Horse objecting to having mane pulled. What now?

lialls

lialls

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Boots has a really thick and quite long mane. I want to show her next year and she will need to be plaited for it. We've been trying to get her used to it by combing her mane through daily and just pulling out very few hairs while im grooming her but shes objecting to it more and more. As soon as she feels even a few mane hairs tighten around the comb/my fingers she starts trying to squash me against the wall, head shaking and just generaly lashing out. Im sure she must of had it done before as i think her reaction is slightly extreeme for what im doing to her.

I dont want to upset her or cause furture problems but not sure where to go from here.

I dont really want to twitch her yet as shes only young and then i'd probly have to twitch her everytime to pull her mane after that but this seems like the easiest and most effictive soloution. I dont want to sedate her as i think thats a little over the top just to get her used to having her mane pulled, and again, i'd probly have to sedate her everytime after that.

I've just read this aswell
'Don't tie him up, but get into a space where you can circle freely.
Get him standing, and attempt to pull his mane. If he lets you, great, give him a treat. If he doesn't, take him and immediately spin him in a teeny circle. Let him halt, and try again. Just repeat spinning and pulling. You may have to spin for five minutes straight before he gives up. You're basically giving him two choices: spin, and do work, or stand still and be irritated. He'll eveantually choose to stand still, but it may take a bit.'
Do we think it would work????

I would just use sissors on it as i did with my perviouse horse but Boots' mane is soo thick, if i could just thin it out first it would be something.


Anymore ideas?
 
Well the thing is, really, having your mane pulled out must hurt quite a lot.
The training in circles things will work with most things - once they realise that are not unpleasant.
If your mare hates it so much and you are not prepared to sedate her (or get a local anaethestic!) I would just get a solo comb and give up on the pulling.
Some horses tolerate it (my mare seems to almost like it, that and needles :D)
but some really don't and to be honest I don't think you can blame them. I certainly wouldn't just stand there while someone pulled out clumps of my hair!
 
that theory could work or wind your horse up more.

hmmm thinking hat on
bronte (dales pony so huge mane) hated having her mane pulled when i used to keep her trimmed form the lice/ mange and mud fever when i rescued her till it cleared up. personally i hate solo combs think the effect they give when used on a really bushy mane is awful. one thing though if u start now u could brush it every day with a thinning comb or one of those new tail rake tools then shorten it with a razor comb

good luck i hope u can pull it properly as it lookes and plaits much better
 
cut it - that's what i ahve to do with my mares - and run a rake through to take thckenss out - run it from underneither though - not rfom top ;)
and she still looks smart plaited ;)
 
I have exactly the same problem, so sorry cant offer any words of wisdom or advice!! Mine been like this for past year of so and seems to get worse lol. I did buy an easy trim comb but he hates that too! He doesnt even like his feathers being trimmed, let alone getting a pair of scissors near his mane even if I wanted too. I too will try the 'circling' method as right now he looks a complete mess bless him. Good luck and if you find something that works let me know too
 
Thanks guys. I would just take sissors to it but its soo thick! I will look in to getting a rake then, if i dont like what its done her manes got all winter to grown back anyway :D
 
Thanks Janei, yes i have the same problem with boots, if a pause while combing her mane she will antisipate that im going to pull it and will act up =/

Will give some of the suggestions ago anyway :)
 
I have the exact same problem....I either use a rake or thinning scissors...but with the thinning scissors I don't pull out the hair I cut as horse doesn't like that bit...so I cut, then take scissors out and immediately comb the mane to fetch the cut bits out...

The trick with thinning scissors is to do it regularly!
 
When I first got my last horse - the only bad thing they had to say about her, was that she would not tolerate her mane or tail being pulled. In the early days, brushing mud out of her mane, obviously made her think I was pulling it, and she would be a bit silly. I never tried to pull her mane, I just used a solo comb. Luckily her mane was not too thick.

My new horse doesn't like being brushed or touched, so christ knows what she will think.
 
Sometimes in the pursuit of beauty you will have to resort to numbing their senses a little if they are particularly sensitive. Twitching works brilliantly on my boy, and he stands still while I quickly tidy up his mane every 6 weeks or so. He does not resent me afterwards for twitching him for 5 minutes. Without a twitch on, he leaps around and attempts to rear, but with the twitch on he stands totally motionless.

Or you could try giving him a couple of units of sedalin, which is what some of the grooms do.

Using a rake or solo comb gives reasonable results, but definitely does not look as smart or professional as a pulled mane. Also you will find plaiting a raked mane is very hard, as you have wispy bits of hair at different lengths all the way through your plaits.
 
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Clove oil will numb the skin, is cheaper than sedation and (IMO) kinder than twitching. You can get it from most chemists for a pound or two. Use some cotton wool and put it on the skin at the base of the mane, leave for a minute or so, then try pulling out a few hairs at a time.

I would try a little bit first in case your horse has a reaction, but this is unlikely. Clove oil is an old toothache remedy and is even safe to put in your mouth.

Just don't get it on your fingers or they will be temporarily numb too!
 
Iv just been looking at old posts reguarding this. I will defo try the clove oil and see how i get on just with that i think. After looking at the older posts i think i will give the rakes a miss this time as i dont really have any experence of them and i dont like the sound of when the mane starts growing back.

If the worst comes to the worst then i shall just twitch her and pull it(also using the clove oil), once its done atleast i will only have to tidy it up every so oftern and she might even be ok once iv done it and use the clove oil to desencertise her a bit.

Thanks guys.
 
I clip the underneath until the mane is a managable thickness then use scissors to further thin and cut. However I have a warmblood with an abnormally thick mane which if he was a cob I would have resorted to hogging by now.
 
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