Tame Your Horse's Unruly Mane Like A Professional Groom, Presented by Wahl
Before you begin, make sure the mane is evenly thick. Pulling the mane creates an even thickness. This step is optional, but for a mane to be tidy, braidable, and rest on one side, this is your best starting point.
By Liv Gude of Professional Equine Grooms, special contributor to Heels Down Magazine
You have one horse, but he has two manes. The mane that rests to one side, and the mane that does whatever the heck it wants on the other side. Here’s how to get one mane and keep it that way.
Start by determining which side of your horse the mane naturally falls to. This side is your best chance to successfully tame the wildness. If your horse is a hunter, it better be the right side. In other disciplines, it’s more about how neat and tidy the mane is than which side.
Before you begin, make sure the mane is evenly thick. Pulling the mane creates an even thickness. This step is optional, but for a mane to be tidy, braidable, and rest on one side, this is your best starting point.
Keep the mane as long as possible as you are training it to stay on one side. This added weight can help convince the mane to stay put. You can always shorten the mane before a show if needed.
For the super casual horse owner that vaguely wants a tamed mane, use a damp stiff brush to brush over the mane daily. Before and after a ride is good. To take it one step further, use a damp washcloth to drape over the mane. Your horse can get groomed as the towel starts to do its thing. You can also add in a mane taming product, like Mane Mousse, if you’d like.
For the horse owner that likes to dress up their horse in colorful slinky horse underwear, this becomes a two-for-one special. The slinky hoods do a great job of holding manes to one side. However, be smart about not letting a horse get wet, overheated, or laughed at by his pasture mates while wearing a hood.
For the horse owner that is determined to have a tamed mane, add in some training braids. Depending on who you talk to, you will hear skinny braids are best. Or wide braids are best. Or alternating wide and skinny braids is best. Try all and see what works best on your horse. Just be sure your horse is comfortable in the braids and the braids are tight. You don’t need to braid all the way to the end. A couple of crossovers are just fine. Go tight! Redo them as needed, which might be daily.
For the horse owner that wants perfection and wants it now: start to stack techniques. Braid daily after dampening the mane and smoothing it down. Use a hood and work on it every day.
It’s not a sprint, mane taming is a marathon. Daily attention and care will yield the best results.
