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Discussion on Thinning out a mane
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Member:
gwen
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Posted on Saturday, Nov 3, 2007 - 3:00 pm:
I think I am the queen of silly questions, and no important information to help others. For that I apologize. Anyway, about my silly question-how can I thin my horse's mane without actually pulling it? My tbs mane is so thick, he looks kind of like a muppet (cute, though ). I know that pulling it will thin it, but he is sensitive about it, so I won't continue. The cool new combs that trim manes works for trimming the length, but won't thin it out. Any thoughts? Thank you!
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Member:
amara
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Posted on Saturday, Nov 3, 2007 - 3:33 pm:
some people have used anbesol to dull the roots and make mane pulling more tolerable...pull from the bottom so that the hair will lay flatter...
or, instead of pulling the mane, start the procedure as if you were going to pull the mane, but instead of pulling, cut it right at the roots...
do you keep his mane at the traditional 4 inch length? if i trimmed my little guys mane and kept it short he'd look pretty funny, but i've allowed it to grow out so its down around his shoulders... the weight keeps it from sticking up.. its quite manageable..
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Member:
canter
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Posted on Monday, Nov 5, 2007 - 7:40 am:
Gwen, are you pulling just a few hairs at a time, after work? I've been told that it's easier for the horse if you pull the hair after he's warmed up from work (opens the follicle?) and that's always worked for me. My first horse, a TB, was fairly sensitive to it, but I just took it very slow, pulling just a few at a time after each ride, and I spread it out over the length of his mane so that I wasn't pulling all the hair from just one spot on one particular day.
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Member:
kriseyc
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Posted on Tuesday, Nov 6, 2007 - 7:04 pm:
Hi Gwen,
I absolutely agree with Fran...many people go about yanking out small tufts of mane containing many, many hairs and expect their horses to tolerate it...and many have to. My horse doesn;t mind it too much...but I have always done it after a work out when the horse is warmer, as Fran suggested and I ONLY PULL OUT 3-6 hairs at a time. it may take a little longer...but it is a far kinder method and once you get into the rhythm, it goes rather quickly (especially with a quiet,happy horse). If you do a little bit on a somewhat regular basis when you have a few extra minutes instead of all at once...it is also far kinder to the horse.
Good luck
IKE
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Member:
gwen
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Posted on Tuesday, Nov 6, 2007 - 7:09 pm:
Okay, let's leave this at "don't ask, don't tell" in regards to how many strands I had been pulling. Thanks.
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Member:
kriseyc
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Posted on Tuesday, Nov 6, 2007 - 7:45 pm:
Fair enough Gwen! It's great that you listened to your horse and sought help. Let us know how the revised mane pulling goes. I know I can only pull out one (gray!)hair at a time from my own head...I couldn't imagine even pulling 3-6 without yelping very loud,(try it!!) and horses are more sensitive.
Best of luck!
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Member:
bthcks
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Posted on Tuesday, Nov 6, 2007 - 8:02 pm:
Personally I could never stand to pull a mane and use a thinning comb when I need to do it. You can thin, shorten, and it all looks good. At least I think so. Of course, I dont show anymore and others probably have different opinions.
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Member:
imogen
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Posted on Wednesday, Nov 7, 2007 - 5:09 am:
I find nipping a few hairs at a time between your finger and thumb works with horses that will not tolerate a pulling comb.
All the best
Imogen
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Member:
maggienm
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Posted on Wednesday, Nov 7, 2007 - 8:57 am:
I will share soemthing that I used to do. When I was a teen I had a mare with a fairly thick mane that split so it layed on both sides. I use scissors and cut off the mane right at the roots, all down one side.
This, of course, thinned the mane considerably. With the remaining mane laying smooth over the trimmed part no one could tell.
The mane was much easier to look after and without all the extra thickness it stayed on the side it was supposed to.
At some point someone told me I wasn't 'supposed to do it that way', so now I do it as Fran and Melissa have suggested.
My question is how do you prevent mane from rubbing out when the horse sticks her neck through the rails to nibble at the grass on the other side??
By the way, I always appreciate questions because some of them are the questions others (me) want to ask but are to shy.
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Member:
gwen
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Posted on Wednesday, Nov 7, 2007 - 12:00 pm:
That sounds like a good idea, actually Lori! I have to admit that he looks so cute with the "muppet" look, I am in no real rush to do anything drastic.
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