To roach or not to roach, and how to roach

Heh, so... It gets hot here in the summer. Really hot. And, Rustys super de duper thick, and longish mane on his neck doesnt make matters better. I try to keep it braided, but literally the very same day Rusty will have half of the braids out. He rubs on EVERYTHING, which is giving me the idea that he is rubbing the bands off... -_- Also, I just like the idea/looks of a roached mane...

Oh, and I ride English. I don't show, and probably wont be for a long while.

Ah, and I hear that hogging is all the way down to the skin like such;


And roaching is leaving a mohawk... like such (Sorry, extremely bad example photo)


I personally, would WAY rather have a roached mane than a hogged mane, but should I hog it first, and then once it grows out, keep it trimmed for a roached mane? And also, if I do hog/roach it, should I leave the forelock?

Rusty... on the side without a mane




And the side with a mane


Now... more questions; how exactly do I hog/roach a mane? Do I have to thin it first, then clip it off? Or can I just clip it off? I will most likely be using clippers, as I can't even cut his short bridle path straight with scissors And... would he look alright with a roached/hogged mane?

I usually just use a good paor of clippers and completely shave it, which makes it stand up as it grows out again, it sounds like a very practical idea to keep your guy comfortable.
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Erm... would a pair of dog clippers be alright? So, while its growing out, you could just keep it evenly trimmed with scissors to get the mohawk effect?

Clippers intended for dogs may well over heat when using them for the thick, coarse hairs of a horse's mane.

Rather than hogging/roaching the mane how about thinning and shorting his mane with pulling or using thinning shears?

You know I think you should roach him...but I have never roached, so I am not sure how to do it....

I just wanted to say that I think dog clippers should be fine. Just gve them some breaks every so often. I have used some before and they didn't big down or anything....

Ehh... I either like a long mane, or no mane... tehe All or nothing, I guess Ahh, I was thinking if I do use the dog clippers to roach it, I would cut as much as I could off with scissors, so it wouldnt be so harsh for the razor, but... I don't know!

I always end up with the job of shaving our SUPER, SUPER, SUPER hairy dogs in the summer, and... it occasionally bogs down, but that's mostly only if the dogs are dirty, and their coat is really thick from all the dirtyness, so I might wash, and condition his mane, let it dry, and then do it once its all clean... Yesh, I think Im going to roach it today... Ill get some pictures... if it doesnt look to bad... heh..

LOL, we used to roach all our mules and leave them with the arched look (like you see on fjord horses). On a horse that has a slightly flatter neck, like your guy, a roach will give him a little bulkier look so that his neck wouldn't look quite so naked and straight.

One thing I did find out is that if you roach it to start out with, give it a couple of days if it's laying over to the side. Normally, it will stand up straight within a few days without having to shave it all the way down and start all over.

Oh, and we have always used manual sheep shears on ours. Work a ton better than scissors.

I attempted to hog whisks mane, however lacked clippers so used scissors. I think I looks ok, but using clippers would make it much more neater and much more even.

So, how hard is it to roach the mane with the arched look? (Thats what I am aiming for) when its long? Its possible? Oh... I never thought about it flopping over... hehe... I was also thinking about... well, when I jump, I grab a bit of the mane, and if I roach it... I will have nothing to grab! Ahh! I suppose Ill have to learn how to jump without the mane :P Sheep shears? Never seen one...

It looks super good! I do not think I could end up straight if I had to use scissors lol. Did he have a thick mane?