Horse Manes

Many horsemen and horsewomen learn how to grow gorgeous manes on their horses as a means to an end: that being, in most cases, the desire to gain an edge in show competition. But they soon discover that there are other benefits to having a stunning looking horse. Great horse manes (and tails) will actually change the way people react to your animal and even to you. It's strange at first, but you soon get used to it and begin to look forward to it.

I love taking a horse with an average or nondescript mane and then increasing its attractiveness ten- or a hundred-fold. This also, by the way, tremendously increases the monetary value of a horse. Whether or not you intend ever to sell the horse, you will get offers -- and all because you've learned the art of amazing horse manes!

Basic grooming will go a long way to making your horse's mane look its best.

There's a technique to brushing horse manes that works well for almost every breed and individual horse. Beginning at the bottom of the strands of hair, brush or comb in a downward motion, one section of mane at a time. Continue until you can smoothly comb all the way from the top to the bottom of the mane.

If the mane is especially tangled, a de-tangling grooming spray will make the job easier. It will also clean and shine the hair.

Basic grooming is the beginning of creating breath-taking horse manes. More advanced information is available through sites such as www.HorseMane.info.

Laying a horse's mane means to ensure that it stays on the "correct" side of the horse's neck. Traditionally this is the right side (meaning, not the left).

Horse manes vary greatly, of course. Some lie flat. Some lie "half and half," each half on a different side. And some just naturally fall on the left, or "incorrect" side.

Some horse owners plait their horse's mane to the correct side, but a better solution is to bunch the mane into small sections with bands close to the neck, positioned to the proper side of course.

Banding is not done as a permanent thing, but as a quick way to train the mane to lay itself correctly.

Done right, it should take only 3 or 4 days to train your horse's mane to lay properly.

Many horses develop brittle, poor looking manes. The cause can range from exposure to cold, dry air to dirt and mud that has become caked and stiff. If allowed to become very brittle, the hair of the mane can break quite easily.

Careful shampooing and conditioning is the general solution to brittle horse manes. You will also have to be extra careful when you brush or comb the mane, to avoid excessive hair breakage.

Horse tails can suffer from the same problem, and the same advice applies to dealing with brittle tails as to brittle manes.

I love my horses. I do not neglect any part of them when it comes to grooming or health. But, I am obsessed with their manes!

"Impossibly" thick and long horse manes will draw people not only to your gorgeous animals, but to you as their owner. Everyone will be dying to talk to you about your amazing looking horse. They may even want to take its picture.

If you want to win more show horse competitions, a great looking mane can make it happen. A better mane, all by itself, can result in your taking home more ribbons even with an otherwise average horse.

Won't you join me in join me in my horse manes obsession? Just start by paying a little more attention when you groom your horse's mane, and go from there.

I've compiled the information from my different lenses into a single downloadable document, here:

The Horse Mane Book