Thick mane, cant pull it. what to do??

georgiegirl

georgiegirl

Well-Known Member
Joined
4 August 2004
Messages
2,458
Visit site
Hi,

My youngster HATES having her mane pulled with a passion. even a couple of tiny hairs after a workout are a no no with her. I've got it the right length I want but wit her being irish its so thick and bushy there is no way im going to able to plait. what to do????? we have the vet coming out in a couple of weeks who said he will sedate her so we can thin it out but if there is anyting else that can get it thin i'd rather try that first before sedating her! thanks!
smile.gif
 
Well you could twitch her whilst you did it. Personally I would go with the vet sedation option having had a similar pony. I used to pull it as short as I dared seeing as how it had to last so long. My one wouldn't even tolerate the solo comb.
 
Solo comb? Not many people can use them competently, but they are pretty good if you have the knack. It can still be a little difficult though, with some horses... I solo combed one horse's mane yesterday who loathes having his mane pulled, so much so that when you grasp the little "finger-ful" of hairs you need to use the solo comb on, he thinks you're just going to pull them and shakes his head (well, mild reaction is shaking the head... major reaction last time was rearing and leaping forwards as he'd put his bum in the corner of the stable... not fun when the horse is 17hh!) It is possible though, if you can manage not to put any tension on the hairs before you back-comb them, and you cut them PDQ.
 
I find using a neck cover/hood helps thin the mane........... I wouldn't twitch, makes them too unpredictable, that's how i got my leg smashed. Sedation is better but expensive regularly. My friend got so fed up she hogged her horse and has never regretted it.
 
If the vet's coming anyway, just get her sedated and really do a proper drastic job. Then just solo comb it for as many months as you can get away with until you need to dope her again.

Just a thought, have you tried pulling her mane just after working her hard and getting her hot? It opens all the pores and the hair comes out easier, some horses are more OK with this than when they're cold.
 
I use a bot fly knife (!) to hack off the length of the mane so it leaves a natural finish and then complete the look by pulling any odd bits. Seems to work but might not on a very thick mane..
 
I use the same knife technique. Works a treat but then my mare doesnt have a particularly thick mane. She will stand if twitched but dont like too as the knife does a great job.

Again, not sure how it would work on a thick mane as it doesnt thin it.

Our pony flips if you try to pull his mane and its thick (Welsh D x) He tends to tolerate pulling to a certain degree with a HUGE bucket of pony nuts but towards the end (after about an hour of effort and patience) he will turn into a WWF contender
crazy.gif
 
Have you tried using a mane and tail rake? They're great - and I use one on my horse who hates having his mane pulled with a passion.


.
 
I eventually cracked under the strain of my IDx cob's mane (in piccie) and hogged it for hunting- she looked great- if rather like Crighton from Red Dwarf due to her head shape! Changed my life though after struggling with it for over 10 years; when I hogged it I could see it was about 4 inches wide!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top