‘Horsey’ hairstyle could get chop as school looks to ‘smarten up’ students
A popular hairstyle known as the “horsey” could face the chop at an all-boys school looking to smarten up its students.
The parent of a Nelson College student contacted The Nelson Mail to say her son was concerned his “horsey” – a portion of hair on the back of the head left to grow long – could be under threat from a ban.
Her son had told her that teachers had hinted a ban on the popular hairstyle was on the horizon, but there had been no word from the school, she said.
The hairstyle was popular among Māori and Pasifika students, she said.
Nelson College tumaki/principal Richard Washington was bemused at the call from the Nelson Mail: “horsey” wasn’t a term he’d heard.
However, there were moves under way to tighten up the rules, he said.
“We’re looking at tidying up uniforms and facial hair and hairstyles. We’re bringing back making boys look sharp, while keeping individuality.”
Washington acknowledged the fine line between enforcing rules, and the need for self expression in young people still growing into their identities.
“You want standards, but you want boys to be able to express themselves and feel comfortable in their own skin.”
Later, Washington emailed a brief statement but didn’t weigh in on the horsey.
“Any review of hair regulations at Nelson College would be in line with the well-established dress code standards that many New Zealand schools already uphold. If any changes were made, they would apply to extreme hairstyles across the board, irrespective of cultural background.”
The college supported Māori and Pasifika students who displayed “culturally significant tattoos” and taonga, and had recently launched a college fitaga (lava lava-style garment), he said.
The college’s teacher in charge of te reo Māori/te ao haka, Wayne Hippolite, said the horsey haircut was a fashion trend enjoyed by boys from all backgrounds, including Māori and Pasifika students. However, it was not a cultural practice and “should not be misrepresented as one”.
Hairstyle bans are as old as school itself. During the last few years, Aotearoa has seen dreadlock and braid bans and arguments over long hair have reached the courtroom at least twice, in Hastings and in Auckland.
The parent who contacted the Nelson Mail said it was time to move on.
“I can’t believe that in 2025 that people are still having arguments over hairstyles. Fair enough, have a uniform and enforce that, but hair?”
Barber Kyle Crittenden, who works at Stormy’s Man Cave, sees a handful of horseys each week. There was no standard horsey cut: they varied in tail placement and thickness.
He’s not a fan of the style. “Personally, I think it’s ugly, and they’re difficult to work around.”
But he also felt it was important for young people to be able to make a choice.
“Being able to express yourself is is important, no matter how weird.
“My first question is, what’s next? What’s your idea of being smart? Why is that the correct opinion, and who are you to impose that?”
Crittenden isn’t from Aotearoa, and didn’t feel qualified to weigh in on the cultural aspect of the cut.
“[But] they’re pretty unique in New Zealand.”
While rattails – the horsey’s lower, skinnier cousin – were few and far between, there was one haircut that showed no sign of fading into obscurity.
“The mullet will never die; the mullet is strong and well. It’s a point of pride for many Kiwis.”
Former Nelson College student Lian Pi Zathang, now a junior barber at Elite Studios in Nelson, said he got his horsey for fun.
“We [boys] just get bored. I’ve done every hairstyle there is; I just decided to grow the back.”
About five of his cousins and friends at Nelson College had a horsey and he didn’t view the style as extreme.
It “wasn’t right” for schools to tell students what they could and couldn’t do with their hair, he said.
By Amy Ridout & Warren Gamble, Nelson Mail
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