Sympathy for me...And bens biggest tanrrum

Queenbee

Queenbee

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Today for the first time in a long time I pulled a mane, having used a thinner for years I finally took the plunge on Ben and actually pulled his mane. I'm chuffed as his mane just pulls so easily, not like my nf x pony or my friesian mare! They were evil! But he threw a huge foot stomping wobbly... We counted over 30 stomps, on nice shock absorbent rubber matting lol! Also the bugger tried to bite me and succeeded. Luckily it was worth it but omg!!! Ouch!!! Bite hurts :(
 
Hehe I don't blame him ;) I'd stamp on your foot if you pulled my hair! All my horses have hated it, I use a solo comb. Looks nice, no pain. Imo :P
Bet he looks beautiful though, handsome boy.
 
My old 18 hand mare used to have a neat trick to avoid having her mane pulled. I'm only 5'1" so would have to stand on something to reach. I'd tie her up, and stand on my carefully positioned plastic mounting block and she'd know what I was planning and drop down onto her knees so she was too low for me to reach. If I got off the mounting block, she'd stand back up again. Crafty cow!!! :D

Hope you didn't get bitten too hard?
 
I love pulling manes, its so satisfying! Little tip ( you may already know) so sorry if you do, but it comes out easier and less pain when the horse is warm, so good time to pull is after a hack! XX
 
Expressing his pain in the only way he could - if your dog was howling would you carry on with whatever you're doing? The only reason these practices are still acceptable in horses is because they have no voice.
 
TigerTail said:
Expressing his pain in the only way he could - if your dog was howling would you carry on with whatever you're doing? The only reason these practices are still acceptable in horses is because they have no voice.
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Totally agree. Barbaric practice...
 
People who still pull manes - why should a horse accept its mane or tail to be pulled out by the roots?

Is there any proof it hurts them less than it would us?

Get a thinning comb, there are enough of them on the market.
 
I accept that my horse doesn't like having her mane pulled out, nor do I, but I still have hair pulled out by the roots all over my body once a month....:eek:
I don't like it, but it looks better when it's done, same for mane pulling....
Have you tried getting neat and even plaits in a mane that's been solocombed...? Impossible.
 
Topaz I plait my boy after solo combing it, quick rake through the underside with a thinning comb and your good to go. Plaits wonderfully, and he has a native wiry mane. Xx
 
If you put the mane over the wrong way and thin the underneath then it should stay smooth on top... Hopefully :P took ages for me to master though. You have to solo comb it as well in a way tomake sure its plaitable....
 
TigerTail said:
Expressing his pain in the only way he could - if your dog was howling would you carry on with whatever you're doing? The only reason these practices are still acceptable in horses is because they have no voice.
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Refreshing to see some others who have seen sense. Hate pulling manes and tails... can't be nice for them.
 
Fools Motto said:
Refreshing to see some others who have seen sense. Hate pulling manes and tails... can't be nice for them.
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I've always been too embarressed to admit that i find mane pulling unpleasant:o i wouldn't go as far to say cruel or barbaric as in the grand scheme of things it's not.
thankfully i have natives and crossbreeds so don't feel the need to play hairdressers very often:)
 
Topaz Tiger said:
I accept that my horse doesn't like having her mane pulled out, nor do I, but I still have hair pulled out by the roots all over my body once a month....:eek:
I don't like it, but it looks better when it's done, same for mane pulling....
Have you tried getting neat and even plaits in a mane that's been solocombed...? Impossible.
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Its your CHOICE to have that done - it is not your horses choice that you make them suffer pain.

It is cruelty because its inflicting UNNECESSARY pain on an animal - its not needed for medical reasons for a vet to get at a wound etc its only for vanities sake.
 
