# Roaching manes



## Lucara (Apr 5, 2008)

I saw a picture of a draft with a roached mane and oddly enough, I actually kind of liked the way it looks. Is there any heath problems that you can get from roaching a horses mane? Also, why do they roach them or is just for looks?


----------



## StormyBlues (Dec 31, 2008)

*nope, no health problems. you roach the mane for EQ and just cause you want to. sometimes it is done to get out of braiding the mane!*


----------



## Jubilee Rose (May 28, 2008)

Definitely no health problems. Some people like the look, some have a rubbed or uneven mane that they want to grow back evenly.

I did it on Jubilee last year because when I first bought her, she had burrs in her mane and her previous owner decided to chop pieces of it out. :evil: Anyway, here's what it looked like before and after (sorry the pics are ginormous):

before (awful):









after (much neater):









I'm personally not a fan of the roached look and prefer long manes or shorter, straight cuts. But that is just my personal preference. I think it can look very nice on some horses.


----------



## Lucara (Apr 5, 2008)

I have to admit, the straight cut manes and tails drive me nuts. I just dont think they look right . I suppose I should get used to them if I ever intend on showing but..meh =/.

Nice pictures though! Thank you for sharing =D


----------



## 2 Bay Geldings (Dec 21, 2008)

I normally roach my TB's mane because it is a pain to pull - it is super thick and he hates it being pulled, plus it grows back so so quickly. I also like the roached mane look on him.


----------



## minihorse927 (Aug 11, 2008)

some breeds roach for certain types of shows and sometimes just because they do not want to mess with the mane. It actually tends to make a thin necked horse look better. It makes their neck look bigger


----------



## welshy (Jan 7, 2009)

i don't really like roached manes but yeh i think some types of showing the mane has to be roached and it means you don't have to do anything with the mane.

fortunately i have Welsh ponies and palominos so no roached manes required because the manes and tails have to be left natural in showing.


----------



## Spyder (Jul 27, 2008)

I roached one of my horses.


----------



## Moxie (May 28, 2008)

Spyder said:


> I roached one of my horses.


Awesome how did it turn out? Was it for a particular reason, or did you just want to see how it looked?


I like the longer roached mane, like the style on the second TB. They remind me of Trojan war horses for some reason. haha 

I dont know if I would ever roach a mane, unless I had to, kind of like how JR did. I am more partial to the longer, flowing manes vs the short roached/pulled manes.


----------



## somersetfarms (Jan 6, 2009)

I have roached my Arab gelding's mane a few times, mostly because he rubs it so much during the summer. I think he looks good with a roached mane. 
Some breeds, like App's and Mules, will roach manes because there isn't much there to begin with and it gives a cleaner look. 
Others, like the Fjord's show the color of the mane when it's roached.


----------



## Entitled (Dec 24, 2008)

We roach our Saddlebred's manes if they show in EQ or 3-gaited.


----------



## Strange (Jan 11, 2009)

A roached mane looks good depending on the horse, really, as others have noted. There is a girl where I ride that used to roach her horse's mane, and it looked absolutely awful. I was so happy when she started growing it out. Then again, I know another girl that has a pony with a roached mane, and I can't imagine seeing that pony any other way. The roached mane just looks perfect on her.


----------



## Lucara (Apr 5, 2008)

I wouldn't have dreamed of roaching my haflinger's mane when I had him. I just love their flowing manes but I LOVE drafts with roached manes.


----------



## Rebelappy (Dec 22, 2008)

i roach my old gelding havent had any health problems just do it for the fact his mane refuses to pic a side and im not fan of the mohawk he actually looks really good with it roached
i had t o roach rebel cause he decided to get in a fight with a willow bush and the bush won didnt want to but there wasnt really a choice he doesnt look so good roached


----------



## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

I roach my horses manes. Here we call it hogging. I hog because I ride mounted games, and havign to ride one handed/holding something and constantly lengthening/shortening reins the mane gets tangled and can be very dangerous. Also, I show my ASH and it's the accepted look for stock horses. My Arab used to have a mane and it was always thing and straggley, so i hogged it and he looks adorable! He has a mohawk at the moment and it looks so spunky, when it flops I will hog it again.


----------



## Dumas'_Grrrl (Apr 2, 2008)

I'll roach anything that will let me. :lol: I love the look. I even roach my hubby and son's hair!!! rotfl.


----------



## minihorse927 (Aug 11, 2008)

oh man dumas, your roaching sydrome is getting worse! Poor boys!


----------



## wanderlust (Nov 18, 2008)

why is it called roaching??


----------



## acey (Dec 3, 2008)

haha wild spot we call it hogging here too i was very confused there for a few minutes!!

i like it on heavy horses i think it can look rather posh!!


----------



## mayfieldk (Mar 5, 2008)

I think I'm going to have to roach my gelding's mane... he pulled out a big chunk of it right in the middle.

I'll post pictures... He'll definitely look silly!


----------



## TimeChaser (Jan 13, 2009)

I have roached my mare's mane a lot, to keep it out of the way while barrel racing. Plus, when a horse has a nice neck, I like to show it off!

I have roached my two year old's mane one, the vet had to shave off his forelock to stitch up a cut so I just did the rest of it. He looked pretty good, too.

I believe the corret way to roach a mane is to leave the forelock and about 2-3 inches at withers. To me, it just looks stupid that way, though.


----------



## Lucara (Apr 5, 2008)

Yeah, that sounds like it would look a bit odd =/. I like things even so if I did it the "correct way" I would have a permanent twitch in my eye every time I looked at my horses mane.


----------



## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

You roach the forelock? Wow that would look really weird... Here we roach the mane and leave the forlock, sometimes leave a little at the wither so rugs/saddles don't rub.


----------



## Jubilee (Dec 15, 2008)

Is a roached mane accepted in all disciplines? I would be too afraid of roaching a mane and then HATING it. I do like the way it looks sometimes though.


Jubilee


----------



## Lucara (Apr 5, 2008)

Jubilee said:


> Is a roached mane excepted in all disciplines? I would be too afraid of roaching a mane and then HATING it. I do like the way it looks sometimes though.
> 
> 
> Jubilee


I bet ya that draft your working on would look nice and husky with a roached mane! :wink:


----------



## Jubilee (Dec 15, 2008)

Yeah, that's what I was thinking but I would be SO SCARED to do it, especially because he's not my horse. I'm afraid I would make his owner cry. Besides, I don't have access to clippers so I wouldn't be able to do it very neatly.

Jubilee


----------



## Lucara (Apr 5, 2008)

If hes jumpy (I think you mentioned he was), clipping him might not end up very well for either of you anyway. =/


----------



## Jubilee (Dec 15, 2008)

Yeah, I think I'm going to pass on roaching him. I would be treading dangerous waters there, plus I have no real reason to do it.

Jubilee


----------



## NewHeart (Dec 10, 2008)

No health problems, but keeping the mane long does help keep the fly's off their neck. It works with some breeds, but personally I am not a fan.


----------

