I bought a former polo horse “pony”, he’s actually over 16 hands, LOL, and his mane is a mess and his tail looks horrible. I didn’t know his history until I looked up the barn that pulled his last Coggins.
So who here is familiar with polo? I am certainly not, but did see that they do keep manes and tails short. Will a mane grow back out once it’s been roached? Will a tail ever grow back from looking like it was chopped in half?
For the record, he is 16 y.o., has old bowed tendons and is skinny as can be. He is a really nice horse, though. I am hoping to rehab him enough to at least have a lesson horse/trail horse for myself.
We kept our show BSP roached for showing --every winter mane grew back about 3-4 inches. He quit the show ring three-four years ago and now looks like Spirit --the Disney horse --mane is about 18 inches long. As to tail —years ago we had a draft that had a docked tail --bone and hair were cut to 6 inches (it’s a draft-thing for safety --can’t get their tails over the lines and pull them out of your hands) --anyway, the kids wanted to show him under saddle so we left his tail alone. After a few years, it was dragging on the ground —ok, might have been 8 or so years —I understand horse hair grows at 6" per year, so your 16 hh boy will need a couple of years to add a foot of tail. Meanwhile, if you want to, you can put in an extension --we used them for showing --done well (and I was really good at it) a “fake tail” can’t been distinguished from a real tail. Even had a judge tell the kiddo she was “lucky to have a horse that didn’t need a fake tail,” after someone else’s horse’s tail fell off in the show ring. LOL.
I roach my TWH (very thick) mane every Spring, by Winter he has a 4-6" Mohawk that is beginning to fold to one side.
So yes, a roached mane grows back.
Tails grow slower - I read somewhere 3yrs for a tail hair to reach full length.
Polo Ponies - like TB racers - are kept on the slim side while in work.
Add some fat to your guy’s diet < with input from your vet & he should put on weight.
Assuming he is TB, he might never get as round as you’d like, but his healthy weight can be achieved.
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We also roach manes for competition, it grows back. Someplace I read that manes and tails grow 1/4 inch a week, which is fairly speedy. I know we always had to clip bridle paths each week to keep them short and sleek for showing halter and ridden classes.
Tails seem slower growing, though I think swishing for flies causes more wear, dry ends that break off easier. I am working on a horse we bought with a “poor” tail, dry, thin individual hairs, and shorter at purchase. With a complete diet change, his coat mane and tail are much improved. Still has the junky hair on the lower tail, but newer growth is lots better quality hair. Length is almost to fetlocks after 2 years and cutting off 6 inches last fall for easier winter cleanliness. And he will be shortened 6" again soon to avoid ice or mud on the dragging tail ends.
His hay is much better quality here, no “magic” supplements good grazing in summer. We do add soybean meal to our custom grain mix, which I believe helps a lot with hair and hoof quality. We don’t go overboard feeding soybean meal, it is a small additive in the grain recipe, providing needed protein. But good hair on horses comes from the inside, how they are fed, so give him time to improve.
Our horse has a wispy forelock, which I think is genetic from his dam. We had his half sister from the same mare, who also had a wispy forelock. Not feed or care related! Both have nice manes, and tail length will come.
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I have met many, many polo ponies who look like oversized kangaroo rats – skinny (very lean athletes), knock-kneed, sickle-hocked, suitcase heads, ratty manes and tails. A lot of them live in fields with their friends and spend maybe 1-2 hours a day in a stall, tops, with the usual sunbleached and scruffy coats. They are the epitome of “a good horse is never a bad colour” and “you don’t ride the papers/don’t ride the head.”
In polo, manes and tails are kept short for safety. Getting a mallet tangled up in a horse’s tail is dangerous to horse and rider. So are entanglement hazards for reins/whips/mallets and longer manes.
Give your new guy 3-6 months of GOOD food and a dedicated beauty regimen to see what you have. Even if you have one of the permanently-scruffy ones, he’s likely to be a Very Good Citizen all the way around.
A suggestion on riding – see if you can find out what kind of bit they used to play him. I knew one pony who could be ridden in a plain snaffle or sidepull if it was NOT polo time…but come out with a different bridle that said “game face engage,” he started snorting six-foot jets of fire out his nostrils.
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Yes a mane will grow back after it’s roached and a tail after it’s been banged. The mane will go through a “Trojan Horse” phase but, really, nobody cares if it looks like that for a bit. It has to grow up before it starts to fall over from its own weight so resist the urge to pick at or pull it trying to thin it so it will lay down, that just prolongs the growing out and creates too many different lengths.
Once you get about 6 inches, you can band it and using a slinky hood for a few weeks, even if just overnight, lays it down pretty good. And those are cheap enough.
For the tail, spray on a detangler and just pick thro with your fingers and a wide tooth “ Afro” comb couple of times a week. Resist the urge to glop products on it, especially where it can end up sitting on the skin of the tailbone. That creates itch and get them rubbing creating an even less attractive tail.
IME it can take about 6 months, sometimes longer for the mane, Longer for a really nice, full tail. A good diet speeds the hair growth from within so patience will pay off better then spending money on topical products.
Over the years ( decades) have show everything from Arabs to H/J to Paints and Quarter Horses in 3 disciplines and always preferred some color or flash. Also never had a big budget so most of mine looked like crap when I got them. Pretty good at growing manes and tails and getting a good coat on them, just takes time and good health, not something out of a spray can or bottle.
Thanks for all the input. I know on the skinny side isn’t bad…but his ribs and hip bones are fairly prominent right now. Vet is coming out for a good going over beginiing of December, I figure he does need a worming, sand clear and maybe teeth done.
@Helen_S: I was trying different bits yesterday just to see what he seems less “uncomfortable” in. Mind you it was in the stall and I was also trying to find a dressage bridle in my stash that might fit him so that I wouldn’t necessarily have to go buy a new one. Most of the bridles I have are nice and soft. I have not ridden him yet, I won’t get on him until the vet looks him over. I am a little concerned about his staying sound, so I do not want to make things worse before the vet gets a look at him. I have no way to contact the previous owner, their establishment seems to be closed now, at least for the research I did last night.
What kind of mane and tail he will regrow depends on genetics. I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised in a year or so.
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@angelssix, he’ll probably go kindly in a headstall bridle, no noseband needed unless you get up to speed and you want it for safety. He’ll definitely be more responsive to neck rein and heels than direct-rein.
Have fun with him!
Very much agree that if you take care of the nutrition, the mane and tail will come back just fine 
I bang tails to hocks for winter (we’re just about due!) and by the start of summer they’re back to fetlock length. Roached manes seem easiest to handle if you leave them alone until they have some good length, and then pull/trim as desired. It’s tough to get them to lay flat otherwise.
Have fun with your new guy!
Quick update…he went just fine on a dressage saddle and a double jointed snaffle bit today. He has obviously had some great training. He has put on a bit of weight, but has a long way to go. I am really excited about him, he really is a nice ride!!
Excited for you! I had a wonderful TB mare that I got as a failed polo horse when she was 5 and turned into an excellent AA jumper
Her mane and forelock were shaved, and the sides of her tail up top, but all grew out fine. I’ve never seen a horse with less topline, but that too was fixed with time and “normal” riding. Enjoy your new guy!