Queenbee said:
Today for the first time in a long time I pulled a mane, having used a thinner for years I finally took the plunge on Ben and actually pulled his mane. I'm chuffed as his mane just pulls so easily, not like my nf x pony or my friesian mare! They were evil! But he threw a huge foot stomping wobbly... We counted over 30 stomps, on nice shock absorbent rubber matting lol! Also the bugger tried to bite me and succeeded. Luckily it was worth it but omg!!! Ouch!!! Bite hurts :(
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So your young horse's first experience of having his mane pulled was somewhat traumatic then. From what you say I assume you did the whole thing in one go so I'm not surprised the poor fellow reacted badly. What on earth happened to introducing things slowly and not pulling the lot at once? Now he's learnt that the experience is a bad one:(
 
Mmm - we pull their manes and then have to out necks in the fly rugs. :confused:

My yard manager seemed most disappointed when I told her that Friesians must not have anything done to their mane, tail or feathers.

Paula
 
I will say it can cause problems, my aunties mare can not even have her mane brushed as she panics so badly. Even stroking your hand through it causes a normally placid mare to panic and rear. Plaiting is a no no. All from having her mane pulled in a non sympathiec manner which must of caused her distress. They are thinking of sedating and hogging her to save her the stress, but that would mean regular sedation to keep on top of it.
Solo comb FTW!
 
Over the years, I have pulled far too many manes & tails to begin to count, both by choice on ones I've owned, or because I was a groom under orders. I have to say, the majority of horses who dislike it have had a bad experience, at least with manes. I only ever pull when the horse is hot, & I take a while. Even with a very average tb mane that requires little thinning, I will spend literally minutes every day for a fortnight. And I did once spend a month reducing a middle parting, ultra thick, long native mane to a smart pulled one. Then I keep on top of it, rather than once a month I do a few hairs here & there. A few horses really don't like it, however nicely you do it, either because they are super sensitive, had a bad experience, or have very deep rooted hair. If that's the case & I can't persuade them otherwise, then I find an alternative. And the horses I have/do regularly pull are done while loose more often than not, munching haynets & have done it sometimes while turned out, so not like they have no choice & find it painful. That said, I have found more to be sensitive about tail pulling.
 
my 17.2 just throws himself down on the floor litrally lays down if you try and pull his mane he really hates it... does the same if you try and cut his feathers or he just throws hs weight around so we just use a thinning comb now :o soooo much easier
 
i've pulled a lot of manes, of horses where i worked, and my own. I have to say the majority just stood there and some even looked to be enjoying it. Only once have i ever had to twitch to pull a mane. And that was a truly vile horse who just wouldnt let you do anything to it, regardless of how unpleasant it was.
 
Buds_mum said:
If you put the mane over the wrong way and thin the underneath then it should stay smooth on top...
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Not being intentionally contrary, just trying to figure this out because my last raked mane grew back as a bushy mess... your instructions suggest that you end up raking what will be the TOP side of the mane, yes? Or do you mean flip it over and thin what used to be the underneath and is now the top?

My nag arrived with a very short pulled mane and I've been growing it out - it's about ready to do again now (or solocomb) but there's a very wide section I want to thin.
 
Few horses I know fall asleep.

Most are happy with a hayet / lick

some don't like it much, some REALLy don't like it.

Its not the end of the world if they won't let you pull it but I don't think its barbaric. They're tough old creatures.
 
brighteyes said:
People who still pull manes - why should a horse accept its mane or tail to be pulled out by the roots?

Is there any proof it hurts them less than it would us?

Get a thinning comb, there are enough of them on the market.
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absolutely agree......you were hurting him and not listening so he bit you? poor horse :(
 
Floxie said:
Not being intentionally contrary, just trying to figure this out because my last raked mane grew back as a bushy mess... your instructions suggest that you end up raking what will be the TOP side of the mane, yes? Or do you mean flip it over and thin what used to be the underneath and is now the top?

My nag arrived with a very short pulled mane and I've been growing it out - it's about ready to do again now (or solocomb) but there's a very wide section I want to thin.
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Yes sorry, flip it over and pull the rake over the top what used to be the underneath, i find it easier to see where I need to rake, then put it back and your top side should be smooth and underneath where you've raked thinner...
 
