I desperately need to pull my horse’s mane, but I don’t really feel like tackling the mess that is his hippy locks, only because I’m lazy. He also mostly does the jumpers, so why shouldn’t he have the trendy straight cut jumper mane. But I’ve tried, and failed, to do it before. How do you get that look?!
Pull so it’s thin enough to lay flat but keep it heavy enough so it won’t stick straight up. Comb it flat and then run clippers along to bottom to lop of the ends. The key is keeping a steady hand and uniform length as you run the clippers across the mane. One single pass will make the best result; touch ups generally start making things uneven.
[QUOTE=ybiaw;8706211]
Cut it. Seriously.
http://www.horsecollaborative.com/how-to-cut-a-mane-like-a-pro/[/QUOTE]
This.
Use trimming scissors, the kind that have the toothed edges. Cut to almost the length you want. Flip the mane over to the wrong side of the neck, comb down, and trim about another 1/2 inch. Just the longest hairs this time. Flip back over, and see if you like length. If still too long, repeat.
[QUOTE=ToTheNines;8706326]
Use trimming scissors, the kind that have the toothed edges. Cut to almost the length you want. Flip the mane over to the wrong side of the neck, and trim about another 1/2 inch. Just the longest hairs this time. Flip back over, and see if you like length. If still too long, repeat.[/QUOTE]
^ that is essentially what I do. I get lots of comments on how nice the mane looks that way. It’s a win win situation since we know that pulling is uncomfortable for many horses.
I agree with BostonHJ.
Cutting doesn’t work if you have a horse with a super thick mane. And this comes from someone who cut all of her horses manes for years and years and years.
So now I cut the manes of 2 of my show horses, and they usually look quite nice. I pull the manes of my other 2 show horses because they are massively thick and after years of cutting them and leaving it at that (and having lots of pictures where my big jumper’s mane looked like enough hair for 6 horses when it was at the “flight” point in the jump) I finally gave in and started pulling. Sometimes I trim a bit with scissors after pulling.
A pair of thinning scissors will change your life
[QUOTE=BostonHJ;8706207]
Pull so it’s thin enough to lay flat but keep it heavy enough so it won’t stick straight up. Comb it flat and then run clippers along to bottom to lop of the ends. The key is keeping a steady hand and uniform length as you run the clippers across the mane. One single pass will make the best result; touch ups generally start making things uneven.[/QUOTE]
If using that method just be wary if you happen to be doing this on a fluffy unclipped horse in winter 
You may leave your beautiful straight line on more than his mane. (Actually, even with scissors, exercise a little caution if your horse is super hairy). I know, in theory we are talking about sleek, body clipped jumpers, but ask me how I know about the reality…
[QUOTE=PNWjumper;8706435]
Cutting doesn’t work if you have a horse with a super thick mane. And this comes from someone who cut all of her horses manes for years and years and years. [/QUOTE]
I gently disagree; my guy grows more mane than I know what to do with and it looks super cut straight across. Here is a good picture though it does not give his ridiculous thickness full justice: click
I hate pulling thick manes - not because it’s pulling but because it grows back and all the uneven growth looks absolutely horrible and affects the layering/fluffiness of the mane… makes the horse look untidy, so I much prefer cutting/trimming so that it’s all uniform and growing at the same rate.
Agree that your guy’s looks nice. But it’s not during flatwork that the thickness shows back up. Here’s my guy mid jump using the same technique:
http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/PNWjumper/media/Facebook/August%202011%20Thunderbird/310154_10150362905518408_3898584_n_zpsere6z3yu.jpg.html?sort=3&o=29
http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/PNWjumper/media/Facebook/Thunderbird%202012/477232_10151023912223408_693478886_o_zpsmy3mkcod.jpg.html?sort=3&o=46
http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/PNWjumper/media/Facebook/2013%20Horseshows/892492_10151651906483408_396281970_o.jpg.html?sort=3&o=106
Since then (and since getting tired of his Fabio-esque hair trying to eat my face in all jumping pictures), I’ve gone to pulling to the same length and it’s a much neater picture (I think)! http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/PNWjumper/media/Facebook/2016%20Horseshows/13403753_10154288291543408_8619069958400613052_o_zpsv2ayx7pm.jpg.html?sort=3&o=11
http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/PNWjumper/media/Facebook/2014%20Horses/1599109_10152513619753408_3460600327590789685_o.jpg.html?sort=3&o=114
I will fully acknowledge that it could have simply been my poor skills with a pair of scissors, but my horses’ manes looked about the same when not in motion the old way and the new way (and always laid down nice and flat), but over fences the under layers seemed to add a lot of volume!
My mares are much kinder to me and have much thinner manes which seems to always look good with nothing more than a trip and a bit of an undercut when I’m done.
I have a tool that looks like a toothed razor blade that fits into a plastic handle. I can’t remember where I picked it up. For a really thick maned pony we used to own, I cut her mane to close to the length I wanted with regular sharp sewing scissors, then ran that razor blade thing over and over her mane until it was the thickness I wanted, then used the trimming scissors others have described to get it to look less sharply cut off. Then used the razor blade thing just on the ends, flipping mane back and forth on either side of neck, to finish “blending” the chopped mane - make it look less cut and more natural. If you are looking for a sharp/blunt look you can leave out the last step.
