How to Part a Wild Horse's Mane

Horse manes come in varying thicknesses and may have cowlicks and other growth patterns that prompt the mane to fall on one side or the other. Some horses have thick manes that naturally part in the middle and fall on both sides of the neck. Domesticated horses with manes that do not fall consistently on one side will typically have their manes retrained at an early age. In the wild, a horse's mane will grow however it pleases. If you adopt a wild horse, you may want to re-train its mane to give it a more conventional grooming appearance.

Things You'll Need

  • Spray bottle
  • Mane comb (pulling comb)
  • Hairspray
  • Rubber bands
  • Mane tamer
  • Clippers
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Instructions

    • 1

      Brush all tangles out of the mane and pull it over onto the side of the neck where you want it to fall. Wet the mane down thoroughly with water from the spray bottle.

    • 2

      Bring forward the hair that is growing level with or in front of the horse's ears to create a defined forelock. Push the hair that is growing behind the ears back into the mane.

    • 3

      Use a pair of horse clippers to cut a bridle path area at the very top of your mane, which will divide the mane and forelock. The bridle path should be between 1 and 3 inches long.

    • 4

      Braid the mane into several thick braids and use rubber bands to tie off the bottom of the braids. Braid the parts of the mane that want to fall onto the other side of the horse's neck into braids with sections of mane that are naturally inclined to hang on the side of the neck that you want the mane to fall on.

    • 5

      Apply hairspray to the mane, especially near the roots, to help train the mane to stay in place.

    • 6

      Put a mane tamer on your horse to hold the braids in place when the horse is in a stall. Do not turn the horse out into the pasture while wearing the mane tamer, as it can become tangled or ripped.

    • 7

      Leave braids in for several days at a time and continue repeating this process until the mane is trained to lie flat on the side of the neck where you want it to.