Devonshire dumpling said:
I love pulling manes, its so satisfying! Little tip ( you may already know) so sorry if you do, but it comes out easier and less pain when the horse is warm, so good time to pull is after a hack! XX
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Yeah, thank you :D he had been worked and was roasty :D

TigerTail said:
Expressing his pain in the only way he could - if your dog was howling would you carry on with whatever you're doing? The only reason these practices are still acceptable in horses is because they have no voice.
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Actually, yes I would, I have ripped her dew claw out once and used a stick tip to stem the bleeding before, as with my old lurcher. Yes this was not for cosmetic reasons, but it was done... daisy will whimper and flinch when you touch her feet... always has been a wuss over feet.

Topaz Tiger said:
I accept that my horse doesn't like having her mane pulled out, nor do I, but I still have hair pulled out by the roots all over my body once a month....:eek:
I don't like it, but it looks better when it's done, same for mane pulling....
Have you tried getting neat and even plaits in a mane that's been solocombed...? Impossible.
Click to expand...

Topaz Tiger said:
When I've tried to do this, I've ended up with lots of spiky cut ends sticking out sideways all the way down the plait.... :mad:
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Hence my reason for pulling.

Dee O'Dorant said:
So your young horse's first experience of having his mane pulled was somewhat traumatic then. From what you say I assume you did the whole thing in one go so I'm not surprised the poor fellow reacted badly. What on earth happened to introducing things slowly and not pulling the lot at once? Now he's learnt that the experience is a bad one:(
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More fool me for trying to keep my initial post short... no, his first experience of having his mane pulled was not infact traumatic... and no, it was not all done in one day (I understand that my initial post portrayed it that way). To be clear, on monday I went for a hack came back and pulled the first 3/4 of his mane. I have to say that I have never pulled a mane that came out so easily. It was not overly long to begin with and this process took 10, perhaps 15 mins. At no time was he stompy or moody, until the last couple of pulls when he started to figet, no stomping around and no biting, at which point I figured he had done really well and stood for long enough, so he had a bowl of fast fibre and was turned out.

Tuesday, we rode in the school then up the road for 10 mins walk out. All that was left to do was the last 1/4 by the poll and the forelock. He was in a particularly bolshy mood when I got to the yard and when I got off him at the yard. I tied him up in his stable and finished the job... it was too busy at the yard to tie him outside where i had tied him the day before. Again the process lasted a maximum of 15 mins. If you would care to trawl through my past posts about ben, you will know that I am honest when I say that bens temper and impatience has always come through with him trying to nip and stamp his feet. I don't think he liked being tied in his stable, and I think that he was just in a bit of a mood that day... I am not trying to argue that he enjoyed having his mane pulled, and am perfectly aware that the poll is the most sensitive area when it comes to mane pulling, but I do think he was in a bit of a crappy mood yesterday regardless. Incidentally, he only stropped when I did the last 1/4 of his mane and not when I did the forelock.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions but my mares tail was never pulled, she hated it, but she was quite happy to have her mane pulled and never indicated otherwise... and yes, I was the first person to ever pull her mane. For the most part, ben was fine, but when he strops, boy does he strop. He was severely angry that he could not evade me and that was main origin of the the foot stomping and the biting, I know this because I know my horse and have seen him use this technique many a time, even when being asked to stand still when he would rather walk.

Paulag said:
Mmm - we pull their manes and then have to out necks in the fly rugs. :confused:

My yard manager seemed most disappointed when I told her that Friesians must not have anything done to their mane, tail or feathers.

Paula
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I don't, mine go out neked!:eek:


elsazzo said:
absolutely agree......you were hurting him and not listening so he bit you? poor horse :(
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I know, he is so badly treated and neglected, I am an all round cruel mum.

But he looks nice now.:p
 
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