Alternatives to mane pulling

Ladybird L

Ladybird L

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I’ve almost been put in hospital trying to pull this mane. I need to plait it regularly, and I’ve heard rakes etc don’t work if you’re plaiting. Does anyone have any alternatives that will work with plaiting? It’s very thick atm so needs thinning as well as shortening.
 
Solcocomb thins as well as shortens.

Tbh, just be brave and go unplaited if it causes both you and your horse that much grief 🙂. Plaiting is an uncomfortable anachronism. I say that as a former mean plaiter.

My homebred came back off loan so frightened of having her mane pulled that for a while I couldn’t even brush her mane without her hurling herself to the ground. Over time she eventually settled enough to allow me to use the solocomb on her.
 
I will probably get shot down but I cut my boys mane with the scissors. It's fairly thick but lies neatly to one side and looks very smart. I only plait now for championship shows, never for just a run of the mill outing.
 
flip it over to the offside of the neck and rake the underside first if it needs thinning… you won’t be able to see any of the little bits it leaves when you plait then as they will be underneath! Then flip it back over and solo comb to tidy it up. I haven’t pulled a mane in years - it’s not worth the battle and there are nicer ways!
 
Flowerofthefen said:
I will probably get shot down but I cut my boys mane with the scissors.
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You and me both. I chop upwards at a slight angle then back at the same angle the other way with the ends of the scissors (rubbish at degrees, picture 10 to and 10 past on a clock). If you go a little at a time rather than cutting too much length at once it ends up looking natural enough for me. Then if it needs thinning I “score” (can’t think of a better way to describe it) with the pivot/bite part of the scissors.
 
Flowerofthefen said:
I will probably get shot down but I cut my boys mane with the scissors. It's fairly thick but lies neatly to one side and looks very smart. I only plait now for championship shows, never for just a run of the mill outing.
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My show jumping friends cut there horses manes as well they never really plait that much.
 
I do my horses with scissors, I must make a good job as it looks as good as if pulled. Check out this YouTube Channel, this lady has some great turnout videos. One on how to thin a mane also.
 
Only way to pull humanely is pull a few hairs out after the horse has worked they come out easier without hurting so much.

Thinning scissors after you have chopped it can also work I have done that when I have had to plait.
 
If/when I would braid I would braid down a certain number of cross-overs, tie it off and then cut with scissors before then pulling through and "bobbling" (if that makes any sense). You then will have an almost even mane! Otherwise mine hates having his mane pulled so I use scissors (held vertically instead of horizontally)
 
Raking works better if you do it little and often so that you don’t get a clump of short hairs growing back at the same time. I do a mix of raking and cutting with scissors and it looks good enough to go unplaited and is easy to plait when needed. Rake it about once a week or more, a little at a time.
 
Even more rogue suggestion but I do scallop plaits and leave the mane reeeeeally long 🤪

But if you do want/need shortened do as others have said flip the mane, rake it & all the short bits are underneath & use plenty of product for the first couple of times you plait to catch any flyaways. If you’re getting chunks cut out with the rake you’re using you might need a different one, they do seem to come in different versions of pulling power.

You can also use a comb with a blade in - back comb the bits that are the length you want to keep up out of the way and run the blade over what you’re left holding (so you’re not cutting its straight across and making a step)… time consuming if you’re starting from a completely untrimmed canvas though!
 
Echo ditch plaiting. Lottie hates it. I never ever pull but any handling of her mane seems to trigger memories to being unsympathetically pulled and she goes into orbit. Not worth the trauma. As fas as I know it is only necessary for showing. Not for dressage or eventing. I evented Lottie at BE100 unplaited. (Disclaimer we were elimininated - I am yet to complete at BE100 - but the non-plaiting was not an issue!).
 
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I also cut with scissors. My mare hates pulling so much, the moment I back comb it she panics, so solo combs etc are not possible for her either. It's obviously very uncomfortable or painful for her, so I don't force it.

I don't compete tho so don't need to worry about plaiting.
 
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Abacus said:
Raking works better if you do it little and often so that you don’t get a clump of short hairs growing back at the same time. I do a mix of raking and cutting with scissors and it looks good enough to go unplaited and is easy to plait when needed. Rake it about once a week or more, a little at a time.
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This is what I do - although I don't do it quite as frequently as once a week but the key is to do it frequently enough that you don't get the clump of small hairs growing back at the same time. I trim it with scissors and then rake it, the raking also gives it a less harsh line as well as thinning it.
 
I use a rake, thinking knife and scissors. Looks pretty smart and saves the horse being cross. Some tolerate it being pulled and some don’t so let the horse tell me what they are happy with. If pulling, I tend to do it little and often and after they have been ridden.
 
Plaiting for a competition? I just use scissors and thining shears if I have to. Small sections at a time. I keep my horses mane longer because I think scallop braids look great are so easy. A running braid (single or double) works well too. I trim the ends with scissors but that's about it. I haven't pulled a mane in many, many years.
 
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I half hog mine…. I use clippers and run them along the mane line on the underside to take about half of it off totally. It's very quick and easy! You can vary the level you clip at so the thicker parts of the mane I take a bit more, the thinner parts a bit less. You can’t tell- it actually helps the mane to sit much nicer because the bulk is gone so it doesn’t go so wild. You do have to do it every 3 weeks or so to prevent spikes re-growth, though I let it grow out in winter and it's fine
 
There are people who advertise mane and tail pulling services. They come out and pull the lot in one session 😳. They just stand there and yank hair out for a lengthy session. This is what had happened to my mare out on loan, no wonder she was traumatised.

This practice should be banned on welfare grounds. There is no need to pull hairs out of a horse.
 
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