Hogged Mane

[*Sez*]

After many years of consideration, discussions, excuses, buying a house and disappointment, I'm finally about to buy my first horse :D

I've been riding and working with horses for eighteen years and decided that it's time to go for it. The way I see it is that there's always going to be a valid reason not to, especially as I have a physical disability, but if I never try, I'll never know if I could have done it. I've decided to buy my horse with my dad, so that even if I'm not able to get to the yard or if my back and legs are too bad to cope with mucking out and riding one week, there'll always be someone to help out. I've had horses on loan before which has always ended bitterly because the owners didn't like to give up control of their horses (I stopped loaning one because the owner started coming around the stables after I'd gone and giving the horse I was loaning extra hay then adding it to my weekly costs without telling me) and so I think it's time to get one of my own.

The horse we're getting on trial is a 15hh piebald cob named Jacob. The only thing I'm not keen on (which is by no means a reason not to buy him) is that his mane has been hogged and it doesn't suit him at all. He doesn't get sweet itch, but was hogged because he is fully clipped (a few years ago he got infected dermatitis in his legs and now needs washing down on a regular basis to keep it under control). How long is it likely to take me to grow it out again? I'm keen (if we decide he's definately The One) to show him next spring but I'm worried that if I start growing out his mane that it will be at a mad in-between-hogged-and-haystack stage, not the gorgeous flowing mane he had before and that it will just look untidy. Any suggestions as to roughly how long it can take?

[bonesinmypocket]

i don't know how long it will take to grow all the way out because horses are different, like people, some grow faster than others. but it definitely won't take long to at least get to a length where it lies flat- he should have a nice mane by the time next spring rolls around. english or western?- you could always braid it up! congratulations on your first horse! he sounds really cute, have fun with him!

[mayS]

Forgive my silly question but what does a "hogged" mane look like?

When I got my belgian they had cut his whole mane down to only a few inches (and didn't even do it right so it was very irregular). That was last fall. He now has enough mane for it to nicely flop over the one side and I could braid it, but it's not super-long yet.

So if I had to guess, I'd say it takes 6 months to a year for a bad mane-haircut to grow out.

[Jessey]

Hi there, 2 cobs at our yard were hogged last winter for hunting, unfortunatly they still have mad mohican style manes, although there is enough length there now to be plaited, its just when left alone it stands on end :D

Best of luck

J

[B&R's Mum]

I read somewhere it takes 2 years for a hogged mane to grow back properly to a normal length, its getting it to lie flat again that is the difficulty.
Personaly it don't like the look of hogged manes, but I would not let it put me off buying the right horse. At the end of the day it will take a long time to grow back, but it is only hair. I wouold be far more interested in its temperment.

[Mary Poppins]

Dotty was hogged in February. Her mane went through a period of looking spikey but now you would never tell that it had been hogged. It is about 10 inches long and hangs nicely - although it does lie on the wrong side. Her forelock still has that chopped looked about it, but is gradually looking better. I think that within 3 more months that would have grown enough so that you would never tell. Don't let a hogged mane put you off buying an otherwise suitable horse.

[Kanuma]

by the beggining of next show season you will be able to plait it at the least. stan has sweetitch and come september the base of his mane will be rubbed off, come may and there will be enough length in it for me to show him as an M&M (thats a good 10 cms). to train it over wetting it and plaiting it is a good way, or putting a lycra hood on when he is in the stable!

[Tangle]

Forgive my silly question but what does a "hogged" mane look like?
Not a silly question at all :). A hogged mane is basically not there at all - as it's all been shaven off. If you see show cobs, this is generally how they'll be presented. Here's Beanz from Stubley Hollow (http://www.stubleyhollowfarm.com/) showing off the look ;)
http://freespace.virgin.net/patsy.stubley/img192.jpg
I think the idea is to show off the big, muscular neck that is a cob characteristic, but I could be wrong :o.

Personally I like them hairy - I love the way all the hair (manes, feathers, ALL the hair :D) moves when they really get their buts in gear.... :p

[G.Gracious]

Grace's mane was hogged when i first got her.. will attach a pic. It didn't suit her at all! Looked very butch :rolleyes: 1 and a half years later her mane has grown back very nicely. She's looking like a Gypsy pony now, which i like very much. It will take a few months until you have what you can call a mane, but with time i'm sure you will have a gorgeous flowing mane again.

There's a pic here - http://www.newrider.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=15578

[chapsi]

Lusitano mares are hogged when they are living outdoors and are kept in a herd with foals. It has taken so far 1 year and a half for my mare to grow back her mane, and she still got some more growing. In short, definately 2 years! :(

[Casey76]

*faints* Oooh isn't Beanz goooooooooorgeous?

Personnally I lurve a hogged (or roached) mane... though I di admit some horses suit it better than others ;)

[mayS]

Tangle - THANK YOU! It drove me nuts to see a word used and not be able to find out what it meant. :)

[Lindsayanne]

How long is it likely to take me to grow it out again?

Forever. :rolleyes: The horse I bought had completely rubbed out his mane from about 6" below the poll to 6" above the withers. That was about 10 weeks ago. It now has about 2" growth, maybe 3".

Which is pretty GOOD growth from what I hear... I'm not sure it's available in england, but I use a product called Shapely's MTG that you squirt on, and massage into the base of the mane once a week or a few times a week (I do 3x/wk) It's definitely made it grow faster.

[vjoy23]

My mare has got a hogged mane but I let her forelock grow out so she would look a little bit girly. I love manes and everything but my god its so much easier having a mane hogged and its the done thing around where I keep my girl. If you have a show cob you hog it, if you have a tradtional cob ie, vanner type you don't. I used to want to let my mares mane grow out as she was fully clipped when I got her, but now I wouldn't have her any other way I just have this thing about her looking a bit special and not wanting her to hide behind all her hair.