[3WishesDun]

This is Doc.


In the over 10 years that I have owned him his forelock has NEVER grown longer than this......


This is my pony- he has a long and poofy forelock.



All my horses have the same care, feed, facilities.... and 2 have long forelocks, my mare's is inbetween, and Doc's is a shorty!

[royalrox]

A LOT of it is just genetics just like some people have thick hair and thin hair some horses do too, it could be getting rubbed by something but most likely he just got the short end of the stick out of our 5 horses three have gorgeous long full forelocks and two have little wisps but here's the answers
What type of feeders do you use? we have corner feeders in their stalls
What type of hay dispensers do you use?none, on the floor
What type of fencing do you have, and if electric, how far from the ground is your first strand of tape or wire? post and rail fencing the first rail is about a foot from the ground and they are convinced the grass IS greener on the other side
Royal has a really nice forelock now but when I got him it was just average, and his tail was chewed off...but I have a system that has worked really well for him in the year I've had him his forelock grew 4 inches and is much thicker and his tail grew 1 foot
anyway what I do is once a week do a major cleaning/conditioning
-with dandruff shampoo I part the hair in a butch of spots to get it right on the skin and scrub REALLY well
-let it sit
-rinse well
-then leave conditioner in for about 45 min and rinse
good luck

[Bodi]

This mare had a forelock full and thick to end of her nose. It had been cut off a few times by young children.

That is as long as this gelding's forelock has ever been.



What I'm trying to say is I don't think it has to deal with nutrition, feed, fencing or what not. Yes some horses do rub manes, tails, and even forelocks out. I think it's simply individual and genetic of each individual as to how long, thick, short, or thin a mane, tail, and/or forelock is. These two horses were of many who are fed the same, kept the same, in the same pen.

[spiritpony]

Wow! You guys are SO nice to share your photos of your lovely horses .
I really think that it is the luck of the draw also, and some horses have long forelocks and some do not. I was just concerned that my pony's FL is shorter this winter than last winter. Last winter her forelock covered her star, but this winter it does not. I have been thinking that maybe I cut her bridle path too far foreward and that is probably the reason since the general consensus is that it either "is" or "isn't" long . (I have backed off on trimming her bridle path so far forward, so we will see if that makes the difference .)

And, yes, the Arab mare that I used to have must have been getting a more balanced nutrition with her new owner. I think I must have been feeding her something like Blue Seal Charger and free choice hay plus what grass we have but I don't remember exactly, it was something like 20 years ago and I didn't have the great resources of "the Net" at my disposal then.

I mentioned the other day that I removed her hay tub (which was mounted on the floor but just contained the hay from getting strewn hither and yon )and started feeding her hay on the ground in a different corner. That probably isn't going to make one iota of a difference in her forelock, (I did it just to make sure that she wasn't accidently rubbing it against the tub when picking the hay off the bottom), BUT it HAS made a big difference in her cribbing . She is a light cribber, usually only does it while eating her hay or if alot of people are working around the barn and making alot of noise (stressful for her), and probably a little bit when it is getting close to feeding time. Her favorite cribbing spot is right above where her tub used to be. Since two days after I moved her hay spot I have not heard her crib once while eating. I guess it is too much trouble to walk over there to suck on the wood . She still cribs a little bit because I can see the evidence of it when I go out in the morning, like slobber on her crib spot, but it has definitely been reduced quite a lot. And NO new crib spots where she is eating. I am just hoping this new step forward continues.

So, in asking a question about one thing I gained a REALLY big benefit for another. THANK YOU SO MUCH. By the way, you guys have some really nice horses.

SP