my hannoverian geldings mane lies on both sides of his neck. any way to get it to lie on only one side???

also, he has a very thin mane.i read somewhere that if u have a horse with a thin mane, instead of pulling it, you could cut it carefully with sissors. good idea or ...?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Krissy,

A horses main should lie on both sides of the neck naturally. This protects the neck from the elements, predators and insulates in the winter. There are many things you can try to make the main lie to one side for a short while,like roaching 1/2 the main, careful cutting or pulling, slinkies etc but not much you can do that will change what the horse was born with. I would stay away from sissors unless you are ok with a few "oops" on your first try. When the main is braided for shows, it will lie on one side but for everyday "looks" having the main on both sides is not that bad.

Braid it (they don't have to bee good just quick ones but make sure they are tight enough to stay on one side) Keep them in for a day or so and then take them out and give the mane a break. Keep doing it until it is trained to stay on that side. (***Only do this if you horse doesn't rub. I've seen horses rub a braid so much that the owner just had to roach it because it was so short and it looked so bad) Though like melaniem said it is normal that the mane goes on both sides. If you show and braid every weekend it eventually will train itself.

If you do decide to pull the mane and you do intend on braiding for shows don't thin it too much because as the season goes on I find the horse's manes get thinner and thinner. By the end of the season you don't have much to work with. Thick manes are nice manes.

My horse's mane does the same thing. I wet it and then braid it all to one side...again doesn't have to be perfect braids just tight enough to get the job done. I find the mane being wet is the key here. Leave the braids in for a few days and it should be good. This works with my horse at least.
I am pretty sure you can buy scissors that have ridges in them so when you cut the mane is doesn't look so straight and like you used scissors. Cutting manes is a tricky business though.

my pony rubs her mane and tail. On her neck she has spotts where there is hardly any hair which makes it very hard to braid. and she has a short tail to start with and she rubs and rubs, it just gets smaller. How can i make her stop RUBING

When it comes to rubbers I like to give the mane and tail a very good clean. Start by using a dandy brush to remove all the scurf (sp??) and large dirt particles. Then give it a good scrub with an antibacterial soap. They also make this rosewater shampoo that is AMAZING for rubbers (I think it's made by the same people who make Cowboy Magic) Make sure you get ALL soap out no matter what you put on your horse. Next step is to clean the sheath or utter. Then you can apply some skin soothing spray (by Absorbine??) to the head of the tail and the rubbed mane sections for a little relief

The next question you need to ask yourself is, could there be another reason my horse is rubbing? Boredom? Itchy skin from a fungus? An allergic reaction? Bug bites?

If you cannot solve the rubbing problem through cleaning and soothing, have your pony checked for pinworms.

My horse will also rub her tail when she needs chiro adjustment.