comb, then take a small section of the hair. Hold the longest ends with the fingers of your right hand, and with the comb in the left, brush the hair upward toward the crest. (This will leave only the longest hairs left in your fingers.) Once you are down to only a few long hairs, wrap those hairs around the comb and pull sharply downward-- NOT upward, or toward you. If you do that, the hair may not release, it will just stretch, fray and potentially break off at the center of the hair, rather than pulling out of the crest.

Repeat this until the mane is the length and thickness you want!

I have a bad habit of using my fingers to pull out the mane rather than the comb, but you end up with blisters! And believe me, it happens fast, lol!

Lily

ray · 10-14-2005, 08:20 PM

I would pull it and band it as well. I used to ride english and am now converting to western, I've always wondered how the western people got there bands to lay so flat against the neck, like downward, and not stick out to the side like a ponytail?

allison · 10-16-2005, 12:31 AM

You have to get the thickness out of the mane first, by pulling/thinning it. The other key is to do tiny bands, like half an inch or smaller. That is very important. Finally, once you have placed a band, not too tight to the crest, pull the hairs from the underside of the band out to the sides. That tightens the band and pulls it down. If you don't thin the mane it will look chunky. Even if you want that razor straight edge for your horses mane, thin and shorten it first, then trim the edge.

appygurl · 10-16-2005, 12:52 AM

Yes I would say pulled as well.. Usually I would trim about 3inches

CanChacer · 10-17-2005, 01:28 PM

I would pull and band for western.

I do the running braid on my mare when i exercise her just to keep it out if my way so i grab rein not mein, when i jumped and did hunt seat we were not aloud to show w/ a running braid we had to plait rosette. but i was also showing in an A rated circuit w/ the big guys!

mestep · 10-17-2005, 01:36 PM

Thanks alot everyone for your advice!

**QuarterCowGirl** · 10-17-2005, 01:40 PM

Here's a good step by step site I found on how to pull a mane. It even has pictures!

http://www.newrider.com/Library/Hors...ng_a_mane.html

ThorArb · 10-17-2005, 04:24 PM

Well to tell you what I would recommend, well I cant until I know what you are showing in. You said western tack, ok great that leaves it to Banding or leaving it long. BUT if you are doing western pleasure, the mane needs to be trimmed, pulled and banded. It needs to be about 4inches long, more or less depending on his neck. Trimming and pulling can make your horse's neck appear thinner or thicker, depending on how you do it.

But for barrels, reining, things like that, leave it long and flowing. No need to trim it (maybe just the stray hairs) or pull it.

Brittany

10-14-2005, 08:08 AM
mestep Started Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Crab Orchard, Ky Posts: 2,169	About his mane! (What would you do with it?) Ok, the deal is possibly this fall, but no later than spring we plan to start showing Bucket! What would you guys do with his mane? Roach it, band it, or something else? Don't worry we are gonna use some MTG on his forlock, he had a fight with the burs and they won!! __________________

10-14-2005, 08:34 AM
version1955 Kid Safe Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Minnesnowdah Posts: 6,937	Your fellow looks like he'd put up with ANYTHING that you did to his mane. What a honey! Uh humm, okay, back to the question. I don't like roaching because its so permanent! Well, for a looong time anyway. And I do like the banding because you can put little rosettes (hmm not strike that, it would insult his masculinity) okay COLORS of ribbons or whatnot TASTEFULLY and artful to heighten his image as the dude that he is. Getting all the tack and everything to color coordinate is wonderful to see, makes them seem to move more gracefully. My humble and goofy opinion! __________________ gonna do what I can instead of complain and fret about what I can't Joanie

10-14-2005, 08:44 AM
mestep Started Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Crab Orchard, Ky Posts: 2,169	Well, as for his tack he will be sporting a light oil very tooled plenty of good silver saddle with matching bridle, his blanket for showing is a black, purple, and pink, with matching light oil leather and silver on the corners.( that is till I find a more manly one that fits my budget! ) __________________

