Roaching?

[GrungeEquestrian]

One of the ladies that I used to board with always roached her gelding's mane. He had the neck for it and she would let him have a cute little mohawk. I was commenting to her on what a nice mane he had in the winter when she let him grow it out. I then commented on how thin my mare's mane one, no matter what conditioner or MTG I put in it. She said her gelding, Rio, had a similar mane to Trouble and after she roached in a few times it came back thicker and thicker.

Lately I keep looking at Trouble's mane and wonder if it would look any worse roached. My concern is that it will grow back worse or she will just look horrible for a long time. So what is your guys' experience with roaching. Yay or nay. I would roach it in the hopes that my boarding friends experience would be parallel to mine.

Here are some pictures of her below.

This picture shows how thin it really is, the top of her neck is REALLY thin, almost impossible to band or braid.
http://www.baywindfarm.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=43&pictureid=14961

Sad sad mane
http://www.baywindfarm.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=1136&pictureid=16055

Look at her neck
http://www.baywindfarm.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=43&pictureid=16056

Another look
http://www.baywindfarm.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=934&pictureid=12469

[cheval]

No!

Just start using some MTG and the mane will look better in no time!

[GrungeEquestrian]

Just start using some MTG and the mane will look better in no time!
I've used MTG religiously for over a year every week. It has worked on her tail but not on that mane. Maybe I am applying it wrong.

[cheval]

Could be that. But there might be other products out there that would help.

Of course, some horses just don't have a lot of mane no matter what you do. But I think even the little bit he has looks better than nothing. It accentuates his neck.

[FatSpottedAppy]

I say go for it. :D The 2nd to last pic pretty much looks that way, anyway.

[zoel_222]

I'd go for it, she hardly has a mane as it is, so she shouldn't look much different. Besides, she has a nice neck.

If it doesn't look good, just remember: Hair grows!

[cheval]

Keep in mind hair does not necessarily grow back well after roaching! I've seen that happen twice. Mane came back even more straggley.

I think there's only a handful of horses that can really pull off a roached mane.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

[carla]

I think it would look just fine. :). Be sure and post pics if/when you do!

Edit: but I also think it's just fine the way it is now too if you wanted to keep working in it..

[natisha]

I voted NO but I don't think anything is wrong with you.

[TheRedHayflinger]

hair does grow...it's not terrible long right now anyway, so it might take a couple of months tops to grow it back out that length. I've roached my SSH mares mane off completely TWO times. I'm talking 3 1/2 foot long mane. First time I roached it, then maintained it to a 2 inch mohawk for a couple of years. Then I let it go....under a year and it was back to around 3 1/2 feet. I kept it for awhile...then got fed up with it again and shaved it all off. Right now it's at about 7 inches in length. Last time I trimmed it down to 2 inches was in June/July.

[FredRock]

Was it longer at some point or did you just cut it for your shows?

Because every horse is different, and it might take forever in order for her mane to grow back. She's a QH right? They tend to have awful manes and hair growth in general. I know how awful it can be, but that's just how her genes are. Roaching it isn't going to change them, it's just going to hinder your efforts even more.

Have you looked at nutritional problems? I think BOSS are supposed to help with hair growth. But considering how shiny she is in pictures, it doesn't look like she's lacking something nutritionally.

I don't think there's anything wrong with you! I just think roaching it won't be the solution you're looking for.

[IrisGreen]

Is she rubbing it off on a fence? Muffin's mane is thinner where he sticks his head through the rails of the fence. Could she be rubbing it off by sticking her head out of a fence?

Also, You can try EQyss Mega Tek Rebuilder. It's a conditioner for rebuilding and regrowing hair and hooves on horses but humans seem to love it too. It thickens hair, conditions it and regrows rubbed areas quicker. It smells really nice and isn't oily. I'm sure it would be much better then MTG smelling like bacon and being all oily.

It's expensive, about $25-30 a bottle or $8 for the small bottle but it takes a while to go through the bigger bottle and is more cost effective to buy it in the bigger bottle, you just use it on the roots, let it sit for 5 mins then rinse and let it condition the rest of the hair as you are rinsing. Don't waste it by putting it on the hair like a normal conditioner, target the roots and scalp. Then when rinsing work it into the rest of the hair.

I had a bottle of it 3 years ago and used it on Muffin's face. He scraped off a big section on his forehead on the trailer, it was bald to the skin. His skin was dry/flaky and needed a conditioner to keep it moist. I kept putting the Mega Tek on it and it grew hair back pretty quickly and thick. It helped sooth his exposed skin too and keep it from drying out in the sun. It worked great and you would never know he scrapped his head while trying to get a stick from under the trailer:rolleyes:.

[mare]

I think she'd look okay roached. She looks fine now, too, though. Whatever you want.

Roached manes used to be one mark of a working hunter. A solid, dependable horse that had proved its mettle in the field.

In polo, a roached mane signifies a "made" pony. The manes on young horses are left at about 4 to 6 inches letting other players know that horse may be flighty or unpredictable or just confused and make mistakes.

In buckaroo country, the manes of young horses in the cavvy are roached. With snaffle horses (the greenest) having only one tuft of mane left at the withers, and horses who have progressed to the bosal/snaffle combo having two tufts of mane at the withers. That way whatever cowboy gets that horse in their string knows what stage the horse is in its training. Made bridle horses have their manes.

