Mane Pulling

[Hunt~Jump21]

I read this on another website and thought it was quite interesting - I had never heard of it at least!
If you have a horse that is sensitive about having it's mane pulled (like one of mine is!), spray the roots with "Chloroseptic" that stuff you spray in your mouth when you have a sore throat. Apparently it numbs the skin at the roots of the mane making the horse less sensitive to having his mane pulled (and obviously make sure you thoroughly wash it all out once the mane is pulled.)
I'm definitely going to try it next time I pull my younger horse's mane as the last time I had to wait to do it while he was still "doped-up" from getting his wolf teeth removed because he made such a fuss about it before and i didn't want to have to twitch him. Might be something to try if you have a wimpy horse like mine!

[lamprellsarah]

good, idea don't know if it will work though, i expect it's worth a try although i just use a solo comb, my horses manes is not too bad and can easily be kept under control with it!!

[myEllie]

Chloreseptic does actually work. lamprellsarah, I don't reccomend using a solo comb, especially if you plan to braid. It leaves a lot of short little pieces of hair that are hard to incorporate into the braid. Pulling the mane does take more time, but you save that time each time you braid, so it is quicker in the long run.

[lamprellsarah]

oh well i can't braid so that doesn't matter too much!!
i have to use i solo comb i can't tug my horse manes without her shaking herself wildly getting upset and trying to bite!!
making it less sensitive is OK, but i would need it seriously numbed, i am not sure why she is, but it's the only real bad habit she has other wise she is as solid as rocks!!!

[Speedy]

My mare hates having her mane pulled, but I have discovered that she is better if I do it after exercise, when she is warmer and pores are open, and also if she has a haynet then she is more willing to stand quietly. I do her mane in stages too so she doesn't get really annoyed about it - do about 1/2hr a day for a few days. Haven't done it for ages though so she looks like a native pony at the moment rather than a TB!!

[lamprellsarah]

yeah i mean she has got better because i used to put my hand on her mane and she would go mad now she will let me brush it!!
yeah she looks more native than TB too at the mo!!
i think i will stick to the solo comb it really thins her hair without it sticking up, and i don't show her in the classes that need it plaited because she is more into showjumping and croos country!!

[Lucy J]

Not being funny, but if someone tried to pull out my hair a few at a time by the roots I would go mad!! Why should we expect them to stand still. A solo comb may not give the most pleasing result, but its much kinder to the horse.

[tasha]

Isn't that what we do when we pluck eyebrows and wax legs/bikini lines etc.??

Tasha

[heland]

I hate mane pulling:( But I will have to pull my horses mane this week.

I bought a solo comb last week so I'll give it a try:)

Is there much difference between the two as I've never used a comb before??

[myEllie]

Pulling the mane rips the hair out at its roots. Using a solo comb you just cut the hair, and no matter how close you cut it to the base of the mane, you will still get little hairs. These are virtually impossible to incorporate into braids and stick up all over the place.

PS- I don't mind tweezing my eyebrows or really waxing anywhere; except for my bikini line. The things we do in the name of beauty. :D

[lamprellsarah]

well i have no problems with a solo comb as long as you take the mane from underneath, i can plait my horses mane but it looks nice short and down!!!
yeah we might wax and pluck but we do that to look nice but horse don't care, and i won't stand for having my legs waxed, perfer to shave, so i see why my horse perfers the solo comb too!!!

[Lucy J]

I totally agree!!!

Oh and I don't pluck or wax!!!

Razors are much better!!

[Jaz]

I heard horses dont have feel the same pain we do when their hair is pulled because they dont have nerves there or something. Some horses do find it uncomfortable especially hot blooded horses like Tbs etc but most ponies hardly seam to notice but you do get exceptions. It shouldnt hurt if you dont pull too much at once and you do it after exercise. So I dont think it is cruel if pulled correctly.

alothough it makes it a little harder to plait but a solo comb is good for really sensitivehorses and a littlegel gets rid of whispey bits.

Dont you get little spikey bits once the bits you've pulled start to grow back?

[lamprellsarah]

yeah they aren't meant to feel it, but out of the 4 horses i have had 3 have had a when i tried to pull it, 1 TB, 1 welsh, and the other CB, i haven't found the peices spikey at all when they grow back!!! because it's underneath and so has a layer over the top pushig it down!!!