MAINTAINING
MOHAIR

I have owned haired horses since I started collecting, in 2000. I still show those horses and why? Because they still look great.

Mohair is actually very easy to take care of. But only if your horse has top quality hair done by an artist who knows how to apply it and style it.

I often have people at shows ask me if the hair is hard to take care of. So I hope this article will answer some of your questions.

The least you do with the hair, the longer it will stay looking nice. That is the whole key. Most people make it more work then necessary. I have seen many horses ruined by people brushing out the style and then just leaving it. What happens? FRIZZ!!!

All you do when you are dusting your horse is use a soft lint free cloth to just gently wipe the hair or use a cosmetic brush or even your fingers. If some stray hairs won’t lay flat then use an alcohol free spray gel or alcohol free mousse. Rub a little on your fingers and rub gently over the hair. If there is a short stubborn hair that won’t lay down with gel then just use scissors to snip it off at the base.

Some people want to restyle the hair in a different shape. If that’s the case you will need to use a small child size toothbrush to brush out the hair gently, then reshape it using a lot of mousse, using your fingers to work it in. Then use your brush or fingers to shape it and let it dry. If some areas still look wet when dry then use your brush to go over just that area and you will still have your shape. Your goal needs to be a smooth natural look.

The pictures here show two of my oldest customs with mohair done by Faye Cohen. They are both recent top ten winners at NAN and are winning multiple championships to this day. I have never brushed out their hair. They look as good as the day they were made. I only do light dusting sometimes just using clean fingers to rub over the hair is all that’s needed.