# Holy long mane batman!



## QHDragon (Mar 6, 2009)

I like horses with long lush manes, but this poor horse, looks like they are a couple times when he steps on it and yanks out a chunk. Can't imagine taking care of all that hair either!


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## charlicata (Jan 12, 2010)

I've always loved a long mane. But, I have to agree, that mane is too long. Beautiful...but too long.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

Where is his tail though!


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## charlicata (Jan 12, 2010)

I was thinking the same thing at first. But one of the times he turns around, it looks as though they've trimmed the mane and tail to be somewhere around the same length.


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## JustLeaveIt2Mya (Jun 6, 2009)

he did pull some out @ 2:48


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

Does she have her reins wrapped around her hands? Yikes!


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## QHDragon (Mar 6, 2009)

Yeah her riding is less than impressive too, and he looks rather annoyed most of the time.


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## PaintsPwn (Dec 29, 2009)

Wow... A long mane, but I saw no dancing about that LOL just a horse who was hot off his rocker! And yep, those reins certainly were wrapped around her hands. 

That's just too long of a mane.. I do wonder what their care ritual is like for it! Long. White. Mane. BLECH! Can't be fun!


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## Pidge (Sep 5, 2009)

I think i would have cut it off at the knee....thats where it starts to thin out plus then its still ridiculously long but safely so....No comment as to the riding, just dont wanna go there...super gorgeous horse though!


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## rocky pony (Oct 5, 2007)

Very pretty guy, but...yeah, eh
I agree, cutting it off at the knee would be smarter. Not my thing, but still better than where it is.
I'm kind of glad about the tail, though. The only thing I hate more than a too-long mane is a too-long tail. Together it's a disaster.
It's kind of cute they're the same length..well, not the same length but you know.


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## englishrider (Feb 4, 2010)

Beautiful horse obviously can't go on a trail ride with that mane! Can you imagine winter mud getting tangled in that? *shiver* Pretty but way to long and ya she did have the reins around her fingers and I think the horse does lose some hair at 2:48! Wow


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## lacyloo (Jul 1, 2008)

Bet that horse rarely gets to touch a blade of grass...
Couldn't imaging the up keep and special whitener shampoos.


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## Mylessa Nickelson (Mar 25, 2010)

Maybe all of you should address me on You Tube rather than write these nasty comments on this forum. I am quite sure than none of you could ride Garrido, so your commenting on my riding is really just mean and spiteful and inappropriate. It would be like my commenting on your spelling or grammar, or refusal to even use spell check.
The mane is grown long in this breed--the longer the better. Yes he steps on it that is why it is only down for exhibition. And there is no "safety" involved in stepping on a mane--he just tears it out. It is less painful than pulling a hunter/jumper's mane which is done all the time and to the entire mane.
Yes, the reins are wrapped around my hands--I had bathed him for 5 hours and he was getting entirely too strong, and my hands were numb. If you REALLY know about riding, you would see that there is a loop in my reins from my hands to his mouth. I am riding from my seat mostly, and this audience loves to see exhibition horses act up.
And about my horse--he was charroed by his prior owner for four miserable years before I met him and ultimately sold my house to buy him. He was dangerous when I bought him. He routinely bit humans and even took the scalp off of one person--I watched it. It took 45 minutes of patient waiting before I could even mount. Now I can allow my amateur students to ride him without fear that they will be harmed.
It is very easy to criticize something that you are ignorant about. It is much harder to look for understanding. I would be happy to address any of you who has the guts to contact me.


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## Mylessa Nickelson (Mar 25, 2010)

And btw, we live in Southern California, so there is no "winter mud" thank goodness, and you are wrong. He turns out every week and gets absolutely filthy--which he loves. And he goes out on trail as part of his full training regime 2 times per week. He goes out alone or in the company of mares. Yes it costs a lot of time and money in his maintainence, but it is a labor of love for me. I and my clients LIKE to spend money on our horses.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

Ummmm, welcome to the forum... or something like that.


