Thinning a mane without pulling

[samlf]

One of mine doesn't like having her mane pulled, and to be honest I don't really blame her as I'm not sure I'd like someone pulling my hair out either.

However, she has an extremely thick mane. I allow it to grow over winter as they live out unrugged, and it so thick it falls both sides of her neck.

Last year I sorted the length easily enough by scissoring to a couple of inches below desired length, then using solocomb to give pulled effect and solorake to thin.

The solorake wasn't particularly effective at thinning, but did improve it a little. Then when the mane started to grow back slightly it was even thicker and started to stick up, plus it'd have been useless if I needed to plait (which I will this year) as there were short lengths poking out everywhere.

Does anyone have any solutions?

 

[Luci07]

Solo rake? Is that like a normal rake because that worked wonders for my previous horse. Just remember to brush the mane over the wrong way before starting and then it acts like the mane is being pulled...without causing the normal upset when attempting to thin a thick mane. Takes no time at all as well.

 

[SallyBatty]

Solo rake? Is that like a normal rake because that worked wonders for my previous horse. Just remember to brush the mane over the wrong way before starting and then it acts like the mane is being pulled...without causing the normal upset when attempting to thin a thick mane. Takes no time at all as well.

This.

 

[Merlod]

Ditto solo-rake! Much fast and kinder on horse and your fingers! What I do, instead of flipping it over is to put up a thin top layer of mane that I want to keep in bunches and thin the hell out of the rest of the mane left down by raking over the top and turning the rake and raking from the underside too. Gives a nice natural finish which I need for when we show m&m!

 

[Jenna1406]

Ditto solo-rake! Much fast and kinder on horse and your fingers! What I do, instead of flipping it over is to put up a thin top layer of mane that I want to keep in bunches and thin the hell out of the rest of the mane left down by raking over the top and turning the rake and raking from the underside too. Gives a nice natural finish which I need for when we show m&m!

I was reading with interest as my cob doesnt like getting her mane pulled and she has alot of it but this is a great idea leaving a thin top layer. Does it work ok for plaiting?

 

[Floxie]

I have a solo rake and it never grabs the hair - just combs through it (even using the 'fine' side)

 

[terrierliz]

I have a solo rake and it never grabs the hair - just combs through it (even using the 'fine' side)

ditto this, thought I must be doing something wrong….

 

[Floxie]

I hope someone replies with "Oh, you just need to do it this way" and all our problems will be solved! I shorten mine with a solocomb but it's no help with thinning!

 

[terrierliz]

I hope someone replies with "Oh, you just need to do it this way" and all our problems will be solved! I shorten mine with a solocomb but it's no help with thinning!

I hope so - I have one that I can shorten with solo comb as he has a thin mane and then a pony whose mane is so thick it drops both sides I have thinned it slightly by depressing the blade slightly on the solocomb and using it a bit like a thinning knife underneath...

 

[Floxie]

I do similar but it's not brilliant is it!

 

[samlf]

I hope someone replies with "Oh, you just need to do it this way" and all our problems will be solved! I shorten mine with a solocomb but it's no help with thinning!

This is what I was hoping too, but I'm not sure the perfect solution has been invented yet!

For those saying use the rake - that is what I had been doing, and got loads of hair out, but lots of the hair had just been shortened and so would have stuck up if I plaited and as soon as it started growing it made the mane stick up like a very long hog growing out!!

Maybe I hadn't got the technique right...

 

[EQUIDAE]

All I can say is don't... It will grow back shockingly either the thick short bits underneath (assuming you thin from the underneath) will make the top bit stand up, or you will get spiky bits on top. Either pull, or embrace the thick

Pulling can be less painful after hard work so the endorphins block the pain.

 

[Merlod]

I find it can slide through if you just brush down with it.. Angle it - just play around and get up as close to the roots as you can, sometimes you need to put a little bit of force behind it. Also make sure you regularly pick out the hair out of it. And sometimes turn it around and do it from the underneath.

 

[Merlod]

Jenna1406 - I never plait - the joy of native ponies! But because the thin top layer is 'intact' I would think plaiting would be easy, compared to if you just raked the whole mane you do end up with a bit of a feathered effect which would make your plaits difficult to keep the shorter bits of mane in.

 

[ycbm]

You can use oil of cloves as an anaesthetic if you really have to pull a mane. It stinks but it works! Anabesol tooth anaesthetic (lidocaine) will probably work too, but it's expensive. Both sold in chemists, don't tell them it's for a horse!

 

[Merlod]

All I can say is don't... It will grow back shockingly either the thick short bits underneath (assuming you thin from the underneath) will make the top bit stand up, or you will get spiky bits on top. Either pull, or embrace the thick

Pulling can be less painful after hard work so the endorphins block the pain.

I disagree Sole rakes are great, you just need to get your technique down - play around and find what works. I have shown my solo-raked m&m boy all summer and he has done v well. Since it's the winter I haven't bothered keeping up with thinning it so he's got his big thick mane back, and it's just grown out like a normal mane - no short bits sticking up from the top or the underside!

Here he is, with his thin mane I prefer to keep it a little longer - I think it suits him and he has quite a thick neck.

 

[MagicMelon]

I use a Smart Tails rake on mine, I never pull manes (and yes I dont have natives and have to plait regularly!). My manes aren't great but I can get them short / thin enough to plait using the rake to thin and scissors to shorten (cutting little bits up into the mane rather than straight). I personally dont like solo combs, they just seem to cut the mane at the base which leaves whispy short spiky bits sticking up making plaiting messy.

 

[Dolsey1]

The best rakes are the Smart tails rakes. None others ever grabbed any hair from mine. I comb it to the wrong side, rake it, then push it back over and sort out the length. Works great.

 

[Llee94]

I had a solo rake and found it useless. It didn't grab any hair at all. I found smart tails rakes to be the best. I have a standard medium one that is used on a weekly basis and is still going strong after a few years. I use them to thin the mane and then use thinning scissors to trim the ends to the length I want so that it doesn't look like it had been cut.

 

[samlf]

Oh I cant embrace the thick, it looks terrible. Shes a cob x (I think) and she doesn't have the chunkiness to pull off a thick mane!
I have tried the usual tricks with pulling eg doing a tiny bit at a time after exercise, and although she allows me to do it she is clearly very uncomfortable with it, she has such a good nature I feel terrible forcing her.

Looks like I need to invest in a smart tails rake