Tomorrow is make over day, tips for pulling a VERY long mane please!

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emmaln

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EEEKk, well I've decided, it's time, it's all coming off!!

I have a young welsh part bred who I have kept au natural through her baby years and she has the most beautiful long mane but we are competing more regularly now and it's time for her to grow up and join the horse world!!!

Any tips on how to get the perfect pulled mane from 1'6" of long flowing locks very gratefully received!
 
Do it over a period of time :) maybe use solo comb to begin with then once it's shorter pull it in the conventional way - don't just cut it though ;)
 
A pair of thinning sissors! It will be done in no time and look good too.

Or you ca n use thinning scissors to get the length and pull to thin it out at the end.

If the manes that long I would pop on a stretch hood for a few days to make it lay flat too after.

Pics please! :D:D:D
 
Can I ask a really silly question, how do I make sure its all shortened to the same length? My pony wont stand still so its not going to be the easiest job to do! Can I measure and mark it with chalk? I tried to do the shetland's and that was even squint haha
 
Chop it to almost the length you want and then pull to get the desired effect. You wouldn't have any mane left if you pulled a v long mane to a short length :eek:
 
Tee hee I'm glad you're as nervous as me flying solo! I have had tb's for so long and am used to pulling but this is a totally different kettle of fish, she does look beautiful with her long mane it's just not practical anymore! Have you got a before pic of your pony?

Thanks for the advice everyone, I'm a bit nervous of thinning scissors as they did nothing for my tb I just had to spend the time pulling :-(

Here's a before pic:

P7050084.jpg


And this is the plait we currently do when competing but I hate it:

8814d446.jpg


Please excuse the glass of pimms!!!
 
As others have said, you can always do it gradually over a few days....

I have a Clydie X and my OH "forbids" me to pull it - don't get me wrong, I like 'em hairy but when he's not around I do tidy Jack's up a little to keep it neat. I don't have a solo comb so I hold the long hairs, back-comb the rest up out of the way and then snip the long ones off about 2/3rds of the way up with a pair of scissors. That does for us :)

080611018.jpg
 
I will take before and after pictures today, they look gorgeous with long flowing manes but to be honest my pony is a mud hippo and I only brush his mane and tail when its clean which is barely ever in winter and I cant face the yuky stuff wrapped around my reins etc when I want to ride! (i'm selfish haha) I wish you good luck and will be thinking of you as I leave my poor pony with 5 or 6 inches of mane! xx
 
Domane, love your clydie X I have the same problem as you my OH, brother and mum have all said they'll disown me if I do it he he!!

Thanks stencilface, good advice, that was what I was worried about!

I think the plan is to pull the thickest part just to thin it slightly then cut off some of the length then pull to finish!

Good luck flying solo!!!
 
Just start pulling and do a bit every day and keep at it daily until it is right. It will mean that you don't get the bog brush effect.

My mare's mane was long when we got her and she didn't like having it brushed or combed either so it took a while before I was ready to start pulling it so it was right down her neck. It still isn't as short as I would like but doing a bit after every ride is levelling it up and shortening it.

Don't try to mark it, just do a bit each time and take out the long bits, stand back regularly and look to see how straight it is.
 
flying solo said:
Can I ask a really silly question, how do I make sure its all shortened to the same length? My pony wont stand still so its not going to be the easiest job to do! Can I measure and mark it with chalk? I tried to do the shetland's and that was even squint haha
Click to expand...

A really good tip that I used to use is a piece of baling twine, If I were you I would take a lot of the length off with scissors and pull/thin the rest. If your horse is not the best at standing still, I would consider cross tying her/him. If you have anywhere that you are able to do this, this really helps with restricting excessive movement and headshaking. Once you are getting down to a shorter mane, I would then get out the baling twine, pull it tight and hold it one end below the withers and one end below the poll at the length that you want the mane to be, if you hold it like this you can get a really good look at what bits you need to pull more :)

I hope that makes sense :)
 
I leave , mine long, it is weather proof. To ride, I can tie loose plaits in a few seconds, not elegant but practical, and a good Spanish plait or a Continental plait give you an advantage when showing, like all things it takes practice to get a professional result.
 
