A lot of thought and consideration goes into a horse or pony’s mane: are they clean, shiny enough, and the correct length?
Whether you want to plait it for a competition or smarten up a mane enough for hacking or a riding lesson, the following tricks of the trade from professional groom Amanda Thompson and coach Gemma Porter-Rawlings will help you to give your horse a hairdo to be proud of.
Remove the mud
If your horse has come in with half the field on their head, the best place to start is by giving their mane a good brush.
A bit of elbow grease works wonders to clear any excess mud and get your horse’s mane tangle-free. A dandy brush with firm bristles is best suited for this job.
“Brush the underside of the mane over to the opposite side of the horse’s neck using quick flicking motions,” says Amanda. “To finish, brush it all back down, checking for any shavings, straw or mud.”
Tidy up with a pull or trim
Before you get the shampoo out, it’s a good idea to thin out your horse’s mane and remove any stray hairs.
“I like to pull the hair before washing as the grease makes it easier to get a hold of,” says Gemma.
There are no strict rules as to how much to pull.
“It’s down to personal preference,” adds Gemma. “Dressage riders often leave the mane longer (about six inches) to give them the length to roll the mane into plaits, whereas showjumpers prefer it shorter.”
How to pull a mane
Some horses don’t like having their manes pulled, even with a solo comb — and who can blame them — but there are several products on the market to help you keep manes and tails trim and tidy in a kinder way.
These remove the need to ‘pull’ the mane, and so is the preferred method by horses and riders alike.
- Take a small section of mane, backcomb it to reveal the longest hairs, and wrap these long hairs around your comb.
- Tug quickly and sharply to pull the hairs out.
- Brush the mane to remove any tangles.
- Move on to the next section and repeat.
- Once complete, run your fingers through the mane to check you’ve got an even thickness.
If you do choose to do it the old-fashioned way of pulling (as described above), do it after exercise when your horse’s skin is warmer and the pores are more open. This will make it easier for you and they will feel it less.
“Another thing you can do is apply pressure to the root of the hair,” advises Amanda. “This helps to desensitise the nerve endings so the horse won’t be able to feel you pulling as much.
“It’s a bit like when you pull your own skin tight when plucking your eyebrows.”
Pulling out a few stray hairs when you notice them should help you keep on top of things, but you may need to do a full pull every couple of months.
Consider trimming instead
If your horse has thin hair, is sensitive, or you’re not a fan of pulling manes, you can keep on top of their mane by trimming instead.
To trim, apply a similar method as you would when pulling, taking a smaller section and backcombing to reveal the longer hairs and then simply trim these away with scissors.
Beware taking too much off with scissors, though, as it won’t look natural.
“If you’re planning on cutting your horse’s mane, do a little bit at a time to avoid it looking too chopped,” advises Amanda.
Boost circulation with a shampoo
After all that plucking and pulling, your horse might be feeling a bit sore, so soothe their skin with a gentle wash.
“We like to use shampoo with lavender and camomile in as these have a soothing effect on the skin,” explains Gemma.
“By rubbing in the shampoo, it also gives your horse’s neck a good massage, helping to circulate the blood and easing any soreness from the pulling.”
A good scrub can also help to wash away any build-up of grease and get your horse’s mane gleaming.
To boost your shampoo’s soothing properties, treat your horse by washing them off with warm water.
Once all the bubbles are out, dry the horse off with a towel and comb through their mane to get rid of any tangles.
Tame that mane
Traditionalists say that a horse’s mane should always fall to the right-hand side of his neck, but it could be that your horse’s mane has different ideas.
Don’t worry too much — let it lie where it wants to naturally. However, a simple way to train a mane to lie a certain way is to section off the mane with rubber bands and lay them all on one side.
If you do this for long enough and regularly enough, it is thought to be effective.
“You can do this with wet or dry hair and it helps to gently keep the mane in place without pulling your horse about too much and risking making them sore,” explains Gemma.
How to keep a mane in place
- Brush all of your horse’s mane to the right side of his neck.
- Split the mane into small sections that are roughly a mane comb’s width.
- Wrap an elastic band around each section, roughly a third of the way down.
- Leave to set in place and remove after an hour or so.
Amanda Thompson is an eventing groom and member of the British Grooms Association. Gemma Porter-Rawlings is a BHS Stage 5 Performance Coach in Complete Horsemanship who runs GPR Equestrian Services.
