# mane on the left or right - which is 'proper'?



## jazzyrider (Sep 16, 2007)

there was a thread on this once but i cant find it. what is the 'proper' side for the mane to be on? i always thought it was the right but ive seen a lot with it on the left and my new horses is on the left as well. so yeah, which is 'right'?


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## moomoo (Feb 21, 2007)

On the right  but i guess it might change between countries, like the side of the road :lol: 
Then again, a handful of top showing people plait on the left :? mainly on the right though


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## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

If you roach it you won't have to worry about it (only kidding but Dumas would love it).

It used to be considered proper form to have it on the right but today it doesn't matter. I would simply work with it in the way it falls naturally. I have one that falls to the right, one that falls to the left, and a pony that splits down the middle :roll:


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## jazzyrider (Sep 16, 2007)

roach it!!! :shock: her mane is sooo pretty. it hangs below her neck. there is no way i could ever do anything to it lol but yes dumas would like that :wink:

so basically these days it doesnt really matter which side its on? then it shall stay where it is


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## midnightsgirl2 (Oct 6, 2008)

The right side


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

The right, but it really depends on where it falls.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

I don't know what is proper, but just like parts in hair, some fall naturally to the right or left.


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## Jubilee Rose (May 28, 2008)

This is really a stupid question, but you mean the horse's right, right? Lol. It would be my left. Looking at her straight on ... :???:


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## booner (Aug 17, 2008)

I got one that hangs on the left and one on the right:wink:


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## jazzyrider (Sep 16, 2007)

Jubilee Rose said:


> This is really a stupid question, but you mean the horse's right, right? Lol. It would be my left. Looking at her straight on ... :???:


yeah if you are looking at the from the front it would be on your left or your right if you were in the saddle :wink:


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## megansthehorse (Jun 11, 2008)

it doesnt matter which side it goes on, i took my lil' pony megan to a show with my lil' cousin on her and her mane splits down the middle, she still got 2nd. i think it doesnt actually matter to be honest but it just depends on what the owner of the horse wants to do with it


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## appylover31803 (Sep 18, 2007)

Both Gem and Montana have it on their right side. Vega's mane is still undecided. lol though at times it looks like it'll fall to the left.


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## Dumas'_Grrrl (Apr 2, 2008)

LOL... Roach it! :razz: (Glad to know that when I'm busy on the weekends my opinion still gets counted! :wink

I don't really think it matters as long as it's tidy. (showing) It would truely be a beast of a project to re-train the entire mane to lay on the opposite side.


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## RockinGR (Oct 3, 2008)

I have always been told for show horses (stock types: QH, apps) that it should lay on the near side--the horses left. We always trained babies' manes to grow that way. If left to their own too long, then we banded on which ever side had the most natural lay. But on halter futurity colts, we always trained them to lay on the left, since it's more desirable.


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## jazzyrider (Sep 16, 2007)

Dumas'_Grrrl said:


> LOL... Roach it! :razz: (Glad to know that when I'm busy on the weekends my opinion still gets counted! :wink
> 
> I don't really think it matters as long as it's tidy. (showing) It would truely be a beast of a project to re-train the entire mane to lay on the opposite side.


<<<< there is no way im roaching that lol her mane is gorgeous and so soft and silky  i cant roach it lol


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## Delregans Way (Sep 11, 2007)

All my horses mane falls to the right hand side.
I heard a instructor say once, 'if your right handed, and you jump, its better to have your horses mane on the right. Because when your jumping, your right hand is strongest, so when you release your right hand can grab somemane' (and ofcourse, the way I see it, if it falls that way, it would be easier to grab??)

I hate long mane lol..


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## Spyder (Jul 27, 2008)

I was at one show that the owner of the horse split the mane so that it fell on both sides. It was braided with braids running down the left side and running down the right.

Most unusual.


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## Dumas'_Grrrl (Apr 2, 2008)

jazzyrider said:


> <<<< there is no way im roaching that lol her mane is gorgeous and so soft and silky  i cant roach it lol


 
I'm just teasing you. She's a pretty little blondie!!! :wink:


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## Painted Ride (Jun 30, 2008)

wow i never heard that one side was proper.....news to me. rayne's just so happens to lay on the right. and i just pulled it show length. she lookd prim and proper.


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## jazzyrider (Sep 16, 2007)

Dumas'_Grrrl said:


> I'm just teasing you. She's a pretty little blondie!!! :wink:


lol i know  im going to leave her mane in plaits though so that i dont have to deal with it every day. not only is it long but its thick too. not often seen on most tb's ive encountered :wink:


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## Dumas'_Grrrl (Apr 2, 2008)

Pretty and Hairy...if she's got good feet you've just hit the trifecta!!!


