# Does roaching make a mane grow in thicker?



## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

I propose an experiment to determine if this is fact or fallicy. The method is:
1. Take picture before roaching, but after brushing.
2. Take picture of roached mane.
3. Wait 6 months - post another picture of the mane growing in.
4. Wait another 6 months - post yet another picture of the now mostly grown in mane.
5. Let's compare picture number 3 to picture number 1 and see if we can tell the difference in thickness.

If any grooming products are used in the process that should be noted.

Personally, I'm not taking part, but I sure would be interested in the results. My horses need their manes for the flies here LOL.


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## ShebaGurl (Nov 13, 2007)

Someone at our county fair roached their horse's mane and the year before that horse had a really nice mane in my opinion, I could try to find out why they did it. I have personally thought about roaching my mare's mane just because i hate to braid her mane for shows but she has a beautiful mane so my trainer won't let me lol.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I think that with some horses, it does. My mustang Koda has always had a very long, thick mane but it was uniform in it's thickness. Last summer, he wore a part about 5 inches long off in the middle down to the follicles. Now it is growing in much thicker than the rest of his mane.

I know that when I was a kid, my hair was ridiculously thin and stringy. Mom started trimming it about once every 2 weeks and it started growning in thicker and darker (but that may just be because I was growing up too, I don't know).

Here is another one that will trip you out (people hair though). My aunt Carla had cancer about 5 years ago. Before, she had bright red, very straight hair that went down to her ankles. After she went through chemo she lost her hair. When it grew back in, it was a light brown and wavy. :?


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## DixiesPaintedNova (Nov 18, 2008)

smrobs said:


> Here is another one that will trip you out (people hair though). My aunt Carla had cancer about 5 years ago. Before, she had bright red, very straight hair that went down to her ankles. After she went through chemo she lost her hair. When it grew back in, it was a light brown and wavy. :?


This actually happens alot. One of my friends had cancer and after he went through chemo and lost all his hair it grew back very very blonde and thick too. He used to have thin dark brown hair.


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

Ok, off topic, but I have a story about hair turning colours too. My girlfriend was a full-fledged brunette. She went into hospital due to complications of pregnancy, lost the child  and came out of hospital a platinum blonde.


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## masatisan (Jan 12, 2009)

I think when you roach a mane and let it grow back it gives the appearence of being thicker because everything grows back even and any ends that were broken can re-grow.


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

Matisan I think you have a good point. 

Maybe I should do my own experiment after all, but only roach PART of her mane....Hmmm...I just might consider it if tomorrow is as bad as today has been. How long do you all think it would take to grow back? Right now her mane is just a regular ordinary length I think. Nothing to crow about, but certainly a decent looking mane.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I don't know if this is an old wives tail or not but I have always heard that if you pull a hair out by the roots, then the follicle devides or something and 2 hairs grow back in where there was previously only 1.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

It certainly grows in healthier. idk, I would think it grows in thicker....I'll have to see, too, I roached my welsh's mane


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## AlmagroN (Jul 19, 2009)

crap... of course you do this AFTER i roach his mane!!!! now i have to see if i have any pics of him before i roached it!! lol


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## 1dog3cats17rodents (Dec 7, 2007)

Off topic (sorry)

About hair changing color... my friend has dark brown hair. About five years ago, she got a bad shock while unplugging something. Right after that, her hair started growing in white in one spot! Now she has a cool white streak


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## EveningShadows (May 18, 2009)

I'm very tempted to try this experiment with my 18 year old TB/Appy mare. She HAD a full mane and tail when I sold her January '08...but when I bought her back in August '08 is was all tattered and scraggly. I left it alone until this July and it was a little longer, but nothing like it was. I tried pulling it to see if it would be a little more even but instead it seems to have gotten thinner! I know these aren't the best pics to show, but a bit of a play-by-play!

THIS is the mane I sold her with! (person on her is the kid that bought her from me)









And her tail...*cries*









Here's how she came back to me...just all patchy and short!









This summer before I pulled it


















Pulled (don't worry, I pulled the rest by her wither too!)









*giggles* MY hair was longer than her tail!!!









And here's the most recent pic I have showing her mane. It was taken in the last week or two. It's grown a little, but more sparse. :? I've used MTG on it like twice, more in her tail. 









Next time I go out I'll take pics of her mane and see how she does with the clippers. She's nervous just letting me to her bridal path...nevermind her whole neck! LOL I'm sure I'll be able to do it, but do you think she's got a neck that can pull off a roach? I'm not showing her or anything, heck, not even riding her since she's retired now! But I don't want to make her look silly...LOL! What do you guys think?


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I bet she would look fine. Her neck is full enough that I don't think you would even need to worry about shaping it. You could just do a close shave all the way down, that would be easier anyway.


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

AlmagroN said:


> crap... of course you do this AFTER i roach his mane!!!! now i have to see if i have any pics of him before i roached it!! lol


Yes, but you were my inspiration, AlmagroN!!


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## Dumas'_Grrrl (Apr 2, 2008)

I'm a big fan of roached manes. In my opinion, roaching doesn't cause a thicker mane to regrow, it's just that all the tattered and damaged hair is gone so it grows out more uniformed so it gives a fuller appearance at first. 

I know when I went from hair down to my bra strap to a pixie cut as my hair grew out it looked fuller though it was just "new" hair so it was healthier, not subjected to hair dryers and sun....I suppose a horse's mane would just not be subjected to rolling in the hay and endless sun exposure.

The "fresh" hair will always look better than the 2 or 3 year old hair of "old" mane.


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