Would my horse look better with his mane pulled? is it hard to pull manes?

Question

my anglo arabs mane is pretty long in length and I am thinking about pulling it. b/c of his breed he has a long skinny neck and i didnt know if this would make him look smarter like the pros or if he would just look goofy?

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x269/Brooklyn_McKinney/12-16-07_1757.jpg

this shows what his neck looks like..

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x269/Brooklyn_McKinney/summer063.jpg

Answer 1

A shorter mane would make his neck look bigger but it's not traditional for Arabs. However, since he's an Anglo Arab maybe it's not a traditional look you want.

Pulling a mane is time consuming, but not difficult.  

Answer 2

No it wouldn't or shouldn't look goofy on him. I have seen a lot of horses with their necks skinny like his and manes pulled and cut short. If your going to pull his mane you might want to shorten it first. Its easier then pulling his mane when its long and that's the only way I know. Its not really too hard to pull manes. You can even have a friend or trainer or groomer to do it. There are also some combs that help as well.

Answer 3

i think he would look very professional with a pulled mane, and it really is "a must" for hunter showing, but i suppose it'll seem weird for a while since hes part arab..

but, i would get someone who knows what they're doing to show you, and be there while you do it the first few times so that you can get the hang of it.

And, i do my guys mane myself, i do the whole barn actually, since i'm the only one who can! haha.  

i really don't have any pictures of it.. but they look good! haha.  my trainer pays me to do her horses who she shows in pretty high level stuff.. but i've also been doing it for years.  i used to show stock horses, so their manes had to look nice since they were banded, not braided..

it takes time to get good at it, but the last time i did my horse it took me 20 min for his whole mane, where it used to take me a few days of working 45 min to get through a mane.  

EDIT: i found an almost good pic!

http://s83.photobucket.com/albums/j308/a...

his mane changes halfway through though, and hes got frizzy stuff on his withers from his blankets.. and this isn't how it looks through a show season just because i did this is winter to keep it thin, so i didn't work so hard on it..

AND it'll make his neck look thicker.. i just did mine, and i brought him to graze after and go, "wow, my horse has a NECK" granted his a TB who looks like a QH, but his neck got bigger and longer and looked very nice.

Answer 4

deff dont pull it his mane looks pretty thin as it is so i would just cut it but b4 u do id have some professional assistance so u dont mess it up...also if he had a better diet then his mane might not look so brittle...dont get suppliments tho...with a proper diet they arent needed. =]]

Answer 5

Since you have selected hunter/jumper as your discipline, you need to comply with its turnout requirements which include a pulled mane. So, you will probably need to pull his mane before your next show. There are lots or articles on-line on how to do this and several books. I like one called "Grooming to Win." Also, your trainer can probably show you how. If you do it well, I doubt he will look goofy.  

Answer 6

I like a short mane but it is a matter of opinion.

I think your horse looks wonderful as he is, maybe try some conditioner.  Your feed doesn't seem to be an issue to me.

Your horse looks well cared for to me!  Keep up the good work.

http://www.saferhorseracing.com/gpage14....

Answer 7

i would at least trim it, and by the way, i love love love the second picture

Answer 8

Yes it would look a lot better and it's very easy to do.  

Answer 9

It depends on what you are going to be using him for. But most arabs should, and do have a long mane. Its just part of the breed but if you are doing any hunter-jumper classes with him it would like nice, and neat pulled.I myself don't pull my horses manes because I am terrible at it, but they do sell a tool now to make the job easier and less stressful on your horse. Good luck!

This is what we have at the barn where I work and Its awesome... http://cgi.ebay.com/Grooma-ManeMaster_W0...

Answer 10

um... i dont think he would look good with his mane pulled

i think he looks good just with his mane like the way it is

Answer 11

I would pull his mane. Especially if your doing hunter/jumpers with him. All of my horses have a pulled mane. Also, I think a short mane looks better on a skinny necked horse! It makes there neck look a little bigger!

And it depends on the horse. Some horses manes come out easy, and others take a bit of pulling. You can also buy thinners if you can't do it!

Hope that helped!

And BEAUTIFUL horse:)