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Braid it! Seriously, the one friesian I knew that Had an awesome mane his owner kept it in a running french braid all of the time, and would undo it and detangle it after she rode, then re-braid it. She sold him several years ago when she got out of horses, and I worked at the barn that he lives at now last summer, and though he's in excellent health, his mane is pathetic now.

I personally think the running french braid down their neck is probably the most protective, but some people do several regular braids along the neck too. You might ask HaYouDidn'tKillMe (used to be a regular in here... still hangs out around the HTG when it's active, which is rare anymore razz ), she has a palomino QH that she uses for reining who's mane goes down to his knees, I think. He's a pretty boy.

As for general grooming, I'm generally not too keen on products, just keep it braided to protect it from getting tangled or caught on things, and when you let it out, carefully detangle it with your fingers or a wide-toothed comb trying to minimize breakage in the hair.

I'll admit, I've never had a horse with a gorgeous long mane because the style in sporthorse disciplines has always been pulled short unless you have a breed with traditionally long manes, but *I* have long hair that I take very careful care of. The biggest things I do is keep it up 95% of the time and never ever brush it, just detangle with my fingers, which doesn't take too long because the braids keep it from getting tangled for the most part.

Thanks! yes i know a friesian whose mane is over 4 feet long and they keep it on a running french braid. I braided it a few days ago in seperate french braids but we've done the running braid but the unevenness does't help much. xD

MTG is supposed to work wonders for growing manes and tails. Although I've never used it myself so I can't say for sure. I want to try it on my Cream's mane. I also heard that half and half Absorbine liniment and vinegar works. I use Mane and Tail shampoo and conditioner which works well for keeping the hair hydrated. You can also use baby oil, Show Sheen, or leave-in conditioner to help keep dirt off. Keep the split ends trimmed, too.

As for color, there's this supplement that seems really popular. It has good reviews at least.

http://www.smartpakequine.com/productclass.aspx?productClassid=62

A cup of roasted soybeans a day makes their coats super shiny. My horses love them. I don't know if they'll enhance the color, though.

There are 2 kinds of black horses, first is "jet black" or "non-fading black". These horses don't bleech in the summer and have that blueish black sheen. Then there are fading blacks whose manes bleech out just like this, along with their bodies in the summer (though their bodies not so dramatically usually). So unless you're really hating the red tips and want to dye them, there's nothing you can do about it. I think they can look quite flashy personally when the mane is long and sleek, it looks firey. 3nodding

As for length, Aria gave some great advice. On top of that, if youre looking for a product, I had some great results with an appy I rode who was nearly maneless with MTG. Put it on twice a week, and in a month I had enough mane to braid and band, and it grew in about 3 times as thick (though thats not saying much haha). But braiding and keeping it detangled without brushing it often is the way to go. Keep it clean, conditioned, and detangled.

The easiest way to tell if the horse is just very dark bay or black is to look at it in the winter. If around its muzzle, flank, buttocks, or elbow are a lighter color, the horse is a bay (seal brown, the darkest of the bays). A black wont have any light points.
I rarely see jet blacks too, but a friend of mine has one, a morgan x QH mare who is turned out without a blanket year round and maintains her deep black color. She also has a draft cross gelding who is a fading black, and by august their coats are obviously different.