Care of the Friesian mane

Care of the Friesian mane.

A very common question is what do you put on the mane to make it grow?. There are many lotions and potions which people have been known to use and some believe to improve the growth of hair. Personally I dont use any of these things for the simple reason that I believe if there were such magnificent products to make hair grow then humans would have been using it long before we started applying to our horses manes and tails.

If it is in the horses make up to have a long, thick mane then it will grow by its self. Our job is simply to keep it in good condition. The most important thing is to keep the mane tangle free because trying to brush out big knots inevitably leads to breaking hairs. What I tend to do with the longer manes is to keep them plaited when they go out to the fields and when exercised to avoid the wind knots and also stops the hair from drying out too much.

When grooming try not too break the hair by pulling or being severe. I avoid using mane combs and I actually prefer to use a human hair brush. Prior to brushing I spray the mane with a diluted conditioner. The conditioners which I have found to be just as effective as the specially designed equine products is just any normal human hair conditioner which I water down and put into a spray bottle. I give the manes a spray with this before plaiting, which locks the moisture in a bit more.

I know of no circumstances other than health reasons why it would be acceptable to cut the Friesian mane and especially not to pull the mane. The breed is known for the long flowing hair and I would be wary of a Friesian who has had a short hair cut. It could simply be lack of knowledge on the owners part but I have come across a few who have had sweet itch and a pulled or hogged mane was an attempt to cover up the horses problem.