Does anyone's horse HATE it's mane being pulled?

JackDaniels1

JackDaniels1

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Pulls back on the string, head up and down, won't stand still for more than two seconds!

What else can i do? mane is now long as i've left it and left it.
 
Twitch? Get someone else to hold it? Sedate it?

Make sure you're doing it when the horse is warm, after exercise ideally, and just do a little bit at a time until they realise it isn't the end of the world. If they are really hysterical (my mare is) then it would be the twitch for me I'm afraid.
 
I'm afraid I hogged mine! Before anyone panics though he's a heavyweight piebald cob and it actually really suits him. The pulling battles were driving me nuts though or I'd never have considered it! :) x
 
I have one of those comb things with a blade on it. My horse will just about tolerate this but won't have it pulled at all.
 
Mine loathes it. So I bought a rake and she's happy with that. To be honest I think its actually quite unkind to twitch a horse that is clearly in discomfort and pull its mane out. If it weren't the norm in this country and we saw it done elsewhere we would probably decry it as cruel! But that's just my opinion
 
I personally hate pulling manes (I wouldn't be impressed if someone started pulling my hair out) and mine's not impressed. I use a thinning knife/comb (not sure exactly what its called) that my friend uses on natives- it helps thin the mane by pulling out dead hairs and you can use the blade part to shorten it as well- much better and cheaper than a solo comb imo. My horse doesn't seem to mind it either- after about half an hour he gets a bit fidgety, but my friend tried pulling his mane once and he instantly tensed up and ran back (even though he was hot after exercise in the summer)
 
jesstickle said:
Twitch? Get someone else to hold it? Sedate it?

Make sure you're doing it when the horse is warm, after exercise ideally, and just do a little bit at a time until they realise it isn't the end of the world. If they are really hysterical (my mare is) then it would be the twitch for me I'm afraid.
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I know i should know but what exactly is ''the twitch?''

I have heard it used so many times but unsure on what it is and how to do it :s
 
Mine has decided that mane pulling is the end of the world, to the extent that just back combing has her barging about and chucking her head around. So it is scissors and a rake at the moment, I also make sure I use a mane comb to comb her mane when she is warm everyday to help thin it a bit, I never just brush it. I'm not going to attempt to pull it again unless she is either sedated for something else or absolutely boiling hot and tired!
 
Yup, my lad is a nightmare!! Like Flight said, I have a Solo Comb. Much easier, not as nice a look as a pulled mane, but it does the trick! :)
 
My mare is like this - I have spent all winter getting her to allow me to use a solo comb, can't quite bring myself to inflict what she clearly perceives to be the most horrendous form of torture on her and actually pull it yet. She will now tolerate the solo comb without making any kind of fuss and will sometimes even relax and close her eyes. The mane is now nice and even but still too thick in places, and i must admit now that I have gained her trust, I am reluctant to pull it and upset her all over again so i keep putting it off - i did use Oil of cloves to deaden the sensation with my last horse and eventually we won her over so I will probably try this method again - when i can bring myself to tackle it.
 
Yes, my grey horse hated it.

I used to use a tail rake on it instead, and then pull the rest quietly over a couple of days after riding - when the horse was nice and warm.
 
horsemadelsie said:
I personally hate pulling manes (I wouldn't be impressed if someone started pulling my hair out) and mine's not impressed. I use a thinning knife/comb (not sure exactly what its called) that my friend uses on natives- it helps thin the mane by pulling out dead hairs and you can use the blade part to shorten it as well- much better and cheaper than a solo comb imo. My horse doesn't seem to mind it either- after about half an hour he gets a bit fidgety, but my friend tried pulling his mane once and he instantly tensed up and ran back (even though he was hot after exercise in the summer)
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http://www.hyperdrug.co.uk/Thinning-Blade/productinfo/THINKN/

Do you mean this?
 