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## jazzyrider (Sep 16, 2007)

Dumas'_Grrrl said:


> Pretty and Hairy...if she's got good feet you've just hit the trifecta!!!


she has fantastic feet for a tb. well until this morning when jarred annoyed her one too many times and she kicked at him but got the fence instead and knocked a big chip on her back offside hoof :sad: stupid jarred lol but that will be fixed in a few visits from the farrier. 

seems like i got the trifecta  how much did i win? lol


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## Dumas'_Grrrl (Apr 2, 2008)

You've won hundreds and hundreds of dollars that can only be spent on the horses...of course it's coming out of your wallet over the next...oh, say 25 years!!!! :razz:


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## jazzyrider (Sep 16, 2007)

just as i suspected :???: lol


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## Dumas'_Grrrl (Apr 2, 2008)

LOL... I'd have a jackpot for ya if I hadn't been spending it all on my horses! :razz:


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## jazzyrider (Sep 16, 2007)

all mine went on buying her lol oh and of course her new rugs and everything that a new horsie gets :wink:


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## Dapy (Jun 3, 2008)

I thought it was the left side, but now I think there is no really 'proper' side, but where the manes fall I think (and this is my opinion) is the good side.


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## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

Well here is my rule of thumb. Mounting was done on the left side years ago when knights would mount from that side due to their sword being in the way. When I think about that reasoning, parting the mane to the right so it stays out of the way when you mount makes sense to me. I don't know if there is an actual right or wrong just as long as all the mane stays on the same side.

I personally prefer to the right.


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## Dapy (Jun 3, 2008)

M2G I think you can be right as you tell about the knight tough !!

I don't really prefer a side, my horses mane fall on both sides.


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## o0hawaiigirl0o (Aug 8, 2008)

My2Geldings said:


> Well here is my rule of thumb. Mounting was done on the left side years ago when knights would mount from that side due to their sword being in the way. When I think about that reasoning, parting the mane to the right so it stays out of the way when you mount makes sense to me. I don't know if there is an actual right or wrong just as long as all the mane stays on the same side.
> 
> I personally prefer to the right.


Ah, that makes sense.  -lightbulb goes on-
I ride dressage and I've always been told that the right is the proper side for the mane. 

My mare's mane falls to the left so I just leave it that way. -shrug- For one show I braided it on the right side and for the other show I braided it on the left. I think as long as the mane looks tidy, it shouldn't matter (in shows). Afterall, the judge isn't going to be judging your grooming skills when you're doing a dressage test.


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## jazzyrider (Sep 16, 2007)

o0hawaiigirl0o said:


> Ah, that makes sense.  -lightbulb goes on-
> I ride dressage and I've always been told that the right is the proper side for the mane.
> 
> My mare's mane falls to the left so I just leave it that way. -shrug- For one show I braided it on the right side and for the other show I braided it on the left. I think as long as the mane looks tidy, it shouldn't matter (in shows). *Afterall, the judge isn't going to be judging your grooming skills when you're doing a dressage test. *


*

*maybe not while you are doing the test but presentation is included in your marks. some judges are super over the top about tradition etc when it comes to grooming (and many other things) :wink:


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## bnwalker2 (May 18, 2007)

I prefer the mane to be on the right, just personal preference. My gelding's mane falls to the right naturally. My mare's mane falls to the right near her withers but falls to the left at the top of the mane. I keep it plaited on the right side so it'll (hopefully!), learn to stay all on one side.


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## TwendeHaraka (Oct 5, 2008)

I don't know the proper way, but around here at the smaller shows, manes are all over the place. My horse's mane is split at the top, slicking straight up in the middle [because of a cowlick which, when long enough, causes it to be on both sides], and on the left at the bottom. It's a mess. I just leave it to the left, because that's what is easiest for it [and me] in the long run.


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## limmel (Nov 4, 2008)

If I'm correct, traditionally the right side is the propper side. When I showed in the hunters and medals this past summer we always briaded to the right. Many of my friends who compete in jumpers however, just make sure its neatly brushed to whichever side it falls naturally.


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## hrsjmpr32 (Nov 4, 2008)

One of my geldings is on the right, one has a split mane it literally goes halfway up his neck on the left and the other half is on the right. Then my mare 's is on the left! I have always heard that the right side was proper butI just brush mine real nice and neat and we still place at shows.


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## Connemara93 (Nov 7, 2008)

I make my horse's mane sit on the right side of her neck (her right), but that's just because her brand is on the top of her neck, behind her right ear, so I like to cover it up. I think that's the proper way for a standardbred at least.


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## amandaandeggo (May 21, 2008)

on the right for hunters (in the usa)


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## horsey*kisses (May 12, 2008)

where i live we put ours on the left because when you rope you throw to the right side of your horse (most of the time) if the mane is there it could get tangled in the rope causeing the ripping out of mane discomfort for the horse and despair for the rider...lol...when i got my horse his mane flipped to both side but i trained it to the left so i can swing on bareback


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