Keeping a thick mane tidy without pulling?

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Jingleballs

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Can anyone suggest how to best keep a thick, unruly mane tidy without too much pulling?

I know that pulling is the best method and I've been paying someone to do that for me but it grows back so quickly that it could become rather expensive to maintain.

He hates getting his mane pulled and the only reason Y/O is able to do it is because she's super quick at it whereas I've never really done it before I I just end up irritating him even more by taking so long to do it (I am going to practice though so I can get better!)

I'm happy to get Y/O to pull it ever 6 weeks or so but in the meantime is there anything I can do to keep in tidy in between?

Some people say scissors while others look at you in horror if you suggest that - same goes for mane thinning tools (he will need to be plaited so I don't want loads of wispy bits)

Any suggestions are welcome as I need to try and get it smartened up before we go out competing again.
 
The most comfortable way to pull his mane is to do it after exercise so he's nice and warm, the hair comes out easier, back comb some hair and leave only a few strands, not a huge wad, he souldn't feel sore if you pull out a few hairs at a time, just practice yourself...... wrap the hair around the comb rather than your fingers X
 
Devonshire dumpling said:
The most comfortable way to pull his mane is to do it after exercise so he's nice and warm, the hair comes out easier, back comb some hair and leave only a few strands, not a huge wad, he souldn't feel sore if you pull out a few hairs at a time, just practice yourself...... wrap the hair around the comb rather than your fingers X
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Doing it after exercises doesn't seem make a difference with him - he's very opinionated about certain things and this is one of them- he starts to throw himself about/shake his head as soon as he feels you select a section of hair- in fact he'll sometimes do it as soon as he sees the comb in your hand - Y/O just happens to be quick enough (and with exceptionally strong fingers) to manage to pull it before he pulls away.
 
If it is very thick a solo comb will make it worse in my experience the cut bits grow back all at once and then you cannot even pull to correct it. I use a rake for thinning, it does not make wispy regrowth, if done over a period of time it will thin from the roots not just the ends and scissors can just tidy any long bits for a neat finish.
 
i agree about the solo comb causing very thick manes!!!

i will never use one again! i used it on my yearling and as a result she has the mane of two horses now... and not very pleased about having it pulled for shows. :(

my plan this year is to use a thinning blade to thin her mane out and then *shock horror* cut it with scissors so she can be plaited.

i pull my older mare's mane, she doesn't mind it, but im now going to leave the babies until they are older to start actually pulling again.
 
My mare hates having her mane pulled and I put a humane twitch on her a couple of minutes before I start and she stands very quietly and I can get it done quickly. It is amazing what a difference it makes. Without she swings round and tries to squash me etc etc and with she just stands quietly and almost sleepily!
 
burge said:
My mare hates having her mane pulled and I put a humane twitch on her a couple of minutes before I start and she stands very quietly and I can get it done quickly. It is amazing what a difference it makes. Without she swings round and tries to squash me etc etc and with she just stands quietly and almost sleepily!
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i think she must have given our yearlings some tips then! :D thats what they were doing!
 
I will follow with interest as I've the exact same problem.
I have a 3/4 TB, 1/4 cob and the cobs all come out in his mane :( it's absurd, it's like he stole it from another horse, just doesn't match the rest of him.
I tried pulling and he flipped out, so in the end I took the scissors to it, it looks fine if he's rolled in the mud :D
I need to thin it now but not sure how to? I think I shall go investigate thinning rakes :)
 
Main rake. Swear by it for a quick fix hassle free. I always use it on the wrong side so it lays neat and flat when laid back over. Alternativly cant beat traditional pulling but its not always that easy
 
be positive said:
I use a rake for thinning, it does not make wispy regrowth, if done over a period of time it will thin from the roots not just the ends and scissors can just tidy any long bits for a neat finish.
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Hmmm...I was going to pick up a solo comb but interested in the idea of the rake...

My daughter has got a NF pony on loan - she was terribly overweight and cresty when she arrived and pulling her mane is impossible because of the way the top of her neck is now permanently 'hanging over'... I don't want to put any more strain on it than it's already had but she has a massive mane and the weight can't be helping her neck at all...

I've not seen a rake for a mane although I've not looked either... Are they easy to get?

:)
 
Ladydragon said:
Hmmm...I was going to pick up a solo comb but interested in the idea of the rake...