[madelequestrian]

That is some very interesting trivia on mane roaching! I'd never heard that before!
I really like the roached look on a horse with a nice topline (looks like your mare does!). Lately the roached manes have been growing in popularity in stock horse competition (aqha/apha), Dressage, Hunter-Jumpers, etc. Personally I hate the look of a scraggly mane. I would rather have it roached or pulled short (drives my boyfriend nuts because he likes long manes no matter the scraggles lol).

[quest]

I wouldn't keep it roached, but it might grow back better if you do. Right now, even with MTG, it's going to be thin, uneven, and scraggly.. it isn't too long right now, so it might not hurt

[zoel_222]

that's interesting stuff mare!

[ownedby7horses]

I'd say go for it! You've got nothing really to lose, only maybe something to gain! I roached my geldings hair once because it was thin and sparce, and it came back beautiful and healthy. His mane was shiny and nice when it came back. Some horses can't pull off roached manes, but Trouble could!! ;)

[Vegashorselady]

I'm not a fan of roached manes so I voted no. I would just cut it a little shorter. But, if you like the look and aren't worried about the growing back process if you change your mind then do it...she's your horse. ;)

[GrungeEquestrian]

Thanks guys! :)

I am still going back and forth on doing it or not, but clippers being low on battery really helped me not make any drastic decisions while I was doing her bridal path. ;) I pulled her mane shorter, I think it looks better but still eh. I have to be careful not to pull it too short or else it doesn't lay down at all.

(This was 2 summers ago...):doh:
http://www.baywindfarm.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=152&pictureid=1188

To answer a few questions some of you guys asked.

-Yes, she is a Quarter Horse.
- Her diet now is 2 flakes of alfalfa, 3 flakes of grass hay, 2 pounds of Purina Amplify, 4 pounds of grain
- She doesn't itch her mane on anything that I have noticed, her mane has always been that thin.
- Her mane can get longer put it gets thinner as it grows. She actually gets longer strands. Here is a picture of her about 4 months after I bought her, her mane grew and I finally pulled it.
Before pulling
http://www.baywindfarm.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=43&pictureid=303

I really don't know if I have the courage to roach it. I thought I did but when I was out there yesterday I had second thoughts :rolleyes:. She does have a nice neck. I think I am going to use the conditioners IrisGreen mentioned and see if that makes any difference. If it doesn't make any, I may just roach it the end of next summer. I don't really planning on showing after this year until I am done with school so I don't have to worry on whether the judges will like it.

By the way mare that is some very interesting facts on mane length and roaching. I (and I'm sure a lot of people) learned something new :).

[Remali]

It's a personal choice, but I would never roach any mane. I'd try to preserve what you have, and let it grow out naturally.

[WashingtonBay]

I've roached several that I showed.... Not my Arabs, I think that would be a criminal offense at an arab show, but I roached my mustang, who just had a wild mane from hell, for hunter, so he'd be tidy. I also roached and helped roach a friend's appys for show who had ratty manes.

They just looked tidy and cleaner.

Personally, I don't think it's a life changing event if you do it. It will grow back if you don't like it.

[vicklynn]

I dont pull mane, nor have I had to roach it.

When Citys or Mysts mane gets out of sorts like that.
Love that last shot by the way. It helps with a picture of what I do.
You see the longer pieces?
What I use is a mane knife and just cut those unevens off at the length of the rest of the mane. Really evens it out.

Myst when we got her(sorry so big)
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a155/vicklynn/100_1155.jpg

Myst mane now
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a155/vicklynn/101_0523.jpg

It has grown alot, and I have done nothing but brush it once or twice a month, put some conditioner, maybe some sheen in it.
I used to mess with their manes and tails alot but then found that the more I messed with it, the more it went thin or short, or both.

Anyway, thats what I do. I love my knife!!

[Fork]

I personally love roached manes on the right horse. :) She would look super with one.

[FredRock]

http://www.baywindfarm.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=43&pictureid=303


I actually really like how her mane looks here. Had you trimmed/cut it and not pulled it, it'd probably still look that thick. Pulling the mane thins it, and is really only beneficial for horses that have the amount of mane to lose.

My QH can't get his mane pulled because he'd have no mane left! The poor guy. I just clean and dry the mane, take some scissors, and cut it to how long I want it. I cut "up" to try to keep the ends from looking round. Another way I've done it is braid in 1in segments and then cut off the excess hair. I'll see if my phone can take a decent picture of his mane now- it was actually a lot like Trouble's before I cut it last time. It's taken like 6 months to grow out from what it was, if not a little longer.

Now if you roached it and it grew back to what it was in the picture, just snip it with scissors when you need to get the "pulled" look for show.

[GrungeEquestrian]

I actually really like how her mane looks here. Had you trimmed/cut it and not pulled it, it'd probably still look that thick. Pulling the mane thins it, and is really only beneficial for horses that have the amount of mane to lose.

Sorry I used the wrong terminology :doh:. She is actually the only horse that I do cut her mane because how thin it is. Now my aunt's little red dun is a different story.

Here is a picture from a month ago, kind shows her mane thickness.
http://i52.tinypic.com/ighk50.jpg

[zoel_222]

Well whatever you decide, she'll still look great.