With 2 TWH’s and my WP palomino to keep combed out, I was wondering how everyone manages long, flowing manes.
These guys live out, get rained on, roll in the dirt and get to live like horses. If not show-sheened daily, they get dreadlocks and “witch knots.”
Braids? Bands? Tell me your methods! 
Roach? <VBG>
The trainer at the farm I ride with (Friesians) keeps her training horses up in a running braid. Takes it down, brushes, detangles and rebraids every ride. Some get longer prettier hair than others with this, but they at least don’t end up in dreds. One stallion has a forelock that goes past his nose and his mane goes down past his elbow, and that’s with the horse being turned out in all weather…
The long mane horses I’ve known (not that many, mostly event/dressage barns) had their manes loosely braided all the time. Maybe 5 or 6 braids total, and loose enough at the top that they weren’t itchy. And loose enough in the braid that if some hairs got caught on something in turnout, the hairs would pull right out of the braid and hopefully the end/bottom of the hair would pull out of the fence or bucket or whatever they were caught on. If the braids are really tight, and a few hairs get caught in a bucket, the hairs will rip out at the roots and then pull out of the bucket or whatever. You don’t want that :no: Keep the hair slippery (like you already are doing) to help with this cause.
The braids would get re-done every day, or every day the owner came out I should say. If she couldn’t get out, someone (including me) would often re-do them for her cause it literally took less than 5 minutes to take them out and re-braid. They would fall out some and get a little messy cause they were so loose. But they were just enough to keep the hair from tangling and ripping/pulling out.
I believe in this method because the growth in length and thickness of the manes was noticeable 
But people with more long mane experience may have better methods?
Scroll down to the “pasture braids” pic. That’s what I’m accustomed to:
http://www.horsegroomingsupplies.com/horse-forums/long-mane-braids-215855.html
The guy yawning:
http://iceryder.net/braids.html
Only pic on this one:
http://www.horsegroomingsupplies.com/horse-forums/thick-mane-heat-ekk-277317.html
Pink!
In the Ethnic hair section in Walmart- called Pink Hair lotion. Detangles but no silicone. Apply to mane, braid in running braid or several single braids, finish with coated elastic bands or pieces of vet wrap- no rubber bands directly on hair. Re braid as necessary.
My reiner has a very long mane and we keep it braided at all times. We rebraid every week.
OK, gotcha. That’s actually what I was thinking of doing; slicking them up with that new Show-Sheen Silk Gel stuff and then braiding a few big braids loosely and securing them with little rubber bands. Ethnic Hair Section gave me a big grin–in this part of the country, my TWH’s really ARE “ethnic!” :lol:
Thanks for the tips!
I avoid show sheen as much as possible. If I do use it, it would be for show day only and I wash out as soon as I get home with Soap and water. It contains silicone which is very drying to hair and will make it brittle. The Pink is a conditioning lotion.
No Show Sheen. Comb, brush and wash as needed.
For some reason I haven’t put “working braids” in the mare’s mane recently, and it’s showing… She has a section of much shorter mane, a few inches in front of her withers, and it’s making a show-shape running braid impossible. Must fix this.
Anyway, last year and the year before, when the weather was above freezing (arthritic hands really can’t handle braiding when it’s cold…), I’d put her up in 8 to 10 “pigtails”, braiding yarn into each one. I could leave them in for a week to 10 days, then I’d take them out, let the mane rest for a day, and rebraid. The resting is not necessary.
Also would only wash the mane a day or two before showing or if it was really grubby. I tried to leave it alone as much as possible. A slightly dirty mane holds a braid better than a clean mane, I’ve found.
I swear by Vetrolin Shine. Show sheen made my stallion’s mane break off and seemed to fall out. I just spritzed him regularly with the Shine, combed through it when it dried, and his tail was to the ground, his mane was way down to his shoulders and his forelock was to the end of his nose. I just used Cowboy Magic on my horses a few minutes ago, because I’m out of the VS, but like I said, I swear by the VS.
We love Vetrolin Shine also. I have used Pink Oil. It is ok but it seemed to leave a residue. We use hair care products that we purchase at the Family Dollar Store because they are inexpensive. We love Family Dollar store hair detangler product since it works and it lasts for several days preventing wind knots and preventing breakage. We will also braid the mane loosely.
I use Vetrolin Shine also (hate Show Sheen…dries the hair out) on my Morgans. I just spray it in every so often to keep it from getting knotted.
I have an Arab with a nice long mane and what I have found to be most effective is simply neglect. The only time I comb it is when we’re going somewhere and I make sure to coat it in conditioner first. I hand pick out any big knots on a daily basis. If one gets too knotted I put a little Cowboy Magic detangler in it. That’s it.
It have tried pasture braids, but I found that I lost a lot of hair with the frequent handling.
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