It is ironic you join to criticize people for criticizing you. 

I personally do not see where any said it was horribly painful to pull out a chunk of mane when it was stepped on. So I miss the reason you have to bash the way others (hunter riders) keep their manes to defend how you keep yours.

You seem to have missed all the posters who commented on what a pretty horse you have. 

Shrug.


My personal opinion is that there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Longer is better, sure. But too long is not lots better. 
Again, my opinion, I think having it that long detracts from how gorgeous it would be if it was a little shorter. It looks straggly because it gets so thin at the longest points. (This is coming from someone who frequently grows the hair on her head long enough that it is easily sat on.)

Frozen hands or not, wrapping the reins around your hands is adding quite a bit of risk and does show poor horsemanship. 

Good job on keeping all that white.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Mylessa Nickelson said:


> I and my clients LIKE to spend money on our horses.


Just exactly what is implied by this comment? That those of us who don't lose our homes to finance our horses are somehow lesser human beings and bad owners?

FWIW, I think it's an insanely _foolish_ thing to put yourself in the poor house for an animal. It doesn't make you look noble or self-sacrificing, it makes you look like someone who doesn't know how to budget their money.

I hadn't commented on this thread because the horse looks to be in good condition, and is obviously well taken care of. How you ride him is your business as long as he's not being abused.

I've owned Arabians for over 30 years, so understand the 'standard' that you're trying to apply to this horse. For Arabs, long manes and tails in the show ring are expected. For other breeds like Freisians, Andalusians, Marchadors, etc., the more hair the better.

I don't like to see a mane _or_ tail so long that the horse is stepping on it, nor do I agree with keeping the hair braided/bagged constantly unless they're showing. But he's not my horse, so no harm no foul.

You didn't need to come raging on here with that huge plank on your shoulder. YouTube is public; if you don't want the _public_ commenting on your riding, then make your videos private. 

Not everyone is going to ooh and aah over everything someone posts on the interwebz, and if you're so thin skinned that you can't take an opinion or three that isn't telling you how WONDERFUL you are, then maybe you need to rethink why you're posting these videos.

No one is 'talking behind your back'. This forum is as much a public part of the 'net as YouTube. You found it easily enough, didn't you?

Instead of throwing your snooty 'tude around, had you come on here and politely explained your position, it would have gone a long way toward making you welcome here. As it is, the opinion I have of you based on your postings doesn't exactly give me the warm and fuzzies.


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## Mylessa Nickelson (Mar 25, 2010)

I do not mind positive or negative criticism of my work. I do mind mindless, uninformed, uneducated lambasting of my horse, my riding, my caregiving and my efforts when the people doing it probably ride a couch more than their horses. It never ceases to amaze me that just because people know how to pick up a hoof pick makes them feel justified to comment publicly and negatively on my work.
I have spent the last 47 years of my riding life as a hunter/jumper rider, in addition to adding Dressage and this breed in the last 12 years, and routinely pull my old jumper's mane every week. I am hardly criticizing pulling manes-- I bring up pulling to rebuff the detractors on this site who think my "poor horse" hurt himself for stepping on his mane. I probably have been pulling manes since before most of you were born.

As for wrapping the reins: Please notice that at the start of the video/ride, they were not wrapped. I had to wrap them as he was getting very strong, and the reins are unbraided--nothing for me to put my fingers in, and I couldn't feel my fingers anyway as they have gone numb. Poor horsemanship--Really? Please look at my other rides on You Tube--the horses are relaxed and happy and there are no wrapped reins. I did what I did to maintain his safety and control and that of the audience. That is prudent horsemanship.
I do not need anyone to tell me that I am "WONDERFUL". My horses tell me everyday. I am posting the videos to show my work, to advertise his stud service and to share the beauty that is this horse. I welcome inquiries about his past and progress, especially as I think it demonstrates what a generous horse he is in the face of what he has experienced.

