# what side of the neck the mane lays on...



## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

does what side of the neck the mane lays on mean anything ??​ 
i was watching a parelli DVD and linda said something about why the mane will lay to one side and acted like it was bad if it was on both sides. she didnt really ezplain it, but it had something to do with their balance or how they hold themself.​ 
anyone know why ? does it really mean anything ??​


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## Gallop On (May 1, 2011)

gypsygirl said:


> does what side of the neck the mane lays on mean anything ??​
> i was watching a parelli DVD and linda said something about why the mane will lay to one side and acted like it was bad if it was on both sides. she didnt really ezplain it, but it had something to do with their balance or how they hold themself.​
> anyone know why ? does it really mean anything ??​


I have honestly never heard of this... You will have to get some people on here that are more savvy with this kind of thing. But, my Arab has a super thick mane, like _super_ thick. And, with all of its thickness is has absolutely no choice but for the thickest part to have to be on both sides of the neck. So I dont know about that.


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## jumpingrules92 (Aug 2, 2011)

I believe its supposed to lay to the right side. Not sure why, lol. Would like to find out though!


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

well traditionally you are supposed to braid it on the right, but it doesnt naturally lay that way for many horses.


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## Gallop On (May 1, 2011)

gypsygirl said:


> well traditionally you are supposed to braid it on the right, but it doesnt naturally lay that way for many horses.


My horse has his on the left, I've tried to switch sides, but its to thick ):


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## tempest (Jan 26, 2009)

I didn't think that there was a specific side that it was supposed to be on. I've heard some stories about the sides that manes lay on. One of them was that the side the mane lies on is the side that the horse favors the most. The other was that the leg on the side that the mane lays on is slightly shorter... Not sure how true any of those are, especially that last one. I actually don't think that there's any truth to the last one at all.


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## Gallop On (May 1, 2011)

tempest said:


> I didn't think that there was a specific side that it was supposed to be on. I've heard some stories about the sides that manes lay on. One of them was that the side the mane lies on is the side that the horse favors the most. The other was that the leg on the side that the mane lays on is slightly shorter... Not sure how true any of those are, especially that last one. I actually don't think that there's any truth to the last one at all.


The first one, however may be true. My horse is left handed all the way. His mane lies on the left side... he prefers you to lead, and mount from the left side, he lunges better from the left side and more


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## Iseul (Mar 8, 2010)

I've only had anyone tell me about the mane during shows. Apparently it started in pleasure classes where there was only counter-clockwise riding, so the mane should lay to the right and not be distracting to the judge in the middle of the ring or so that they could see the horse's neck for whatever reason.
I can't say if that's true or not, because I truthfully don't care, but that's just what I've heard. 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Scoutrider (Jun 4, 2009)

gypsygirl said:


> anyone know why ? does it really mean anything ??​


I'd say it means about as much as the number of white feet telling you how reliable the horse is, the position of swirls on the neck telling you what his temperament is, the shape of the swirl on the forehead telling you how smart he is, and how far he rolls over telling you how much he'll bring at market. :wink:

It's all interesting bits of horse sense, with perhaps an element of correlation between physical attributes and mental/emotional tendencies, but take it with a large grain of salt. Just like people. I know some really laid-back redheads, some fantastically ditzy brunettes, and some scary smart blondes. 

The one thing with the direction of the mane that I did hear that might be worth investigating is that, if the mane lays on one side for part of the length, and switches to lay on the other side for the rest of the length, that the neck could be out of alignment, "chiropractically." I forget where I heard that - not from a chiropractor, though. I can see that being possible, and if the neck is out of alignment that would definitely influence their posture and carriage. 

Knowing Linda's "style," though, I'd expect it was more of a behavioral, emotional balance and carriage sort of thing, not a physical issue indicator. :wink: (_Bad Scoutrider..._ :rofl: I'll be nice now, pwomise... :lol


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## tempest (Jan 26, 2009)

Scoutrider, that is a very good possiblity. Much better than the stuff I've heard, especially the one about leg length. Because in Psychology I've recently learned that extraordinary claims need extraordinary evidence. And the leg length is a very extraordinary claim. So far you have the best explanation regarding manes and the side they lay on or change to.


