Mane pulling

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Box_Of_Frogs

Box_Of_Frogs

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Until yesterday I was a virgin mane tidier. Decided to tidy Sunny's thick gorgeous mane but don't like the thought of mane pulling. I wouldn't like it if someone that I thought was quite fond of me came up to me and started pulling handfuls of hair out of my head, but that's just me. So I had a go with a Solocomb. Now, I thought it looked quite nice but another experienced livery said it looked a bit "scissored"
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Yet another helpful lady suggested I use my mane and tail rake held sharp side out and stroked underneath the mane. So I've done this but it still looks a bit too tidy. Will get pic Saturday if you all promise not to laugh, but any tips???
 
I use a tail rake instead of pulling Toto's mane, I tend to just comb through his mane to thin it, and then separate a section, hold the end, and rake the end of it sharply downwards to shorten it.

Don't worry too much, it'll grow
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Yes do get pics, I won't laugh
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I think thats what tends to happen with these things.

IME it looks lovely when you do it, but when it starts to grow out - OMG. Because esentially you have cut it, it grows back not unlike a hogged mane, so mega untidy. Sorry to sound like the voice of doom
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I tried it on a mare with the mane from hell, and it was a disaster once it started to grow. I remember asking someone what I should do about it and she said 'hog it again' - I was gutted, cos I had pulled it with the Solo comb!

PS I promise not to laugh
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You can use a solocomb like a pulling comb, rather than just cutting all the way along the mane. If you take a few of the longest hairs from under the mane, back comb the rest and then cut with the blade, it's just like pulling but without, well, pulling
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and you avoid the scissored look.
That probably doesn't help now though!
Can you 'untidy' it by feathering the ends a bit?!?
 
There are a lot of myths about pulling. One is that it hurts. Think of two stallions fighting in the wild. One wins because he pulls the other's hair? True, some horses don't like it but this is a handling issue. People inadvertently teach horses to hate it.

And, honestly, the solo comb can make some manes impossible to braid well. If you shorten the hair underneath, it pushes the long hair away from the mane so it can't achieve a clean line and that painted on look. Plus, you take away the anchor that would hold the braids flush to the neck. Therefore, they jiggle and twist.

There are a few articles posted that not only dispell the myths, but also give very easy and practical tips to beautifully shortening manes in a manner that is very relaxing for all. The articles were written by a professional braider who has pulled hundreds of thousands of manes.
 
greengroom - I don't agree at all that horses don't mind mane pulling. Sure, some don't seem to mind but of course it must hurt!! It's not a "handling" issue at all IMO. The website says "horses do not have nerve-endings like people do", I'd love to see something back that up.

I do agree with what you say about solo combs though. I found this exact problem with those mane rakes as well, I used one of these last year to thin my horses mane and this year its been hell! Its started to grow back in bolt upright which then pushed his longer mane over to the other side and has been hell to plait! So my advice is DON'T do it, yes you will get a quick fix but come next year it's even worse.

Generally, I leave my horses thick mane (which I attempt to plait) and scissor it to shorten - in a "feathering" fashion (cut up into the mane rather than straight across). Look at the manes of lots of showjumpers, its the fashion nowadays to have a very straight mane.
 
I totally agree MM! Dunno if you're maybe a bit biased gg but you're talking nonsense. A horse is a mammal like you and I and we all share a huge amount of common DNA with them, though granted not as much as we do with apes. Steering well away from anthropomorphism, you stick a pin in me and I'd yelp - stick a pin in my horse and he would too. Creep up behind me or my horse and yell "BOO" and we'd both jump out of our skins. You get the idea. You wanna know whether having your hair pulled out is fun? Go and have a full leg wax and bikini trim. When your eyes have stopped watering, come back and we'll continue this debate. I'd sooner my horse had a thick unruly mane than I force him to have chunks of it pulled out for the sake of fashion. Actually, it doesn't look too bad now - gonna be brave and stick a pic on NL later and invite comments!
 
I have a cob with a very thick mane and its a nightmare to trim but I still dont think i want to get it hogged. It gets thinner close to his withers and then is SO thick behind his ears I just don't know how to cope with it! I tried to pulling it a few weeks ago but where the white hair is (piebald) he bleeds and it took me hours just to do about two inches width! So I gave up and used the solocomb once more. Sure i'd like it to be neater but if you do very few hairs at a time and backcomb (as described above) it doesn't look too bad at all. still he looks like a bit of a punk where the hair is so thick so I may try out one of these tail rakes to thin it... Looking forward to see the pics, i'm sure it looks fine!
 