I am not criticizing people for criticizing me--I am responding to the uninformed comments that have been posted on this site. And I know very well how to budget my money--I spend it on my horses as do my clients, and we enjoy every minute of it. We are fortunate to be in that position.


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## QHDragon (Mar 6, 2009)

Speed Racer said:


> Just exactly what is implied by this comment? That those of us who don't lose our homes to finance our horses are somehow lesser human beings and bad owners?
> 
> FWIW, I think it's an insanely _foolish_ thing to put yourself in the poor house for an animal. It doesn't make you look noble or self-sacrificing, it makes you look like someone who doesn't know how to budget their money.
> 
> ...


Totally agree with this.

And the above post proves the continued snooty attitude. We are not all idiots on here thank you very much, more years don't always make you smarter. 

Like Speed Racer said if you don't want people commenting on your videos or your riding make them private. 

I posted this video because I was totally flabbergasted by how long his mane is, I love long manes, however I think his is much too long and is not very pretty because of it, it looks thin and nasty at the bottom.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

Thank you for pointing out you are sure you are better than any of us could possibly be even though you have no idea what horse experience any of us have. That does make you so much more believable. :wink:




Mylessa Nickelson said:


> I bring up pulling to rebuff the detractors on this site who think my "poor horse" hurt himself for stepping on his mane.


I do not know how else to say this. Maybe you just missed it in my last post. Maybe you are confusing this thread with some other thread on some other forum.

No one here said your horse hurt itself pulling out its mane.

Yes, they commented on the fact that he pulls it out. But no one said he hurts himself.

If you would like to read that into the posts and get mad about, as you have obviously done, feel free. I personally see no reason to get angry about stuff that is not there, takes way too much energy away from good things, like riding.


I admit it, I can not wrap my brain around the horse being "entirely too strong" and there being "a loop in my reins from my hands to his mouth" meaning they need to be wrapped. A loop (aka slack reins) would mean no tension on them which means there is not need to have the extra gripping ability wrapping them around your hands would give, right?


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

Wow. Mylessa, no one here was rude until your post which certainly was agressive and accusatory towards us. You say we don't know you: rightly so, we don't. But neither do you know us, yet you felt free to criticize us:


> when the people doing it probably ride a couch more than their horses. It never ceases to amaze me that just because people know how to pick up a hoof pick makes them feel justified to comment publicly and negatively on my work


A few posts indicate the understanding of the hard work involved in the maintenance of this beautiful animal. Odd how you took only the negative from this thread. 

My own comment about having the reins wrapped around your hands, was just that: a comment. In my opinion that is extremely unsafe and as someone who suffers from a disease that causes my fingers to go numb even in the middle of summer, I still don't see how it's a good idea to wrap the reins around your hands.

The thread was just to explete about the extremely long mane on your horse. Nothing more. Why get all worked up about it? Chill and you'll be a welcome addition to the forum! The more experience we have here the better for us all to learn from.

I can't imagine selling my home to buy a horse or spending 5 hours just bathing a horse though! Way too much of an investment in time and money in my life, but it certainly indicates your dedication to the animal! Kudos to you for letting him run around and get all dirty and being able to spend the time to clean him up so others can drool over him!


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## PaintsPwn (Dec 29, 2009)

> I have spent the last 47 years of my riding life as a hunter/jumper rider, in addition to adding Dressage and this breed in the last 12 years


Ah, people like you = the reason I wouldn't dream of stepping into a hunter/jumper or dressage ring. Had my fill of that a long time ago! Thankfully, most of the H/J and Dressage riders here don't carry themselves in that manner.

Quite honestly, if he's getting that strong on you - chances are, you *shouldn't* be letting amateurs ride him! And if he's being 'so strong' why the hell is their a loop? I think you're making excuses, but that's just me.


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## Walkamile (Dec 29, 2008)

I will only comment on the long mane. 