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## Courtney (May 20, 2011)

My mare's mane lies on the right. Does this means she's more creative than analytical??

(Right brained vs left brained theory).

HEHEHE.


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

im pretty sure she was talking physically not mentally because she was talking about saddle fitting when she mentioned it, but the DVD didnt talk about it further...


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## LadyDreamer (Jan 25, 2008)

It may have been the "balance" of the image, not the horse's actual balance.


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## SarahAnn (Oct 22, 2011)

Scoutrider said:


> I'd say it means about as much as the number of white feet telling you how reliable the horse is, the position of swirls on the neck telling you what his temperament is, the shape of the swirl on the forehead telling you how smart he is, and how far he rolls over telling you how much he'll bring at market. :wink:


So funny! My Stallion rolled back and forth 10 times the other day. I laughed and said- "not in this lifetime buddy, but we love you anyway!"

As for the manes, I wondered about this too. I have a few right siders and a few left siders... Well, actually I cut off the mane on my Stallion and my Percheron (it will be interesting to see if they grow back on the same side.) 2 paints and 1 QH have left sided manes and 1 QH has a right sided mane...
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## eventerdrew (Mar 13, 2009)

Demi's sticks straight up.... so.... haha


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

I've noticed that left, right or split hasn't affected how any of my horses have gone down a trail one bit. So I assume it's another one of those silly show things.


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## kevinshorses (Aug 15, 2009)

gypsygirl said:


> does what side of the neck the mane lays on mean anything ??​
> 
> *i was watching a parelli DVD and linda said something* about why the mane will lay to one side and acted like it was bad if it was on both sides. she didnt really ezplain it, but it had something to do with their balance or how they hold themself.​
> 
> anyone know why ? does it really mean anything ??​


 
I bolded the two biggest problems you're having!


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

LOL, Kevin.

Gypsey, the whole mane direction telling you something is complete and utter hogwash. She's just trying to sell you another $59 DVD. I've ridden quite a few horses with manes on the right, quite a few with manes on the left, quite a few where either the top half or bottom half went one way and the other half went another, and quite a few where there was literally a part down the middle of the crest and the mane hung down equally on both sides the length of the neck.

The _only_ thing I've noticed is that if it hangs on the left, it gets tangled in the halter when I'm tying it and if it hangs on the right, it's more likely to get stuck in my dally when I'm roping.


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## christopher (Feb 11, 2011)

smrobs said:


> 1:I've ridden quite a few horses with manes on the right, quite a few with manes on the left, 2:quite a few where either the top half or bottom half went one way and the other half went another, 3:and quite a few where there was literally a part down the middle of the crest and the mane hung down equally on both sides the length of the neck.


1: humans are left/right sided, why can't horses be? also, statistacally if you have a cowlick and are right handed, there's a 90% chance that cowlick swirls clockwise. suggests near direct correlation between the dominant side and the direction of hair growth.
2: linda says (i dislike linda very much, but i'm just questioning common belief as i do) that indicates a crooked horse. were these horses that cross fired any more than normal when introduced to cantering on a circle?
3: she also says that indicates an ambidextrous horse. 

also the logic she gives for it isn't all too ridiculous. from a distance a mane would make the horses neck look bigger and stronger and therefore less of a feasible target for predators which would be more usefull for the horse on its weak side than its strong side.

just playing devils advocate though, ya'll are probably right and she's probably wrong, as is usually the case.


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

first of all you guys...i have never watched a parelli dvd in my life, until one of my clients wanted me to watch part of one, so ive never spent any money or been conned into spending any money....

im guessing you are right christopher. my horses mane is on both sides, she trots better right and canters better left.


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## 2BigReds (Oct 7, 2011)

Never really thought about it before, but Sock's mane falls to the right and he has trouble on his left side. I don't particularly remember which side the makes fell on other horses I've ridden though in my experience most horses seem to have more trouble with their left sides than right.

Probably not particularly helpful to anyone, just thinking out loud. :wink:


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

Wonder what they'd say about my old man. His goes half right & half left, but there's reason for it and nothing personality wise. He was in a fight with another stud as a youngster and his crest was bit clean through, after it healed the bottom half went left. 

I could see the chiro idea being feasible. Hmmm...