10-14-2005, 09:05 AM
chappel16 Long Yearling Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Oviedo Florida Posts: 1,068	If western leave long and flowing. English do a running braid. Here is one I did on a friends horse. Wasnt a perfect one since practicing but you can see it done up. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../Jazzbraid.jpg __________________ www.sunlitstables.piczo.com

10-14-2005, 09:22 AM
mestep Started Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Crab Orchard, Ky Posts: 2,169	He will be shown western! For right now we will not be able to leave his mane long and flowing , he has broken off several sections of it, so we are gonna have to pull a lot of it and allow it to regrow! __________________

10-14-2005, 10:07 AM
allison Started Join Date: May 2005 Location: Kenosha, WI. Posts: 2,133	If you want a serious 'western pleasure' look, you'll have to pull, or cut his mane to about 4 inches. Your guy has a nice thin neck, so you can even go a little shorter to enhance the length of it. His mane is not to thick, and it lays nicely to one side, I would absolutely pull and thin his mane, instead of cutting it off. It'll give you a very clean cut, polished and professional look.

10-14-2005, 10:17 AM
mestep Started Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Crab Orchard, Ky Posts: 2,169	Thanks alot! __________________

10-14-2005, 10:32 AM
A J Greenbroke Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Vallejo, CA Posts: 3,476	Yes, as western pleasure horse he will definilty need his mane pulled and shorted up. I would probably go even a little less than four inches with his build. Take your time banding - evenly spaced, small bands (about 1/2 inch wide) will make his neck look nice and long (If I recall from other pictures he doesn't have a real long neck - or not obviously so, anyways). Don't worry, he'll look great! __________________ Try not, do. Do or do not. There is no try.

10-14-2005, 10:33 AM
mandelyn82 Coming two Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Ft. Campbell, KY Posts: 1,974	I love the "running braid". I did that on a kiger mustang for an english show since they didn't want to cut it. It covers up missing chunks well too with a little gel. I've never seen it in a western ring though. I would pull it to 4 inches, and thin it to match any bare-ish areas. Just make sure your mane puller is sharp and do it at a 45 degree angle for best results. I learned that from cutting people hair. It'll keep the blade sharper longer too. The mane should be wet, and shoot for 5 inches, that way dry it's 4 inches or so. Then after that you could band it in 1 inch sections. Or braid a ribbon through it to match the saddle pad. There was a girl who had over pulled her horses mane so I banded it, then braided in ribbon, then did a running braid of the ribbons and curled the loose ends (loosely, not tight). It looked really cool and was very unique. In case pulling doesn't go so well. Good luck with whatever you decide on! __________________ "The more people I meet the more I love my German Shepherd"

10-14-2005, 10:38 AM
QuartersAllTheWay Yearling Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 854	I would say trim it to 4 inches also.

10-14-2005, 01:39 PM
tiggypoodle Coming two Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Home Sweet Home, Badger Canyon, WA Posts: 1,691	You want it to be about the width of your hand but..... a well trimmed mane can really emphasize a good neck, or hide some faults A lot of people think that a long mane will hide a bad neck, but just the opposite is true-- your horse must have a really nice neck in order to look good in a long mane. I personally am NOT a fan of the long mane (yeah, and I'm breeding and showing Arabs, lol), I just love how professional a short mane looks... I used to get made fun of, any horse that came to me lost their long mane-- I used to say it was like boot camp, time to work so get rid of that hippie hair! If your horse has a reeeaaallllyyy nice neck, you can go with an even shorter mane..... I've seen some western pleasure horses with super short manes that look REALLY good. But, to be safe, about the width of your hand is proper-- and CUT IT don't PULL IT, lol-- if you pull it incorrectly, you end up with a frizzy mess. I know pulling is the proper thing to do for hunters, but I don't do it because it stretches the hair and looks terrible. Plus, the "in" thing right now is to have that sharp, clear line along the bottom of the mane. If your horse's mane is thick and bushy, cut it short and then pull the hairs from the underside..... but don't mess with the top ones. Also, make sure your bridle path is only a few inches long (no longer than the horse's ear when it's laid back against it's neck). Otherwise, you end up with the half Arab-y, half stock horse look that's especially unappealing Okay now that I've written a book about this, GOOD LUCK!!!!!!! Lily