Beautiful horse, obviously well groomed. However, from a balance point of view, the long mane gives the impression of lightness in the back end. I would prefer to see, 
1. The mane even with if not a bit shorter than the tail or
2. The tail longer than the mane

Cudos to you for loving to spend 5 hours bathing ect...your horse. For me, after spending all day styling peoples hair, the thought of hours on my horses would depress me. But that is why there are so many wonderful breeds out there. Something for everyone!


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## DutchHorse (Sep 16, 2007)

Indeed very long... quite dangerous!


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## ptvintage (Feb 12, 2010)

I think the horse is beautiful, but the mane is much too long for my taste. I understand going for the beauty aspect in grooming the horse, but I think that the mane at that length is just distracting from the rest of the horse. If it were cut just a bit shorter it would present a more harmonious picture. 

In my opinion, the current length just gives the "shock value" effect. I don't think that's what the owner intended. But I guess horses are just like people, sometimes the hair stylist doesn't give them the best cut :wink:


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## Domino13011 (Aug 10, 2009)

I love it! But poor horse. And lots of work!


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## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

Watching him stepping on his mane at the end of the video nearly made me cry :shock: gorgeous stallion that's for sure! I would suggest doing a little more ground work with him tho. Stunning mane.


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## Thelma (Jun 22, 2009)

I don't think the horse is the happiest there! His mane is too long and AAAh where is his tail?? I would cut a bit off the mane, it would still gorgeus, just not making it hard for him to move is feets!


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## LoveStory10 (Oct 31, 2009)

I must say I agree wwith everyone here, and I am going to give you some advice:

Horse: I think he's gorgeous, but at the end, his mane just looks ratty. IMO I think it'd look much better if you trimmed to the knee.

Riding: It would be a good idea, dont you think, to invest in some gloves. As they have grip, so that if your hands do go numb, you can still hold the reins properly. Wrapping the reins around your hands like that is incredibly dangerous, not only for you, but for him too. Also, why would you have the reins slack, if he was "entirely too strong"? In my experiences with my trainers an horses, if your horse is acting up, you keep a firm contact on the reins, to keep said horse under control. And why do you let amaturs ride him, if he gets strong, and he's a stallion? Just saying; that has disaster written all over it.

You: I found some of the things you said to the other members absolutly appauling! They are fantastic riders, fantastic horse people and fantastic friends! You are just using a "better than everyone else" attitude, which just shows how immature and selfish you really are. They all said nothing nasty, they said honest things, but you felt the need to tell them nasty things about them and their horses? Thats just wrong!

Anyway, I like your horse, he's beautiful. Good work keeping him clean, and I wish you luck in the future (I hope you can buy a house soon.)

To the other membersl; if I said anything I shouldnt have about you guys, I'm sorry...


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## kmdstar (Nov 17, 2009)

I like long manes, they are beautiful. But it gets to a point where they are just TOO long! I agree that it would look SO much better trimmed up to the knee.

I'll just leave it at that, because if I tried to write a comment to the member that owns this horse I'd probably get banned and I'd rather not


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## PechosGoldenChance (Aug 23, 2009)

Well...umm... Welcome to the forum Mylessa!! Gorgeous horse! 

My opinions: I don't want the owner to take this the wrong way whatsoever, this is just my opinion here. I don't fancy the really long manes/tails, especially that horse's mane. I'm not saying it's not pretty, because as I said, it is gorgeous, and if it's something you like, than more power to ya girl!! As for me...I like my horses to be...well...horses, not dolls. Of course I like a nice flowing, exceptionally long mane/tail, but not dragging like so. 

As for the fact that you mentioned he was getting too strong, I think he needs more training. I can ride my horse on extremely loose reins whether I'm actually using them for neck reining or just my leg aids. In my own opinion, no horse should be "too strong" for the rider. Other than that, like I said, he is beautiful and for the most part, it looks like you know what you're doing.


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## livelovedobbin (Feb 10, 2010)

that would be heck to take care of!! and seas like it would hurt. xD


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