I used a tail rake on my fillys mane. I started just above the length I wanted it to be, then used the rake downwards from just above there which left me with very thin ends that I either pulled with my fingers or trimmed. It thinned the bottom, and doesn't leave you with a thick short mane.
 
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My tb hates his mane being pulled and won't let me anywhere near his front end if he sees a comb! Can't even finger pull! He's got one hell of a mane for a tb too, really thick, bushy and waves!! Normally have to iv sedate to get any length off it! I managed (without sedation) early summer for the 1st time in 5 years to cut it with scissors and get an oster rake underneath it, just to give it a bit of a finish! Actually looked good! He was sedated on monday as he had an accident last week and scalped himself and it needed cleaning, so I took advantage and cut it again! Wasn't easy as his head was drooping, but it's straight unbelievably! Took me a bit longer though and he started to come around, so it's not been finished and looks cut, but when he begins to trust me again (very touchy around his front end, due to his accident a week today) I will try and sort the ends out!
 
I go through it with a mane rake (but only from underneath) then I cut it with some scissors to get a good inch or so off (burn Kenzo at the stake!) but I go in one direction then I finish in the other direction (from wither to poll direction) then I get a pulling comb and nip the ends off or use some thinning scissors to take the ends off so it doesn’t look like it’s been cut with scissors so to speak but and this is the BIG BUT, I still pull it the old fashioned way (fingers and plasters is all you need lol) because using a thining rake won’t pull evenly it only pulls out the softer hair I’ve found, so I kinda do a bit of everything really, what ever is simple and comfortable for the horse.

….oh the shame!:o
 
I've just done this with my 4yo who has become a man this summer... first I brushed it out onto the opposite side of his neck, and using a tail rake I thinned out the thicker parts. Then returning it to the other side I cut it with scissors until it was near my desired length, then with a combination of pulling and the solo comb got it tidied up to the length I wanted it. I partly used the solo comb as he has a short attention span and zero pain threshold so wanted to keep pulling to a minimum, and intend to just pull a little every few days to get him used to it.
 
Take your time - pulling a really big mane for the first time in ages is a big ask for a young pony. I've just started on Ruby's mane - she is 3 and never had her mane pulled before. I plan to take at least three weeks to shorten it enough. We pull about six or so lots from different areas each day. Between each pull she gets fussed and her neck rubbed firmly where I've just pulled. At the moment I'm using just my fingers to reduce the length. I'll then use a comb to help pull once it is shorter to reduce the thickness. Then I will use scissors to shorten the length of thinner areas as I want her mane to be the same length and thickness all the way down.

Sometimes I pull it when she is feeding, or when I;ve been grooming and sometimes when she is standing in the paddock. She is beginning to accept that it is all art of life.

Rubbing a 50/50 mix of Oil of Cloves and Rubbing alcohol will help to numb the area you are pulling. Do a patch test first as I have heard that some horses react to the Oil of Cloves.
 
I used scissors yesterday to take most of the length off, then raked it from underneath! I now have a sports cob! He looks weird lol I still need to pull it but he was a star, he loved having his mane raked (was trying to groom me which has never happened before!). I now find myself wondering if its short enough and staring at other horses on the yard! :-(
 
When I bought my horse his mane came down to his shoulder, and it had to be plaited when i rode or it all got tangled in my reins. After a couple of months of good weather it was a right mess as one of his field companions was very rough when they were grooming!

My friends did his mane for me as I couldn't bear to do it!! They cut it with scissors first leaving it slightly longer than it was destined to be. Then they pulled it. We left it a few days and then pulled it again.

They did a super job!
 
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