Today the weather was almost like spring and it was quite sunny in the afternoon. I noticed that Voelie's mane are growing really fast and were getting a bit matted at the base so I decided to spend some time in the sun grooming her and with my hands seperating her mane (I don't know how to call or describe this) so that it is not matted anymore. I don't know if she will shed her mane or not this spring but at least it wont break off because it is matted:) She has such lovely thick and allready quite long mane.
It was a good way to also work on Voelie's patience because she had to stand still all the time while I was bussy. She looked great and it was really nice having some quiet grooming time with her!
Would love to see close up pics of everybody horse's manes. I'm so new to curlies I'm not sure if I'm over doing it or what but the tops are sort of straighter and the underneath is really curly. I've thought about cutting the straight pieces at the neck so they can regrow. It's certainly a challenge for me.
ReplyDeleteI call it "hand grooming"! Always a challenge when those big, beautiful manes get all tangled.
ReplyDeleteTheo and Abby: My horse *Cuervo had the same thing happen; straight-ish on top and curly underneath. I use to take him to lots of shows and really wanted to show off his curls. I have done what you are thinking and just cut off the straight part but believe me, it looks quite silly growing out. Instead, before the show, I would give *Cuervo a bath. (If you have curly hair yourself you know that when it gets wet, it gets curly). So, I would get his mane nice and wet and carefully comb it out with my fingers. (If you have curly hair you also know that if you comb it out it ruins your curls). However, sometimes that didn't work for some of the hair so I carefully pulled out as little as possible. If you want your horses mane to look nice I would strongly encourage you NOT to cut it. Like I said, it looks silly growing out BUT it also looks odd when you cut it.
Anyways, good luck whatever you do!!!
Blaine, have you read my curly mane article? http://curlyhorsecountry.com/curlymanecare.htm
ReplyDeleteIt might help. I agree with Anastasia that you don't want to cut sections of the mane out if you can help it. However, I DO cut the entire mane down every couple years...to about 4-6 inches. I do this because the hair does get stressed out and trust me, it DOES grow fast. Especially if you are treating it with dermal aid. That seems to keep the skin really healthy and the hair thrives. It is hard this time of year, but spritzing with jojoba oil with warm water also helps on a sunny day. Let it set a day and go back and see if you can loosen any mats. Last year, I cut out some mats from Reese's forelock and boy did I regret it! It is so obvious now that it is growing back. It would have been better to cut all of it! LoL. Anyway...just some thoughts. I would much rather see a short well kept mane with soft healthy curls, than a long one with mats and dirt. =]
Blaine,
ReplyDeleteI will try to get a good closeup of AhD's mane in my next "over the ears" picture. AhD's mane gets messy and half-missing every summer, and I just trim it short - this year it needed VERY short. It grows back a beautiful shiny soft mass of curls. Sounds like Anastasia has curls herself, and so do I, so we have an "in" about taking care of such hair. Curly manes and forelocks are VERY fragile and will stretch out and break if brush them. I never comb them out with anything except gentle fingers, and Anastasia is spot on about the washing & curls after. Try rinsing and crimping the non-curlyish parts with your hands. Good luck!
I will also post a picture of Voelies mane next time. It seems that some parts are getting less curly now that it is getting heavier and longer but most of it is still very curly. I always love a horse with long mane but I agree with Denise that is should be wll groomed and clean! I will wait and see what Voelies mane will be like!
ReplyDeleteWow yeah I know that as well Jessica :) I often do that with the tails, piece by piece ... Missi gets crazy about that lol :) Dancer enjoiyed it though ... they are all different, aren't they?
ReplyDelete