My daughter has got a NF pony on loan - she was terribly overweight and cresty when she arrived and pulling her mane is impossible because of the way the top of her neck is now permanently 'hanging over'... I don't want to put any more strain on it than it's already had but she has a massive mane and the weight can't be helping her neck at all...

I've not seen a rake for a mane although I've not looked either... Are they easy to get?

:)
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A rake is so much easier than a solo comb and does a better job, you may just need to shorten a little with pulling or scissors to finish the job.

I got mine from here they do a good choice.
www.clippersharp.com
 
be positive said:
A rake is so much easier than a solo comb and does a better job, you may just need to shorten a little with pulling or scissors to finish the job.

I got mine from here they do a good choice.
www.clippersharp.com
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Thank you Be Positive... She has no occasion to 'need' a neat and tidy finish to her mane but just thinning and shortening it would be a great help... :)
 
Solorakes are brilliant! My very impatient and stroppy mare will stand for ages while I rake it out, her mane is ridiculously thick! Wouldn't go without one now.
 
**Numpty Question Alert** :D

So, do you just flip the mane over to the wrong side and 'comb' through with the rake? Then part and do the next 'row'?

Or fiddle around in some other way?
 
Ladydragon said:
**Numpty Question Alert** :D

So, do you just flip the mane over to the wrong side and 'comb' through with the rake? Then part and do the next 'row'?

Or fiddle around in some other way?
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I was going to ask the same thing - I think that sounds correct as it means that you are pulling from underneath by raking the top layer.

I've already got a smart coats thinner which does as similar job so I may try and attack it with this to see how it turns out!
 
Ladydragon said:
**Numpty Question Alert** :D

So, do you just flip the mane over to the wrong side and 'comb' through with the rake? Then part and do the next 'row'?

Or fiddle around in some other way?
Click to expand...


I start like this then once it is feeling thinner put it back on the correct side and using my left hand on the top to keep the mane against the rake do a little more until it is the thickness I want, it is easier to get it how you want if you finish on the correct side. Try and do it over a period of a week or two to get the best result if very thick to start with.
Hope that makes sense.
 
I have just spent the last 6 months with a pony with a bog brush having used a solo/mane thinning comb. Never again! I now use a furminator on his mane which pulls just a few hairs out every day from the roots. For the first time in the 20 months I've had him, he has a presentable mane which I can plait. I found the best direction to use the furminator is not the normal way (ie from crest of neck downwards), but to separate some of the hair and comb from withers to ears (or the other way but being right handed this is the best for me). Then move up an inch or so and repeat. Good luck. :)
 
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be positive said:
I start like this then once it is feeling thinner put it back on the correct side and using my left hand on the top to keep the mane against the rake do a little more until it is the thickness I want, it is easier to get it how you want if you finish on the correct side. Try and do it over a period of a week or two to get the best result if very thick to start with.
Hope that makes sense.
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Are you still able to plait after thinning like this - I just had a look on the clippersharp website and it says the mane rakes are for thinning thick manes that will not be plaited.
 
Yes I plait and use one regularly on different types of mane, it may be that they thin but dont shorten so they will not finish the job so you can plait, the mane will need to have some length taken off with scissors.
 
Babybear said:
Are you still able to plait after thinning like this - I just had a look on the clippersharp website and it says the mane rakes are for thinning thick manes that will not be plaited.
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DO NOT rake manes that need to be pulled! Plaits end up spikey, fat at the top and then so thin you can't get the ends in a band/ thread. Bit like trying to plait someones hair that has god knows how many layers in!

Best thing to do for pulling is a twitch. One of mine is a bit of a cow to do without, but if you use a twitch and do it directly after exercise she's fine.

:)
 
I managed to do this with a mane rake and a solo comb - very thick cob mane that is double thickness at the top!
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whirlwind said:
DO NOT rake manes that need to be pulled! Plaits end up spikey, fat at the top and then so thin you can't get the ends in a band/ thread. Bit like trying to plait someones hair that has god knows how many layers in!

Best thing to do for pulling is a twitch. One of mine is a bit of a cow to do without, but if you use a twitch and do it directly after exercise she's fine.

:)
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If used properly by getting right to the top and not just the middle you can plait without any problems as it will remove hair from the roots, you just need to work at it until the mane is right it ends up no different to a well pulled mane.
 
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