Practical advice: how to care for a horse’s mane

Photo: Worldofshowjumping.com.

The World of Showjumping media resource asked the world’s leading horse breeders to share their professional opinion in order to answer the eternal question – so, after all, should one pull or cut the mane?

Kay Neatham, groom of Marcus Ehning.

I do both, everything is individual and depends on the horse. For me, there is no particular preference between pulling and cutting the mane, but if we talk about length, I pay special attention to this – the mane should be of such length that it is convenient to braid it, and at the same time, when loose, it should be short and even enough.

When I was 14 years old, an unpleasant incident happened to me. I was allowed to ride a mare belonging to a nice old lady, the mare was called Megan, she was a savras color – officially recognized only in English-speaking countries. And here in the pony club I found outthat you can make a fashionable tail haircut if you cut it with scissors on both sides. Such tails were then in fashion. Megan had a gorgeous bushy tail. When I finished cutting it, it looked great. I don’t remember what the hostess told me when she saw the result, but she definitely wasn’t thrilled.

Another unpleasant incident was connected with Sabrina (The famous horse of Marcus Ehning. – Approx. ed.). “Princess Sabrina” didn’t like to shave, and after I shaved her under sedation, I decided to take a moment and pull her mane. But her head was lower than usual. And as a result, the mane turned out to be very short and thin – after that I did not touch her mane for a year.

Jenny Ducoffre, groom Josa Ferloya.

“I am not an expert in mane pulling. If it’s really necessary, I use a dog trimming comb or ask Steffy (groom Isabelle Werth), Lisa (groom Phillip Weishaupt) or Mona (groom Alberto Zorzi) to help me – they are all masters at this. I think this is a German trick – to be able to pull the mane well, but I missed this moment. I prefer to cut and often use a mane trimmer.”

Fran Callan, groom Jura Vreeling.

I like the neatly trimmed mane, it gives a complete look. I update it about once a month. I don’t pull the mane, as I personally prefer thick and not too short. I don’t cut my mane before a tournament, as a freshly trimmed mane is harder to braid, and even freshly washed. A slightly messy mane is perfectly braided, and such weaving lasts a long time. We braid the manes of all our horses for tournaments, most of them are stud stallions, and their appearance is also an advertisement. Each groom weaves the mane in his own way, and we cut the mane according to our own way of weaving.

Morgane Tresch, groom of Jeroen Dubbeldam.

“It all depends on the horse. All horses have different manes, some I can pull the mane, and others I can cut. The most important thing when you trim your mane is to cut it in a straight line measured from the roots, not from the tips. Otherwise, it will turn out to be 10 cm shorter at the edges than in the middle.

Marlen Schannwell, groom for Bertram Allen.

I only cut the mane, making it 1,5 palms wide, I use sharply sharpened scissors. A pulled mane is not convenient to braid. If the horse has a very thick mane – stallions usually do – I use a comb to thin it out a bit. It is not difficult, and besides, the mane grows even better after such a procedure.

Aurelie Marchiando, Leopold van Asten’s groom.

“Mostly I cut the mane, but sometimes for some horses it needs to be pulled. Most of the time I tend to the mane myself, because I like to braid the mane for tournaments, and I cut it so that it is easier for me to braid it later.”

Josie Eliasson, groom of Jessica Springsteen.

“I cut the mane with very sharp scissors that are used exclusively for the mane. I pulled the mane only once to make it less thick.

Sean Vard, groom of Martin Fuchs.

“I trim the mane with scissors or a clipper. I cut each horse’s mane differently, depending on which style suits him best. I only tug my mane if I feel like it’s getting too thick and unruly.”

Mel Jobst, Markus Ehning’s second groom.

“I’m not good at tugging, but it needs to be done from time to time when the mane gets too thick. Fortunately, I have colleagues who are excellent at this, and I ask them to help me. I like to cut the mane, but not too short so that it is convenient to braid it. The mane must lie on one side, otherwise the rider cannot concentrate – and this is no joke!