# Roaching a friesian



## Lucara (Apr 5, 2008)

Now, I know this is probably sacrilegious but...has anyone ever seen a roached friesian? They have a great neck for it and I've always been curious as to what it would look like.


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## CloudsMystique (Mar 3, 2009)

I haven't seen one. I looked around and couldn't find a picture. They usually roach the manes of Andalusian mares (their necks don't compare to Andalusian stallions and geldings, but they're still pretty thick). Here's a picture of a black Andalusian... the closest I could find to what you wanted.

http://www.gremlanfarms.com/graphics/mares/lgpics/ladina_1_thumb.jpg



And here's a Percheron with a roached mane. I think it looks kind of neat.

Brego Roached Mane on Flickr - Photo Sharing!


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## Skippy! (Dec 18, 2006)

Im sure this is an old wives tale.. but i've heard that you cannot cut a Friesians mane.. it would actually do something to the friesian in the eyes of the registry or something. I think you can only cut enough off to prevent the horse from hurting itself.

I am probably completely wrong, but i still thought it'd be fun to share that random little bit of info someone gave me in the past =) According to that wives tale it would be sacrilege!! LOL!

I am no where near a Friesian expert, so don't take my word too seriously !


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## Lucara (Apr 5, 2008)

From what i've heard its a HUGE no no to cut the feathers of a Friesian. Not sure if thats true or not either.

Of course it will all grow back which is why I'm not sure any of it would be true.


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## CJ82Sky (Dec 19, 2008)

I'm not a huge fan of roaching manes, though we have an appy here (snowflake app) who's quite the looker and he doesn't grow any sort of decent mane and it's roached, and looks great on him! As an added bonus, it makes it easier for shows 

Not sure that a fresian would look good though and even the blank andalusian mare that you posted pics of made me sorta cringe - I LOVE long manes!


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## My Beau (Jan 2, 2009)

The was a thread over on COTH about this awhile ago. Someone posted pics of their roached and "de-feathered" friesian and the horse looked stunning!!!


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## Skippy! (Dec 18, 2006)

CJ82Sky, I agree.. some horses sport the roach pretty well. Others just look a lot better with a mane 

And Lucara, i heard that about the feathers too!

It amazes me that someone actually de-feathered and roached their friesian! O.O! Isn't it no longer a "breed standard" friesian if you shave the feathers off? I mean.. mane growth/length depends on the horse and the diet.. but i think that the Friesian horse has to have feathers.. if you keep shaving them off... what does that make the horse? I understand that the feathers will grow back.. but still.. im pretty sure you couldnt take a Friesian with shaved fetlocks and a roached mane to a Friesian Show and expect to win o.o or to take a young Friesian with shaved fetlocks and a roached mane to the Kuering and expect to get high marks... if any marks at all! 

I think the presence of a mane (like i said... length varies from horse to horse) and the presence of Feathers are two of the breed characteristics of Friesians... shaving them would make the horse into something else... I guess it would be like taking a Cocker Spaniel into an AKC show and shaving its ears, cropping them, and leaving the tail long and shaving the dogs entire body down. It sure as heck don't look like a Cocker anymore.. regardless of what the papers say!

I hope that all makes sense.. lol. i think i repeated myself 7 times


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## Lucara (Apr 5, 2008)

Oh I wouldn't touch the feathers! I LOOOOVE feathered horses. I'm not a big fan of mane upkeep though. I had to battle with Samsons thich locks. I would never have the heart to roach it but, thinking back, he would look perfect with it roached.

Look at those mile long friesian manes makes my eyes twitch when you think about the care fo them.


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## MirrorStage2009 (Sep 10, 2008)

*Friesian hair*

Actually, it's not that important in the bigger picture. 

Yes, it a breed characteristic and trait, and one point that makes them much loved, but when talking about the Keur and a bald Friesian, it's much ado about nothing. The Keur s based on important matters...conformation, gait and temperment. Yes, the judges will look at the hair, but it's nothing more than cosmetic and won't affect a good quality horse! The Keur is not an "in-hand halter" class.

As for the feathers, a lot of people will shave them off for medical reasons, if the horse as scratches, or they want to _prevent_ scratches if their Friesian is kept in wet conditions. I've also seen some Dressage competitior's shave the feathers off...maybe to get a more streamlined look (or sometimes I think it's to hide the fact that the horse is a Friesian as many people still tell me Dressage judges are biased to Friesians?? :?). 

