Pulling Manes

[Laya]

Can anyone tell me how to pull my horse's mane so that it is faster and less painful? And also how short should it be pulled to?

[intouch]

I've found a "solo comb" to be easy to use and very effective, it looks like a comb but has a blade with lever in the handle, you backcomb a small portion of the mane at a time then cut the few remainding hairs close to the base (very few at a time). Don't try to go shorter than four inches or you will spend the next three months with a punk horse!

[CLAUDIA]

I'm not really very sure about this, but I don't think there are very many nerve endings in a horse's hair follicles, if any. Does your horse flinch when you pull it's mane, or do his eyes water? You can tell if he's sensitive to it by looking at these things. Somewhere on this message board a similar question was addressed. They said that there's a product that cuts the horse's mane more, instead of yanking the hairs out. :)

[Horselover2]

Do you mean less painful for you or the horse?! LOL! If you mean you, you could tape your fingers. Claudia, I'm not sure about the nerve endings and follicles and stuff, but I know that my mare starts getting very sensitive the closer to her poll area I get!!

[dreamer]

Okay, my least favorite chore, one I skip if I can get away with it. You take a small mettal pulling comb, and take a small section of hair, grasp it at the length you want the hair to be, then teze the hair, once you've done that, you should have a small amount of hair left, then you wrap it around the comb and yank it out. :eek: I hate that! but some people don't take kindly to cuting. :mad: (I cheet I don't show offten, and my horse doesn't have a thick main, so I just let it grow and when it comes show time, I braid the braids so that they're the right length for button braids, and then cut the excess. Works well for me but you have to watch if you show alot :cool: ) If you don't show, or show western or often, your better off pulling the main unless you can find some short cut that looks like pulling and if you do let me know too :p good luck, and hope your fingers survive :)

[dreamer]

oh, one more thing, the less hair you pull at a time, the easer and less painfull it is :)

[Laya]

I'm a little hazy with the idea of pulling my horse's mane. What exactly does it do? And also, where can I get one of these combs, because my local tack shop doesn't have it?

[Laya]

I mean one with a mechanical thing majingie? I have a metal pulling comb.

[dreamer]

Pulling is supose to thing the main of thick mained horses, and shorten it at the same time, giving it a natral look. Me, I don't mind the cut look, but sometimes the judges do. :)

[Patti158]

Hey, Ive pulled mane b4 and you are supposed to wrap the hair aroung the comb and then just yank it out. I know, it sounds painful, but horses dont have too many nerves at the mane hair hine. Its supposed to be the width of one of you hands. Hope I helped!

[intouch]

I'd be surprised if something similar isn't available in the States, look in the small ads in magazines or in a mail order catalogue. Failing that I will check the address on the box mine came in and let you know soon. www.solocomb.com (http://www.solocomb.com)

[This message has been edited by intouch (edited 31 December 1999).]

[cynthia]

ok, so on a related note - what's the deal with the horses i see in GP showjumping events that have these very swanky manes cut straight-across, and of a uniform length of about 5 to 6 inches or so? it seems to be quite the fashion these days, and my (leased) horse has his mane cut straight-across like that as well. are they pulled, and then cut like that? or just cut? or what? i too am a bit hazy on the whole pulling thing - i know that it's intended to thin the mane out, but i'm still not so sure about the whole deal. and you say judges aren't keen on the straight-across thing, or do you mean something else, maybe?

also... i imagine that even when the manes are blunt cut like that, they can still be braided (as would be necessary for dressage)?

[cynthia]

no one? huh, huh?

well, fine, then! hmmph. :p

Plllbbbttthhhh to you too!

[Laya]

Cynthia,

It just took me a while to come read this post. Sorry if I kept everyone wating. But when you're pulling a mane, how does pulling hair out make it look shorter???

[dreamer]

Okay, I think I can explain this one. You know how some of your hair is shorter than others :confused: (from breaking off ect) Well, the same goes for horses, they have short hairs and long hairs, when you pull a main, you teze back the short hairs by holding the main at the length you want the main to be, the all the hairs that are longer than that, are still in your hand and are the ones that get yanked out :eek: while the shorter hairs that you wanted are left tezed at the top to be comed out. Hope that helps :)