Can it grow?

[Bonny]

My new pony has the worst mane EVER! its roughly 6 inches long, and the last owner said it never gets longer

I have roached it, its about 2 inches long now, applied MTG and hope for the best.

Anyone ever had a mane stay so short? Besides trying the MTG is there anything else I can do? it sticks straight up like a donkeys mane. its super thick, just short....

 

[stormy]

Pretty common for some lines of POAs and Appaloosas...I think you are going to have to grow to like short, spikey manes!!

 

[Bonny]

Wow, really that short?

I love my riding gelding mane kept roached but not so fond of it on a mare LOL!

maybe I can create some sort of a wispy spike for her that looks feminine...

Now that its roached it looks like a fjord.... Her forelock is still as long as it was which isnt very long. I did make a bridle path, not so sure it looks any better .....Poor sweet girl

 

[Tremor]

I love it.

I have three roached minis.

 

[Bonny]

how short do you keep them roached?

 

[Tremor]

how short do you keep them roached?

It just depends on how short I roach it at the time, lol. I could go crazy with it and make is super short (like I did on the below mare) and start all over again. Or I'll just trim it piece by piece until I'm satisifed. You never want to leave me alone with a horse, scissors, and some clippers!

The first two aren't fresh roaches, but here's them now. The third is about two weeks old. What makes it even better is that these three are mother, son, and daughter. A little family! LOL!

The flaxen chestnut (solid) mare's roach is growing fast and is actually turning into a mane. By May it'll be down and long by my guess. The appaloosa gelding I trimmed and is growing like his dam's.

I love the roached manes. So cute and easy to manage.

 

[Bonny]

Lol Thats what Lacey looks like now! Looks cute on them!

I love it!

 

[roxy's_mom]

I have an older Appy riding mare that has a mane similar to your pony's mane. I've owned her 10 years and it's never grown. My mare's mane is alot thinner than your pony's though. I never really got to enjoy a horse with a mane until I got my minis and I always thought it was weird to see a horse with a full mane - I was so used to mine not having one! I've seen alot of Appys that either do not have a long mane/forlock or they don't even have a decent tail to make it look right. It just has something to do with the genes is my guess. If the former owner said it never grew any longer than I doubt you'll get it to grow to much more. Good luck on trying to make it grow - if it does grow long please post updated pics and share your secret on growing a full mane back in!!

Becky M.

 

[Bonny]

Well then it seems shes just going to be a short haired girl... fine with me I think I will have fun giving her different spikey do's.

She has a decent tail its pretty thick and longish. lol.I will get pics tomorrow with it roached, though I might thin it out and make it wispy.....

 

[disneyhorse]

Unfortunately, mane and tail length and thickness is governed by genetics, and then environmental issues on top of that.

It's possible that no matter how much MTG you put on or prevent her from rubbing it out, it just won't get long.

As to the donkey look... Once you roach it, it will look like that for a long time until its long enough to lie back over again.

Patience!

 

[supaspot]

I have a bay roan mare that has a normal long mane but two of her sons ( by different stallions) have very slow growing manes that never get past about 8 ins long

if I have to roach a mane I always leave the forelock on .. I think they need it to keep the flies from their eyes

 

[Tab]

Yep, I think your stuck with it. Appy trait!

 

[Charlotte]

Our daughters POA mare had a mane that looked just like that when we got her...actually, Silverbelle looked a lot like your mare.

I never roach a mane. The mane provides warmth in winter and some insect protection in summer. Also, when the roached mane grows back they are blunt and thick and more difficult to lay over.

The mane in your picture is long enough to train over. You can band it, or use a slinky hood with a neck wrap over that. That actually is a nice length for showing.

This mare had rubbed her mane out on a pipe fence so that she had large areas where it was gone down to the skin. a few months later she was showing.

So just give it a little time and attention.

 

[Helicopter]

I think she looks so cute with her little appy mane. At least it will be cool in summer. I sometimes look at my ponies long, thick manes in summer and worry that they must make them feel so HOT and sweaty.

 

[Bonny]

Our daughters POA mare had a mane that looked just like that when we got her...actually, Silverbelle looked a lot like your mare.

I never roach a mane. The mane provides warmth in winter and some insect protection in summer. Also, when the roached mane grows back they are blunt and thick and more difficult to lay over.

The mane in your picture is long enough to train over. You can band it, or use a slinky hood with a neck wrap over that. That actually is a nice length for showing.

This mare had rubbed her mane out on a pipe fence so that she had large areas where it was gone down to the skin. a few months later she was showing.

So just give it a little time and attention.

Ive never had to wrap, and do not know how. Any tips?

Ive banded before, not so sure I did a great job.

If you have any pictures of your mare could you post them?

What appy pattern would yall call this? I cant decide if she is a near leopard or just has a lot of snowflakes with some spots. Its hard to tell in this longer coat also.

 

[Bonny]

Actually now that its trimmed up it doesnt look bad at all. Her personality is so great that even if she were bald I would still love her.

I have a few welsh and more accustomed to their manes. In the summer I braid them and it helps cool them down as well.

 

[Sungold]

That mane is luxurious compared to one of my mini appaloosa geldings! His mane is seriously no longer than 2 inches and super wispy and his tail looks like it's made of about 10 hairs! He looks pretty crazy compared to the long thick manes and tails of the other minis.

 

[Charlotte]

Bonny, I'm not an app person so I don't know much, but I always thought that silverbelle was snowflaked. She didn't seem to have the varnish color pattern...just heavy snow flakes.

If you keep your pony out then banding would woulk best for mane training. They can['t be out in weather or dirt if using a neck wrap....you don't want dirt under the wrap iritating the skin. I can't think of where there would be a video to show you how to wrap. It's real easy and since you would take the wrap off every day to let the skin air out you get real good at wrapping real fast.

 

[Bonny]

Thanks. I can google it. I did end up cutting it, it looks like a grown out roach, I did a long bridle path and that helped a lot. I think it will look better once spring arrives and I can bathe her. She prolly hasnt had one in a while.

I have another question, on her sides, theres very strange looking hair. not color or pattern, the hair its self. I am not entirely sure how to describe it. Forgive me if this sounds confusing...

its sort of matted, broken chewed looking. its only like that on both sides, its not matted though, I can comb through it. The rest of her coat is slick and shiny. Her owners kept up with her deworming, its not that. In a way it looks as if shes chewed it or rubbed it against a pine tree.... It resembles the texture of a donkeys hair...or like when you singe the hair on your arms, only its not singed....its looks like bad split ends lol. Very odd....I did de worm her when she got here with zimectrin gold. ( just in case).

 

[disneyhorse]

As to the weird texture of hair, I think I know what you're talking about.

I call it "bed head.". It gets like that when the horse lays down and sleeps. It will never get flat and shiny like the rest of the coat I'm afraid... Very thick bedding might help but some horses naturally sleep on it like that, it's usually on the lower belly and gaskin/ stifle area in horses that I've seen.

Andrea