O.k. So maybe Im a bit eccentric.
I know a gal that has a lot of horses.
You know where this is going.
A lot of the horses have really interesting colored mane.
Has anyone used horse mane in thier fly tying before.
If so on what ?
Thanks,
Perch
(no I havent looked at the wifes cat for dubbing yet{wrong color anyway}).
did a google search and got these
http://www.sportfishingbc.com/articles/ … mayfly.htm
Western March Brown Mayfly, March Brown Dry
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytyin … art44.html
Whiskers use horse mane
Ribbing on a midge fly. It has good strength and makes a fine rib on size 18 & 16 midge flys. Could probably be used as ribbing on other flys as well.
TxEngr
ribbing and also bodies for small flies. Horse hair is strong. Twist it a weave it and you have an indestructible flybody.
I use horse mane exclusively on my Stoneflys and other flys where I want to have an antenna that has alot of “life” to it.
But, don’t confuse horse mane with horse hair or horse tail. Tail happens to be more brittle ,thicker and stiffer.
It’s great stuff for fly tying.
Many moons ago; I was instructed by no less than Vince Marinaro himself how to use horse hair to make an effective imitation of a small red manure worm which used to be the hot fly to use on the fussy fish at the “Ditch” at Big Springs in South-central Pennsylvania.
I used violin bow hair which is white. Vince told me to wash it by pulling it through a soapy rag until it became clear; which it does. It then will take to dying ANY color you wish very nicely using Rit.
After that you have a really nice colored strand of hair to use for ribbing or an entire ribbed body which is what I did to create my worm-fly.
Violin bow hair is available at most music stores…
…if you’re not lucky enough to have a female acquaintance with horses.
Look at this fly tying instuction by Al CampbellAdvanced Fly Tying:
Woven Hackle Flies
By Al Campbell
It contains details of Potts horse hair flys, very popular here in the west in the 40s and 50s horse mane can also be used for Al’s famous SCHWAPF Flys.
If you can get horse tails of a decent length, you could try furling horse hair leaders. I believe there are some people around doing this. Here is an extract from a 19th century book by David Webster, which gives some instructions, although I don’t suppose you’ll want a 20 ft length.
Quote- His ?casting-line? was made of horse-hair, not too firmly twisted - the lengths of hairs being knotted at their junction, and the ends neatly tied with well-rosined silk thread.
It tapers gradually from the loop to the gut. The number of hairs composing the thickest part of the line at the loop ranges from thirty-six to forty-five, according to fineness, diminishing gradually to five or six at the point where the gut-line is attached. The length of the casting line should be from 18 to 20 feet. The loop at the top is about three inches long, and is passed through the corresponding loop of the smaller size attached to the rod.
The article can be seen at - http://www.dtnicolson.dial.pipex.com/page19.html
Webster did live in Lanarkshire, the old name was Clydesdale, the home of the heavy horse, so I suppose access to good horse tails was easy for him.
Perch, horse hair is great for midge patterns, I had some but ran out of it 
Not trying to be a smarty, but the histories I have read on the Pott’s Hair Flies say he used chinese ox and badger hair on his flies, not horse hair. Horse hair (mane) may be a good substitute though, I think it is a little stiffer and in some cases, bigger in diameter. It is fun to play with as is mentioned above. Use two different colors and weave a small caddis body with it.
I’m not a historian. but I have several original Potts Hair flies that I inherited from my father in law. He used them extensively and thought that they were woven of horse hair.At any rate, horse main or tail hairs can be used for Potts type flies and for SHWAPF flies. See advanced fly tying by Al Campbell on this board. That was my point and suggestion 
Hi Donald,
Nice section on Webster’s rod, line, and flies! 9 flies on a cast! I must say, I get some pretty horrendous tangles with just 3 flies, trying to cast with 9 would put me in a “moment of temper” far exceeding anything that would occur if I had to change to a new fly after a dozen or so trout! 
P.S. The “advance link/right arrow button” from page97 to page98 seemed to be playing up on me (from page 1 to page 2 of the modern dressings for his salmon flies) and would change colour when I moused over it, but would not advance me when I clicked.
Thanks Jeff, it will be seen to ASAP.