Personally, I hate the look of the feathers shaved off. Mostly because Friesians have dinner-plate hooves, and without the feathers the legs-to-hoof look big and clunky. :shock:

And while I adore the enchanting mane, Friesians do look good with a "mohawk" 'cuz it makes them look statuesque, chisled and quite polished. That's how Friesians were presented in the big driving competition in Africa (where Dutch settlers brought them). I'll try and scan a picture...


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## Dumas'_Grrrl (Apr 2, 2008)

I have and always will feel that if a horse has a good neck, you deserve to see it. I think roaching is slick and shows off one of the most elegant features a horse has.

It's just schmexy!!!


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## Lucara (Apr 5, 2008)

Dumas'_Grrrl said:


> I have and always will feel that if a horse has a good neck, you deserve to see it. I think roaching is slick and shows off one of the most elegant features a horse has.
> 
> It's just schmexy!!!


Agreed!


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## My Beau (Jan 2, 2009)

Lucara said:


> Oh I wouldn't touch the feathers! I LOOOOVE feathered horses. I'm not a big fan of mane upkeep though. I had to battle with Samsons thich locks. I would never have the heart to roach it but, thinking back, he would look perfect with it roached.
> 
> Look at those mile long friesian manes makes my eyes twitch when you think about the care fo them.


I tried to find the old thread on COTH, but I couldn't find it:-(

IIRC, she roached the mane because her horse rubbed most of it out. And I believe the feathers because she was battling scratches... so the removal of all of that hair would help. She was planning on letting those grow back asap.

She did show the horse while he looked like that in dressage with no problems. Like the other poster said, as long as you're not planning on taking them to breed shows, it doesn't matter what their mane looks like.


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## MirrorStage2009 (Sep 10, 2008)

*Goodwood Show*

As I mentioned, here are scanned pictures from the South African annual show:


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## My Beau (Jan 2, 2009)

Those horses don't look heavily feathered either. It's not a bad look for them.


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## Lucara (Apr 5, 2008)

Wow, I would be inclined to roach them. I LOVE how thick it makes their neck look and how much more it stands out.


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## Dumas'_Grrrl (Apr 2, 2008)

Mirror Stage, thanks for taking the time to scan those!!! They're BEAUTIFUL!!! 

I like how it really shows the horse off!!!


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## MirrorStage2009 (Sep 10, 2008)

Dumas'_Grrrl said:


> Mirror Stage, thanks for taking the time to scan those!!! They're BEAUTIFUL!!!
> 
> I like how it really shows the horse off!!!


 
Sure!  I've always loved the picture from when I was a little girl! I always thought the horses looked sexy, too! :lol:

That's what the show was developed for, to my understanding...for the rich folk to parade around their wealth. They'd show their horses off in competitions of 4 or 8 hitch, I believe. And nothin' says wealth like 4 to 8 Friesians, eh?! :shock: But the team members driving them would wear their work clothes. It looks interesting. 

Should I buzz cut TJ?! :wink:


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## morganshow11 (Dec 19, 2008)

Personally, i think it ruins the purpose of the elegance in a friesian. One thing that makes the so gorgeous(i think anyway) is their mane.


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## Lucara (Apr 5, 2008)

Long tails will always be my pride. I think a long tail, nice feathers and a roached mane would make them look outstanding. Not to mention having a full mane like a friesians in the Florida heat would make life a bit uncomfortable.


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## morganshow11 (Dec 19, 2008)

lol, true^^^.


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## MirrorStage2009 (Sep 10, 2008)

morganshow11 said:


> Personally, i think it ruins the purpose of the elegance in a friesian. One thing that makes the so gorgeous(i think anyway) is their mane.


Don't get me wrong...I LOVE manes, too! Even though they are a pain in the you-know-what to maintain. But I think those horses with the roaching look like Grecian Horse Gods! Hehe :lol:




Lucara said:


> Not to mention having a full mane like a friesians in the Florida heat would make life a bit uncomfortable.


