The right way to keep an Arab's mane.

Just want to know, as she in my first Arabian...

My Arab's mane is just grown out long at the moment, but for showing/just looking fancy, what do I do to it? What is 'correct'?

Keep it long?

Does one ever pull an Arab's mane?

(Will include a pic of current mane's state of affairs when I'm home)

Are you asking how to care for and keep a long mane nice? Otherwise, most traditionally, arabs are kept "natural" as far as mane and tail are concerned. For showing outside of breed shows, particularly in english type classes, it is acceptable to use a running braid.

If you are wanting to know how to keep a mane and tail nice, then condition condition condition! And then braid it up. No combs should come near it unless you are using conditioner of some sort as well (and some people never use a brush or comb even then, preferring to use their fingers only.)

No pulling the mane!

Most have long manes and tails. The longer the better. And the majority will have a pretty extreme bridle path.

Tidy, but natural and free-flowing. Therefore if your horse has a bit of a ratty-looking mane, you tidy it up, but try to make sure it looks natural. Pulling is a no go.

Some people braid but I prefer the Arabs with free-flowing mane and tail. They are usually fully trimmed up, including inside ears, and many of them have a very long bridle path.

Google some show pics of Arabs, they will give you an idea of the presentation expected.

Arab manes and tails are meant to be kept as long as possible.... you don't want to pull, cut or otherwise shorten except a rare instance when you do a slight trim or even up, but most arab owners rarely do that. It's best to keep them braided up when you aren't showing...usually the main is done up in a running braid (like a one sided french braid down the neck where you only tack from above). Tails are usually braided and wrapped...I do this with Cinny's tail even though he isn't an Arab. You start about an inch under the tail bone NEVER INCLUDE TAILBONE and braid down to the end and secure. Then you double it back up and pull through the top, it should be loose enough where you left about an inch under tailbone. You may have to loop twice if it drags the ground. Then you wrap vetwrap to secure it...again, not near the tailbone, only what is braded and looped through. I take Cinny's out about once a month and in the summer I also loop a fake tail I made out of bail twine through the vetwrap.... you don't want to hook it to the tail itself because if it gets caught it can do some damage...only attach to the vetwrap.

Many people put conditioners etc in their tails, this helps. I like going to beauty supply stores and buying a spray called Hask Placenta...it really helps keep it strong.

I once boarded at a stable where there was a 3 year old Arab gelding who's mane was literally to it's knees and it's tale dragged the ground by a foot! I think this is a little overboard, but I think it's also every arabs owners dream if they are showing. This horses mane and tail was ALWAYS braided up, I only saw it down for shows or cleansing.

Here is a great video on how to do the running braid and keep it in


Here is a good tail wrap video, tried to find a better one...maybe I should make one using the fakey tail LOL


And here is what the wrapped tail with an attached bail twin tail looks like on my horse.



For showing or just feeling like looking fancy, I would do the running braid and then let the tail flow... Remember the more you brush it, the more hairs break off especially without some sort of conditioner or detangler.

Thanks all you guys! I also thought Arabian manes are kept long and natural, so that's what my mare looks like and I'm proud of it, and I think it looks beautiful.

But I may be moving her to a fancy-pants (non-Arab) yard where all the horses are regularly trimmed and clipped to within an inch of their lives, so I just wanted to make sure they wouldn't look at her in pure horror, and think she just looks unkempt and neglected with her looooong mane :)

But if that's the way Arabs are supposed to look like, I'll march her in there proudly and tell them to keep their scissors away!

Most Fancy Pants people will know... and I bet they will OOOOH And AAAAAHH with jealously that their horses could never have that much hair, even if they stopped cutting it!!!!

A note on the running braid, that should not be a regular, full time braid. It should only be done for shows or short periods of time as it is very tight and will pull large clumps of hair out if the horse rubs it.

I hope so!

I seem to be surrounded by Thoroughbreds and Warmbloods where ever I go, with impeccably pulled short manes, and sometimes, just sometimes, I feel like I should say something to explain that no, I haven't just forgotten to tidy her up for a really long time, and that growing it is on purpose... but you're right, it's probably all in my head, and they don't think that at all!