So, a totally frivolous topic! Roaching a mane, what is the best approach? Tips? Tools?
I’ve got this Shire gelding, I know we are supposed to have hair like Fabio. Well a) I never liked Fabio, and b) no matter what I do his mane ends up in dreadlocks. The base is almost three inches wide and it naturally goes both ways. I got sick of it and chopped it all off in a rough roach with scissors. It looks awesome, actually, mostly because he has a short bull neck (28 inch harness collar!) and a roman nose. I had planned to try to let it grow out, but I’m thinking I like the roached look, breed standard or not. So, how does one make a really sharp looking roached mane? The scissors weren’t bad, but they weren’t the sharp look I’ve seen on Fjords and the like.
Clippers?
Yup. Trim it with scissors to a length that’s manageable for the clippers to get through, and then buzz it the rest of the way off. Best to wash the base of the mane and the trimmed hair as thoroughly as you can and let it dry first so that the clippers can get through cleanly.
Okay, but what if I want that three/four inch standing up/mohawk effect? Does one clip along the neck? Down towards the neck? Up away?
Or should I just go with the flat buzzcut and periodically cut it down?
The three inch standing up happens a few months after you clip the whole thing off. Take it all off twice or three times a year.
If you want to do it like a Fjord mane from scratch, just buzz it all off. It’s really hard to get mane that is used to being bent to want to stand up.
Then in a few weeks (maybe less if you own a fjord lol) you can start shaping it. The way to do a Fjord mane is to run your arm alongside the angle of the back of the cheek towards the crest. That is the natural peak (usually about 30 degrees back from the ears). From the peak forward, clip the arc down to 0 in between the ears (later do the bridle path). From the peak to the withers will be a much slower, gentler arc, but again, go to 0 (although it’s never a bad idea to leave a chunk of mane to grow out. Roached or trimmed hairs under the saddle pad are a problem with some horses).
If you have a super thick mane, start on the side you are comfortable with and just trim that side, them go to the other side and match it (that’s how we do Fjord manes, one side, them the black stripe, then the other side)
I prefer the Mohawk to the actual roach and just use a big, very sharp pair of scissors and cut my guy’s mane to about 2-3 inches. I try to do it about 3 weeks before a show so that it can grow out a little to cover up any mistakes.
My method of trimming to a length involves a stool, a big plastic mane comb (one of the ones that are about 8" long) and my clippers. The stool is necessary to get up above his neck so I’m looking down - it never works well if I stand on the ground. I use the comb to pull the mane over so it’s sticking out at 90 degrees (to the side, but not down). I pull the comb away from the crest as far as I want the mohawk to be long and clip the hairs sticking out past the comb. I can angle the comb at poll and withers to make the mohawk curve down closer to the crest. I do one side completely, then repeat the process on the other side. The last step is to freehand run the clippers along the top of the mane (sticking straight up, not combed over). This takes a bit of practice and nerve. 
But if you really feel you’ve messed it up you can still clip right down to the crest.
Another option is to buy a length guide comb that attaches over the clipper blades. I have an 1/8" guide that I use if I fully clip his mane but I really feel it’s a bit short. I was going to get a longer one before I developed my trim to length method.
Step stool or ladder probably a good idea on a tall horse --ours are not tall --we roach --I was taught by a pretty big name trainer to roach by first going up the side in toward --not along the made base, but at a right angle to the horse’s body --one clipper blade length at a time, taking the side hairs off clipping toward the center of the mane. Do both sides. That leaves you with a narrow center section (long Mohawk, I guess). Then start at the withers and slowly take off the center section to the base of the poll (don’t cut off the forelock). This makes the side hairs shorter than the center hairs and gives a smooth look and smooth regrowth. Do this three days before you show so that the white “scalp” doesn’t show through. Probably a YouTube video would explain it better.
Wonderful! Thank you all for the tips. Of course, Buddy may not appreciate it 
Actually, he seems to be more comfortable with it cut off, not as itchy.
Timely thread! I hate pulling manes and my niece who likes to do it for me can’t come because coronavirus. I was just thinking yesterday that I might roach and be done with it. OP, I’ll be brave and post pics of my horse’s new mohawk if you post pics of yours!
I’ll also be cutting my husband’s hair for the first time today and I’m even less confident about that. At least the horse won’t whine if I make him look stupid for a few weeks… :lol:
I generally keep things roached, I hate hair management. The first time I did it, I did just take the clippers & roach it all the way down. But I maintain it as a mohawk. I do it most of the time with just scissors because they grow fast. But when I’m bored or wanted it tidy for a competition, I use the clippers cutting across the mane, butting the blades into my hand on the opposite side. This lets you make it nice & flat across the top.
Nice! I’ll have to get some pictures tomorrow. I did mine with scissors, haven’t tried any of the tips yet.
Fwiw, I don’t think length has much to do with flopping, at least at first. The follicles are pointing the hair down right now. Not sure if they can reorient with any length? That’s really the advantage of taking it allllll off–you give the hair follicles time to relax and point up, before there’s any weight pulling the hair shaft down. That’s also why it’s SUCH a bear to retrain a roached mane to lie flat, at least until you get some significant length to it.
It’s not unlike training a mane to fall to one side when it’s split or lie to the right when it naturally falls to the left. But you can’t really braid hair to hold it straight up :lol: So until you take it all the way off, and let it regrow, you may not get that mohawk look. It can probably be shaped with scissors from there, as long as it never gets long enough to start to lie down.
Makes sense, @Simkie! I thought that might be the case but the only other time I’ve roached I clipped it all off so I wanted to try the scissor technique first just for practice. I may end up taking it all off although I think it looks pretty cute now.
This horse’s mane was well-behaved for months after I bought him but over the winter the top 2/3rds suddenly tried to switch to the left side. I’m sure it’s my fault for not maintaining it well because I detest mane pulling.
So funny, I was just looking at one of my crew and contemplating roaching. Maybe I’ll be brave and give it a go too.
BTW, OP, I loff a roman nose! I bet your boy is a beauty!
I got a lot of roaching theory lessons over dinner as a kid. Dad loved his walk-trot horses. For Saddlebred guys, roaching a mane is an art. Do it well and an bad neck looks good. Do it bad and a great horse looks terrible.
They take the mane off from the sides. The length will vary down the neck, so the neck looks good. The thought of running clippers down the top of a neck was enough to set him into convulsions.
LIke Red Mares, I learned on ASBs. My walk-trot horse, when I was a kid, was fun to do. With good clippers, and fresh blades, go up the middle, then back down, then do each side, being careful to NOT get into the coat. Cutting it first may help you see better, but that first pass up the neck takes it all off, except for pretty-ing up the sides!
So, for me, getting a roached mane from a long, thick mane takes about a week. the first day, I take very sharp scissors and cut it off about 2" from the neck. Then, give the mane time to “fluff” up (3 - 4 days). Go back in and clean it up. Give it another day or two, and finish it off. My horse doesnt like clippers, so its easier to get a clean edge with scissors. Picture for you courtesy of Xpress Foto. https://mayaswellevent.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/491-1e_9181-19mstc.jpg
looks great! IMO, it’s super flattering on your horse’s neck. I think it is nearly impossible for a “long roach” to look great on day one. My horse has the equivalent width of mane of 3 horses so its just a process. But I love the look *and not having to braid!
