Cut or pulled mane?

I prefer the look of a pulled mane to a cut one but then I also prefer to not have my face broken by my mare who really does not approve of mane pulling :p

Some people can cut a mane and make it looked pulled. I have no idea how they achieve this, no matter what way I cut her mane you can tell it's been cut.
 
I cut. I got lots of practice when I worked as a show jumping groom! In fact, when I went back to help out my old boss for a month or two over the summer, one of the first things they said was good, can you work your magic on some of these manes :p
 
HashRouge said:
I cut. I got lots of practice when I worked as a show jumping groom! In fact, when I went back to help out my old boss for a month or two over the summer, one of the first things they said was good, can you work your magic on some of these manes :p
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I am too nervous to cut haha i get so worried with his mane:eek:! I just get worried it will look too harsh? Can you give me some tips ahaha? Thank you;)
 
I used a Solocomb too, my horse hates his mane being pulled. But he has a thin mane, so the effect is good. I'm not sure it would work on a really thick mane.
 
Orangehorse said:
I used a Solocomb too, my horse hates his mane being pulled. But he has a thin mane, so the effect is good. I'm not sure it would work on a really thick mane.
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My horses mane is quite thick the top and then kind of fizzles out at the end, he is new and I have been putting off pulling it for fear of messing it up but I think I need to get a grip and do it haha. Do you think solo comb would work on his mane type? thanks:)
 
I hate solocombs - I do use a mane rake but find the trick is to do a little every couple of days and not all at once. I tried once doing it all at once and later it grew through in great stubbly lumps and was impossible (a solocomb would be the same). I use a mix of mane rake, cutting and pulling.
 
If it's thick at the top and fizzles out you will run the risk of it going skywards not matter what you do to it I recon. I like to cut as its neater and doesn't hurt!
 
I use a solocomb on all horses at work including 2 Irish cobs and I always get comments on how great the manes look. I do the whole mane in one go and do it every few months, you can't tell it's been cut (except that it's shorter obviously!). I use the comb the same way as if I was pulling but without the actual painful pulling part. If it's very thick you could also try the solo rake but you need to do it on the underside of the mane so you can't tell it's been raked. I'm sure there are you tube videos showing how to do it as I think that's where I learnt!
 
bethan1 said:
I am too nervous to cut haha i get so worried with his mane:eek:! I just get worried it will look too harsh? Can you give me some tips ahaha? Thank you;)
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I do a bit of both, I pull it every couple of months and then just up keep it by using scissors. The trick is to cut straight to just a smidge longer then your desired length and then to cut upwards and at a slight angle at the ends to get a more natural look.
 
mines cut but this is a winter mane so is a bit thinner from rigging. In the summer I have it a big longer to hide how chunky it can be (although she does still look cute) I often cut when its up brushed as the ends come out less clunky
 
Bav said:
I do a bit of both, I pull it every couple of months and then just up keep it by using scissors. The trick is to cut straight to just a smidge longer then your desired length and then to cut upwards and at a slight angle at the ends to get a more natural look.
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Thanks- shall be doing this haha! makes it harder as he has some mane rubbing!
 
I feel like a monster when I pull it (my mare is verrrry sensitive and she lets me know that she feels it). So I spend probably twice as long cutting it and then making sure it looks pulled- I start by back-combing same as you start with pulling, use a solo comb or scissors to cut it back close to the roots. Then finish the job with some "thinning shears" cutting at a diagonal basically making x's up and down the mane to mix up hair lengths.
 
Depends on the horse and mane, if they don't appear to mind having their mane pulled then I do that as generally the results are better. But otherwise I can get a reasonable job using a stripping comb and scissors. A thick mane is more difficult therefore I always take advantage of any time they are sedated for something unrelated to give the mane a good pull!
 
bethan1 said:
My horses mane is quite thick the top and then kind of fizzles out at the end, he is new and I have been putting off pulling it for fear of messing it up but I think I need to get a grip and do it haha. Do you think solo comb would work on his mane type? thanks:)
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This sounds like my horses mane. I pull the top to thin it out and use a solo comb at the bottom.
 
I much prefer a pulled mane but if the horse seriously hates it then it will get scissor cut. It's not worth the hassle for the sake of looking pretty - when it's plaited not one sees it you just have to live with it at home!
 
I cut as current horse won't stand pulling and is even iffy with the scissors on a bad day. However, he has a very thick mane so it does look pretty horrid so I try to use the thinning rake a couple of times a week but he will really only cope with that for a couple of minutes so I just live with it! Fortunately, we rarely go anywhere so I don't need to care too much.
 
smja said:
How do you achieve it? My horse does not approve of pulling but I hate the straight cut look. TELL ME YOUR SECRETS! :D
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These are a useful addition to any grooming kit - you can use them to fray mane ends for a more natural look.
http://www.mikkipet.com/?p=3200

When cutting always cut up into the mane.

For thicker manes a rake used sparingly can help. Always from the underside and don't overdo it otherwise you get spiky bits
 
Pull every time. I do though take 6-8 weeks to do the whole neck, then it's just a hair here and there to keep the look.
To get all my plaits the same thickness I shorten the thin areas such at the whither and just behind the ears with scissors.
I use the scissors vertically, and snip only a few hairs at a time.

Tips for mane pulling
Pull when the horse is warm from work
Take time, ie, weeks to pull the whole mane
Make a mix of 50% Clove Oil and 50% Rubbing Alcohol, rub into the skin
If you really have to do an urgent job, give oral sedative.
In the past I plaited for people at HOY and truly hated plaiting manes cut with Solo combs or scissors, plaits never looked as good compared to pulled manes
 
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