Yeah, typically Friesians don't like heat. This past weekend, we went from 20 degrees during the night to the next morning being in the 60's... TJ was just _standing_ in his field sweating! :shock: I felt bad! Poor guy was prolly' wishing he would just blow his winter coat right then and there! Wonky March weather! :-x


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## Lucara (Apr 5, 2008)

Well on the upside, you dont ahve 40* nights and 80* days. That REALLY messes up your winter coat lol. We had a black percheron at Dixie and the poor guy would start melting within 5 minutes of taking him out to the fields during the day.


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## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

I shake my head at you all...


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## Dumas'_Grrrl (Apr 2, 2008)

CacheDawnTaxes said:


> I shake my head at you all...


Would that happen to be up an down shaking as in "Ah, I see your points."

-or-

Would that happen to be the side to side "What the heck are you thinking?" type of shaking??? :lol::lol::lol::lol:

I'm guessing the latter, which I get too, I happen to like the greek god look, but I fully understand the other side of the coin!!! :wink:


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## CheyAut (Nov 26, 2008)

ACK!!! NO NO NO NO!!! LOL I LOOOOOOOOVE long manes  Besides, you can see their necks on the side the mane doesn't lay on! 

Except on Fjords, me no like roached manes


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## Eolith (Sep 30, 2007)

I'm open to either way as far as the roached manes go... though my pony has always had a long, lovely golden mane and it would be an absolute pity to take it off. During the summers I usually braid it so she doesn't get too hot. Summers here are relatively mild, too.

On the other hand, winter here is muddy muddy muddy. I usually cut off my girl's feathers during the wet miserable months because they just get caked with crud and stay moist and that really doesn't seem good for the well being of her skin.

There's a Freisian owner at our barn who painstakingly brushes out and _blow drys_ her boy's feathers rather than to cut them off during the winter. She was convinced that feathered horses have feathers for a very distinct reason and that cutting them off is somehow really bad. My pony has been just dandy so far.


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## Sara (Jul 6, 2007)

Love those pictures, Mirror, very cool!


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## gone4baroque (Apr 13, 2009)

The idea of a mohawk is quite interesting. My guy has a really thick mane. The mane problem (yes a real bad pun) is that it cannot decide which side to fall. Plus he likes to rub his neck on the door of his stall and has made it a bit uneven. I was playing with the idea of roaching it when I discovered this original thread (and it is the reason I joined your nice group of people %. I posted a pick of Harkos' big neck, and with photoshop, I think I shall try a mohawk. I was just fortunate enough to acquire him at the end of February and he is such a sweet boy. All my best to you and yours, Cristine


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## Jessabel (Mar 19, 2009)

I suppose it would look cool, but I wince at the idea of cutting off all that gorgeous mane... lol


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## Supermane (Sep 23, 2007)

*cringe*
I don't think they look good with a roached mane, though I personally *hate* roached names in general.


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## kumquat27 (Jun 3, 2009)

i LOVE roached manes. any horse to me that has a good neck look great with a roached mane


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## MirrorStage2009 (Sep 10, 2008)

How NOT to have this discussion. :shock:

equestrian: A quick rant.

Sheesh.


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## ridingismylife2 (Nov 4, 2008)

I think they look great with roached manes!  They look like Greek war/god horses!  haha!
Horses that have a thick neck look great with them  especially fjords  They just look silly with long manes. xD


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## RacePony007 (Jul 4, 2009)

Absolutely! And if you don't like it just rub in some "Shapely's MTG" on it and it will be 4 inches in about a month!


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## Sunny06 (Jun 22, 2009)

It depends. I think if they have a pretty mane and ugly neck, then keep it, but if the mane is bad and neck is pretty, roach it.


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## VintageMatch (Jul 23, 2009)

There was a fresian at the show I was just at with a roached mane and it didn't look good at all, it miight have been because it was a bad cutting job,but I actually thought it looked ugly on him...


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## Rissa (Feb 10, 2009)

MirrorStage2009 said:


> How NOT to have this discussion. :shock:
> 
> equestrian: A quick rant.
> 
> Sheesh.


I know this is old, but I was flipping though it because I found it on Google.

I just wanted to lol at that link. EQ is such a beast of a community. Always has been, always will be.

Also I wish those photos of were still up from page one or two. I didn't get to see them.


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## cheply (Jul 27, 2009)

I hate roached manes. I love long flowing thick manes. Eeee they make me so happy! haha. The andalusian at a farm I go to has such a long gorgeous mane. I LOFFS IT.


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