One of mine. Shes very sensitive, if I even brush it in a way that suggests I might pull it she gets upset. So I dont pull it at all. I use a combination of scissors and rake and can get a reasonable finish from that.
 
I would hate it if someone tried to pull my hair out by the roots too! Just use a Solo comb. Same result, no pain. One of those traditional horsey practises that totally flummoxes me- you're pulling your beloved horse's hair out by the roots! Try that on yourself and see how fun you think it is. How on earth do people still think this is fine- just because we've always done it, doesn't mean it's a good thing!
 
TheSylv007 said:
If it weren't the norm in this country and we saw it done elsewhere we would probably decry it as cruel! But that's just my opinion
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You might. I certainly wouldn't. I really don't think it hurts. If it did the vast majority of horses wouldn't stand there and let you do it. I think some just find it an odd sensation and get a bee in their bonnet about it. Twitch is the perfect solution for these situations.

Have you ever been waxed? It's hardly agonising. I don't suppose there's much difference really.
 
I've met one or two. The vast majority are fine though if its only ever been done a little at a time after work. I know they'll always be the odd exception though. I'm lucky in that mine doesn't need hers pulling, it grows pretty evenly so just has length taken off.
 
Would you like your hair being pulled out by the roots? Well some horses don't like it either. I don't pull manes any more. My mare used to be fine with it until I started using a thinning comb and solo comb. Now she won't have her mane pulled in the traditional way. To me, this shows that she was just tolerating it before and that really it is not a pleasant thing to do to a horse. I never pull manes and tails any more but can get just as nice a finish in a humane way. But it does take a lot of practice to get it looking just as nice.
 
Is the horse warm? Mine does object, sometimes - but does so more if he is 'cold' from the field. Much better after a nice warming hack!

Although we do seem to have reached an agreement that I can pull his mane after a hack, providing he is allowed free range to stuff his face on the nice grass around the side of the stable yard :rolleyes:

ETA I do pull them, but some of ours do object, so they get razored and 'stylishly' cut :p
 
If you comb like normal then it pulls the dead hairs out (mine's got a really thick mane so i comb it on the wrong side as well to get undercoat), but the bits in between the teeth of the comb are sharp (if that makes sense) so you can also use it like a solo comb- get a bit of mane like you were going to pull it, but instead of wrapping the hair round the comb push the sharp bit of the comb down and it cuts the hair- its hard to explain!. It doesn't leave a straight edge like a solo comb, looks more natural (which is why people tend to use them on natives).
Its hard to explain in words, sorry!:o
 
TheSylv007 said:
Mine loathes it. So I bought a rake and she's happy with that. To be honest I think its actually quite unkind to twitch a horse that is clearly in discomfort and pull its mane out. If it weren't the norm in this country and we saw it done elsewhere we would probably decry it as cruel! But that's just my opinion
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Agree!
 
My old boy loves having his mane pulled - he'll stand there not even tied up and go to sleep! The young one won't have it at all - so I think I might have to resort to a solo comb - though I haven't a clue how to use one!
 
horsemadelsie said:
If you comb like normal then it pulls the dead hairs out (mine's got a really thick mane so i comb it on the wrong side as well to get undercoat), but the bits in between the teeth of the comb are sharp (if that makes sense) so you can also use it like a solo comb- get a bit of mane like you were going to pull it, but instead of wrapping the hair round the comb push the sharp bit of the comb down and it cuts the hair- its hard to explain!. It doesn't leave a straight edge like a solo comb, looks more natural (which is why people tend to use them on natives).
Its hard to explain in words, sorry!:o
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It's for a TB - long mane not thick like a native. Do you think it would be suitable? :s
 
My solo comb broke after a few uses- might be the thickness of mane it couldn't cope with! And it never thinned the mane, just shortened it. Mind you, I have got an irish with a mane like a cob :rolleyes: got so cross with his mane once I considered getting rid of it (not helped by sweet itch rubbing) but he hasn't got the neck to be hogged!
 
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