10-14-2005, 02:17 PM
version1955 Kid Safe Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Minnesnowdah Posts: 6,937	I've heard different opinions on the best method to pull a mane and I've never done it before. Any opinions here? __________________ gonna do what I can instead of complain and fret about what I can't Joanie

10-14-2005, 02:55 PM
tiggypoodle Coming two Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Home Sweet Home, Badger Canyon, WA Posts: 1,691	It's really pretty simple...... get a mane comb, then take a small section of the hair. Hold the longest ends with the fingers of your right hand, and with the comb in the left, brush the hair upward toward the crest. (This will leave only the longest hairs left in your fingers.) Once you are down to only a few long hairs, wrap those hairs around the comb and pull sharply downward-- NOT upward, or toward you. If you do that, the hair may not release, it will just stretch, fray and potentially break off at the center of the hair, rather than pulling out of the crest. Repeat this until the mane is the length and thickness you want! I have a bad habit of using my fingers to pull out the mane rather than the comb, but you end up with blisters! And believe me, it happens fast, lol! Lily

10-14-2005, 08:20 PM
ray Yearling Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 692	I would pull it and band it as well. I used to ride english and am now converting to western, I've always wondered how the western people got there bands to lay so flat against the neck, like downward, and not stick out to the side like a ponytail? __________________ If wishes were horses, then beggers would ride!

10-16-2005, 12:31 AM
allison Started Join Date: May 2005 Location: Kenosha, WI. Posts: 2,133	You have to get the thickness out of the mane first, by pulling/thinning it. The other key is to do tiny bands, like half an inch or smaller. That is very important. Finally, once you have placed a band, not too tight to the crest, pull the hairs from the underside of the band out to the sides. That tightens the band and pulls it down. If you don't thin the mane it will look chunky. Even if you want that razor straight edge for your horses mane, thin and shorten it first, then trim the edge.

10-16-2005, 12:52 AM
appygurl Coming two Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Illinois Posts: 1,821	Yes I would say pulled as well.. Usually I would trim about 3inches __________________ Appaloosa--brains, looks, and temperment all in one

10-17-2005, 01:28 PM
CanChacer Halter broke Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Palmetto,Fl. Posts: 64	I would pull and band for western. I do the running braid on my mare when i exercise her just to keep it out if my way so i grab rein not mein, when i jumped and did hunt seat we were not aloud to show w/ a running braid we had to plait rosette. but i was also showing in an A rated circuit w/ the big guys!

10-17-2005, 01:36 PM
mestep Started Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Crab Orchard, Ky Posts: 2,169	Thanks alot everyone for your advice! __________________

10-17-2005, 01:40 PM
QuarterCowGirl Welcome and Introductions Moderator Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 6,746	Here's a good step by step site I found on how to pull a mane. It even has pictures! http://www.newrider.com/Library/Hors...ng_a_mane.html __________________ I'm a farmer - I'll grow on you.

10-17-2005, 04:24 PM
ThorArb Kid Safe Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Conyers, GA Posts: 5,787	Well to tell you what I would recommend, well I cant until I know what you are showing in. You said western tack, ok great that leaves it to Banding or leaving it long. BUT if you are doing western pleasure, the mane needs to be trimmed, pulled and banded. It needs to be about 4inches long, more or less depending on his neck. Trimming and pulling can make your horse's neck appear thinner or thicker, depending on how you do it. But for barrels, reining, things like that, leave it long and flowing. No need to trim it (maybe just the stray hairs) or pull it. Brittany __________________ Grab life by the Horns!