I use the Solocomb to shorten to the desired finished length, never at the roots as I am sure that is not its intended use.

I also got a mane rake, and for the first show after raking the plaiting was fine. By the next time though, like everyone else there was a row of 'soldiers' standing up that weren't long enough to get into the plaits and it was a total nightmare from then on.

Never again on a mane!

And I have a horse that goes ape the second you try to pull mane out, she can certainly feel the pain. She has no problems about it being combed through or plaited.
 
I hear you. But, I polled the top braiders in the US- people who have braided 50+ horses a week for decades. Now, I bet you know many horses that hate it. Among the braiders, they had less than 4% of horses that even questioned their actions. So, it is a handling issue. If you know how to approach it best, the process can be very relaxing. In fact, many horses fall asleep.

Unfortunately, people inadvertently teach horses to hate it. You see, it is different that other training. If your horse resists while riding, you bend, bend, and it gives. If it worries about pulling, you stop. Coming back to it another day builds the horse's confidence that the sky is not falling. Repremand the worried horse and you drive home that pulling is a problem. Plus, when people wrap the hair around pulling combs they are giving the horse time to fret. If you need to wrap hair, you are pulling too much. No need for that. Plus, you do not want so much growing back at once. Manes should be maintained for low impact and comfort.

Thing is, when you use the scissors, even in the fashion you say, it leaves the mane blunt at the bottom. And, blunt manes won't hold the knot. The hair wants to straighten and loosens the braid. To be effectively tapered you often need to thin the mane. If the mane is not thick, at least use a Oster 84AU body clipper blade to tease and shorten.

There is a little something to shortening manes most effectively. I highly recommend you check out those articles. Why reinvent the wheel? Pro braiders in the US pull (umbrella term that can mean shorten) on a daily basis. There are several handy tips and points to consider.
 
You only want to do a little bit at a time. If you are pulling it it bleeds, that is so not recommended. No need for that. You are teaching the animal to resist. And, bounce around the crest so you don't make a mess and the horse does not anticipate.
 
Dont agree GG. I have had horses for nearly 60 years. Some dont mind at all but some hate it as it clearly hurts them and no amount of 'training' helps. Patience and a tiny amount at a time improves some horses - but why put them through such misery. As a family we currently we have seven horses only one of which feels the pain to such an extent that he turns himself inside out and gets very upset.

As a result I use for both mane and tail a mixture of tail rake, hairdressers scissors (with teeth), solo comb and manual clippers (crossing teeth over a blade). If the mane is done regularly and patiently the finish can be almost as good as pulling and without the major and unjustified battle and distress caused.
 
This is not a training issue. That is my point. Pull a few- like 17 hairs at a time and once a day when he does not expect it and you can build confidence. Also, do it after he has worked, when his pores are open and he is tired. Little things make a big difference. I hear everyone talking about their experiences, but in my experience, each has said things that don't jive with the wisdom of the top world class professional grooms and plaiters. In the US there are people that do this work 18 hours/day for decades on end. They taught me a lot. Why not try to make shortening manes easier and be more effective? Aren't you here to learn? There is an excellent chance to pick up some handy tips if you do want to make things easier for you and your horse. IF you are interested in state-of-the-art information, it is there for you and might prove surprising. The articles helped me and my horses a lot. Good luck. Grooming Resource
 
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There are a lot of myths about pulling. One is that it hurts.

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I believe that, much like waxing (
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) it hurts some horses and not others. Antifaz, for example, doesn't care if I pull all day, PF really really dislikes me pulling her mane, and that's good enough for me.
 
Star bled when her mane was pulled. It also hurt her. So now we are a hairy pony instead of pulled and plaited.
I don't have my legs (or anywhere else) waxed because it hurts, and neither does she.
 
Taking the horse almost by surprise, as suggested by GG, only works once or twice. If I comb my mares mane daily she doesn't mind. If 'while I am at it' I quietly pull out say 6 hairs at that time, when I pick the comb back up, either there and then or another day, she is ready and waiting for me to pull and I can expect a strong reaction. Her sister stands like a rock.
 
I usually pick a really warm day to do my mare (as she's not in work) and pull my geldings after he's been ridden. Thankfully both of mine are fine with it although i do it in a few sessions rather than trying to cram it all into one.
 
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