Query for HP: You've said a couple of times that hunters isn't as bitchy as people think it is. Wouldn't marking someone down for competing with a hogged mane - if everything is turned out nicely and the riding is good - come under that umbrella? I wouldn't consider it the same as riding into the ring with say, a western saddle. Rather just a personal choice (that I also wouldn't consider outrageous, ie pink glitter stars stencilled on the rump). Would it really be that looked down upon in your area? Even at a low level?

Anyway, my (eventing) mare had a really horrible mane. The top half was super thick, the bottom half never grew. I was plaiting her up for a hack show (english flat classes) one day and was getting so sick of her mane. No matter how much I thinned or washed or sprayed or anything, I could not make the plaits look nice.

So I lost my temper and shaved it all off right there and then Anyway the judge at that show never said a word. I got quite a few places, including a reserve champion, as we were riding out the ring the lady who won champion was very nice and chatty, then outside the ring her husband commented that "back in they day" hogged manes were 'in' and he wished it would go back to that because he was sick of plaiting 6 horses. Hehe, it freaked some of my friends out though. It took one a few minutes of watching me to realise she didn't have a mane (That's odd, I thought her mane was on the right side...wait, now she's going right and there is no mane. They must just be really small plaits on the left. Wait, now she's going left and I still can't see any plaits...) and another friend was patting her, congratulating me on a win and I said "So do you like her mane?" and she actually LOOKED....and screamed and pulled her hand away haha. So funny. She had been watching and not even noticed!

The next show the I won and placed in classes again, that judge commented that she'd "look nicer with a mane"...I just thanked her. I knew that my mare looked better without the plaits lol. This photo was taken at that show. Yes, her forelock is braided...I wanted to cut that off too but mum wouldn't let me.

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When I knew she was going out on lease I let her mane grow out again so the rider could decide what they wanted to do with it. For the record I would never have taken her in a show ring while her mane was looking like this:

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(No, it hasn't just flipped up because of the jump, it was actually standing up 24/7...obviously I evented her, and eventing dressage...well I just made the plaits as neat as possible! The mane would just stand up again afterwards heh).

A hogged mane isn't going to stop you or the horse performing. If you're ultra sensitive (Ie a judge saying "she'd look nicer with a mane" is going to upset you) then don't. You're always going to meet the odd person that has kittens over it. Hopefully most people will just see that it is a personal choice.


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WhoKilledBambi wrote:
no kicking the nerds. We need them for sciencing.