Gennyral is afflicted with Shaggy Horse Syndrome (SHS). He rolls every day. EVERYDAY! Even when the ground is frozen and it is like rolling on cement. He does not care. When it is nice and muddy out he will roll multiple times to get a nice layer of filth all over himself. I have already talked about how I am not the ideal candidate for a grey horse. It took a lot of will power to leave the picture of my stained and muddy pony up. It is going to take even more to leave this picture up.
I love the look on his face in this picture. It says a lot.
The problem is that I am now aiding in his dirtiness. Last summer in the thick of the injury I promised my horse that if he lived I would stop pulling his mane. The problem is that I don’t know how to straighten a mane that is long without pulling it. I have heard that you can use clippers, but that is another issue. My clippers broke today. They have been wanting to die for a while but they kept on going because they know I like a trimmed horse. Now his whiskers are going to have to run rampant. And his comb-over bridle path (that is a story for another time) is out of control.
Please weather turn warm soon. I now have a furry, yellow, ragged maned, shaggy pony. I think that fits all the criteria for SHS. To bad the only cure comes in the form of a bath. Genny (well it is me really) needs help to come fast. If I must have a grey, and I must because I love my pony, I at least would like a clean one!
I know how you feel. My grey gelding lies in his poop. He has a brown stain on his hip that I can’t wash out for anything. My horses also get mohawk syndrome in the winter and spring months when I attempt to shorten their bridal paths by letting a section of mane grow out.
I have given up on keeping my horses clean this time of year. I try and knock the dirt off so their coats can still fluff up to keep them warm and leave it at that. Petting them and getting a cloud of dust is bad for my allergies but good for my sanity. That expectation I have for clean horses, I now restrict to at horse shows and for my open house. If I get anymore time than that I consider it’s a bonus.
There’s a really great tool you can get to shorten a mane without thinning it called a stripping blade or grooming knife. This is similar to the one I use; http://www.doversaddlery.com/grooming-and-thinning-knife/p/X1-1008/cn/2006/. (I got mine at an Amish tack shop, so I have no idea what brand or where to find it online).
You use it to trim the ends of the hair, kinda like with a razor. Grab just a very small chunk with your fingers, and use the knife in a quick, downward motion to cut it. If you do very small chunks at a time, you can shorten the mane and keep it looking very natural. It’s pretty easy to do once you get the hang of it. Much much better than scissors, and probably more forgiving than using clippers.
Nuzzling Muzzles – I have the mohawk issue too! Only I am trying to grow a forelock not a mane.
Mikael – If I had half as many horses as you do I would also have given up on all of them being clean…I only have one that is dirty! X is a neat guy.
Jackie – I think I am going to have to buy that…it seems like the same idea as the clipper blades that I was talking about.