I have a friend who bought a kit at the tack shop that has the scissor things and a thinning blade thing in the same case. She also uses old worn out clipper blades to hack off extra mane.
I have one of those combs that has the razor blade inside the teeth. So you grab a section of mane, comb up then hold the button down and cut the long hairs, repeat until the mane is to the length and thickness you prefer.
I have used Jason McQueen’s method for years; it’s how I learned to cut manes on the AQHA circuit when I was a kid. it’s tried and true though I ought to thin them more than I do if I wanted them to look truly good and/or be braidable. Until I go somewhere fancy I usually just cut them and save the thinning for another day.
I do think the thinning makes them look better if you have a horse with a thick mane. Two of my five have super thin manes and never need thinning; two have basically two manes. the last is a baby and I am pretty sure she is going to be in Camp Two Manes.
[QUOTE=PNWjumper;8706667]
Agree that your guy’s looks nice. But it’s not during flatwork that the thickness shows back up. Here’s my guy mid jump using the same technique:
http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/PNWjumper/media/Facebook/August%202011%20Thunderbird/310154_10150362905518408_3898584_n_zpsere6z3yu.jpg.html?sort=3&o=29
http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/PNWjumper/media/Facebook/Thunderbird%202012/477232_10151023912223408_693478886_o_zpsmy3mkcod.jpg.html?sort=3&o=46
http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/PNWjumper/media/Facebook/2013%20Horseshows/892492_10151651906483408_396281970_o.jpg.html?sort=3&o=106
Since then (and since getting tired of his Fabio-esque hair trying to eat my face in all jumping pictures), I’ve gone to pulling to the same length and it’s a much neater picture (I think)! http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/PNWjumper/media/Facebook/2016%20Horseshows/13403753_10154288291543408_8619069958400613052_o_zpsv2ayx7pm.jpg.html?sort=3&o=11
http://s1280.photobucket.com/user/PNWjumper/media/Facebook/2014%20Horses/1599109_10152513619753408_3460600327590789685_o.jpg.html?sort=3&o=114
I will fully acknowledge that it could have simply been my poor skills with a pair of scissors, but my horses’ manes looked about the same when not in motion the old way and the new way (and always laid down nice and flat), but over fences the under layers seemed to add a lot of volume!
My mares are much kinder to me and have much thinner manes which seems to always look good with nothing more than a trip and a bit of an undercut when I’m done.[/QUOTE]
Oh, I totally know what you mean by the rogue-hair pictures O/F… I do get that with mine too. It happens at the canter too.
Unfortunately the one above made it abundantly clear pulling was uncomfortable for him, and he is perfectly behaved every other way. I tried to make him go through it and he will stand for pulling but he bleeds :eek: so cutting is the answer for him.
Yes, I agree, Beowulf. I know it is not “supposed” to hurt but mine have informed me that somehow they still don’t like it, so I don’t do it unless I really feel it is necessary. Like some alternate universe awakes and I decide to enter a hunter class again, and I need the Misters Two Manes to be able to have sixty tiny perfect braids.
My old horse really didn’t care as long as I pulled just a few hairs at a time, so I often pulled his horribly thick grey mane because it was much easier to keep clean that way.
[QUOTE=fordtraktor;8706931]
Yes, I agree, Beowulf. I know it is not “supposed” to hurt but mine have informed me that somehow they still don’t like it, so I don’t do it unless I really feel it is necessary. Like some alternate universe awakes and I decide to enter a hunter class again, and I need the Misters Two Manes to be able to have sixty tiny perfect braids.
My old horse really didn’t care as long as I pulled just a few hairs at a time, so I often pulled his horribly thick grey mane because it was much easier to keep clean that way.[/QUOTE]
So my guy hates having his mane pulled, and he’s told me too. I hate doing it. I grew up pulling manes, and I’m at a point in my life where I can say “eff it” and not do it. But still…
He has a super thick mane, and I’ve always kept it short with scissors, but never really thinned it out well.
Can someone educate me on using thinning shears? I’d love to thin his mane without pulling.
Someone needs to build a better moustrap for how to thin and even-out a mane without pulling and they will be a millionaire! The scissoring trick works nicely on an already thin mane or if you don’t care about thickness, but if you need to thin a think mane the ONLY trick I have found that I can recommend at all is teasing it up as though you’re going to pull and then using a dull clipper blade right against the skin at the root of the hair-- pull against THAT instead of pulling out.
I hate manes. I would clean every sheath in the barn in exchange for someone dealing with my horse’s mane. I SERIOUSLY HATE IT.
I use the thinning scissors/flip method I described above. And I avoid pulling on ones that don’t like it. But everyone does know that it is much easier and more comfortable for the horse to pull the mane after exercise?
I can never get thinning scissors to do much of any good. Someone must make a pair that actually cuts hair since my beautician uses some on me that seem to produce results, but I sure haven’t bought them yet that work on my horse. Any recommendations?