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## kevinshorses (Aug 15, 2009)

I don't believe that horses are right handed or left handed. There is no evolutionary reason for it. If horses have a problem with one side or the other then it's probably due to the rider/trainer/handler than it is the horse. All the horses that I have been very careful to work both sides equally have been fine on either side. Whenever I see a horse that won't take a lead going one way it is usually because the rider is preventing the horse from taking it or the horse isn't understanding what the rider is asking. I watched a lady the other day try and try to get her horse on the right lead. I tried to get her to shift her seat and move her leg out of the way but she had a hard time with her balance and she didn't really think it would solve the problem. I got on her horse and trotted two laps around the arena and then went into a lope on the correct lead. After I did it then she belived it was possible and made the adjustments so she could do it.


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## 2BigReds (Oct 7, 2011)

Kevin, while I will agree that it is likely rider/training error rather than being right/left "handed", some horses I've been on definitely have one side that bends better than the other. Sock is very stiff on his left side and not on his right and I'm confident that I'm cueing correctly and the exact same way on both sides. The horses that belonged to my old gymkhana trainer (really not a good trainer at all but being young and inexperienced at the time I wasn't aware) ALL had good sides and bad sides, which is likely due to inadequate and inconsistent training. My reining trainer's horses, however, were all much more balanced, even the greenies. I've only had Sock for a few weeks and he's starting to even out. His previous owners had a round pen and trails and weren't consistent with riding him so maybe that contributed to the problem? Again kind of thinking out loud.


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## kevinshorses (Aug 15, 2009)

Round pens are probably the single most poorly used training tool on the market. I have one but I rarely ride in it. Most horses don't need to be worked in a round pen. Loping 50 ft circles is about as hard on the horses as anything that is done in the name of riding and people seem to think that they need to run a horse around in one every day.


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## 2BigReds (Oct 7, 2011)

Also funny how they felt the need to lunge him to let him "get all of his bucks out" before they rode. All I do is a bit of ground work to get him focused, get on and go. Seems to work just fine for us! :wink:

Edit: And by "lunge" i mean make him run. Not at any particular speed or to make him focus, just run. Period. They DID however train him to be pretty darn responsive to the word "woah" without yanking on his mouth, I'll give them that!


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## Britt (Apr 15, 2008)

Wonder about my oldest two horses, then... boh their manes lay on the right side until about three inches from the base of the mane... then their manes flip over to the left... 

Haha...

I agree with everyone who said that it's just a way to make you pay for another dvd... how the mane falls, IMO, has nothing to do with the hoses personality, right/left handedness, etc... 

Afterall, the mane can be tamed to lay the other way... so... if the mane falling on one side means the horse is that sided, does that also mean that if the mane is tamed to the other side, the horse would then be that sided?


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## MySerenity (Jul 18, 2011)

thought they were supposed to lay to the left for western and the right for english.... if you ride both you're outta luck! but you're probably talking about the way they lay naturally. 

The top part of my girls insists on going left while the rest goes to the right. I have to braid it down every once and a while to fix it. hehe. I'd love her no matter which way it falls!


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## christopher (Feb 11, 2011)

kevinshorses said:


> I don't believe that horses are right handed or left handed. There is no evolutionary reason for it.


i agree there's no need for it, but nature would not have made horses symetrical even if it tried. that would be like me handing you a piece of blank paper and a pen and asking you to draw a perfectly straight line or a perfect circle without any geometry tools. unlikely. perhaps just as unlikely as a horse with it's mane split straight down the middle or as a person being truly ambidextrous :wink:


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## Gallop On (May 1, 2011)

My Appy, he has a naturally roached mane, but does that mean he is ambidextrous?


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## HUSAngel (Apr 18, 2010)

I didn't realize the "weight" of the mane affects their balance. LOL Sorry, couldn't help myself. I'm thinking maybe it's just wives tales. I show HUS, and all mine have their manes to the right, and I braid to the right. If they are born with them to the left, I train them to go to the right. I do have 2 that are my western trail horses, both are to the left, and I "left" (LOL) them that way. It makes NO difference in their balance, length of leg/temperament/preference of direction. At least not with my horses.  They are who they are no matter which side it lays on.


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