My morgan pony has a long morgan pony mane. I am not a fan of the long mane look personally, nor it’s maintenance, so it’s gotta go.
What’s your method for long mane elimination? Cut first, then pull, then trim?
We cut length first then thin with scissors up intimate the length left on horse. Thin until you like it. With practice it will look as nice as a pulled mane. If you do want some mane, you might want to cut it a bit longer than you think. With shortening, thinning, mane will lift, maybe split on crest of neck. Longer hair helps keep it laying down a bit better. And you can always cut it shorter again!
Our horse have extremely thick manes, pulling got to be painful to my hands and the horses. This is why we started scissor thinning, much easier. We keep that look on the young horses. The working horses are now roached for summer. They cool faster, saves mane braiding and thinning. They grow out to a perfect braiding length over winter should we want a longer mane look. So far, the roached necks are the preferred look here.
Can you describe the thinning technique?
I cut to perhaps 2" of desired length, then thin with scissors pointed up parallel to the mane, and then finish it by pulling.
Keeps the pulling to a minimum!
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I comb the mane to the wrong side and cut to the “desired” length there, with the mane lying as relaxed as possible, but still held somewhat flat if necessary. Just don’t HOLD it down. This will result in a longer-than-desired length when put back to to the right side. But it also helps stagger the lengths of the hairs more similar to how a mane ends up with regular pulling.
Once back on the right side, I’ll straight cut any obvious misses in length, then hold the mane down in sections to do another short bit of removal straight across, and THEN I’ll do some vertical cuts if things look too straight across.
This avoids any real need to pull. If things need thinning, then how you do that is up to you (and the horse LOL)
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If they cooperate with pulling, that is my method. Cut with scissors to something just a bit longer than where I want to end up. Then I pull to thin and shorten, then clean up the cut with either a blade or scissors.
The good thing with hair is that it grows. So if you totally screw up, it will recover! So you can play around with the methods to find the one that works best.
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Everyone has mentioned the methods I use (I no longer pull). But I wanted to add that a great mane is done over time. So start way before your first show! Work on it a little bit once or twice a week for a more natural look.
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I agree with everyones suggestions… another suggestion to help get the pulled look without pulling is once it its close to the desired length, back comb a small section like you would pull, but instead trim with a clipper blade… By this i mean take a detachable clipper blade ( i use an older 10 or T-84, older is better… you don’t necessarily want it to be super sharp) and the sort of saw down the section mane you want to shorten or cut. Its sort of like the way a hair stylist will take the scissors and scrape down you hair to make layers. not sure that make sense. but it helps create a more natural edge to the finished mane, not so choppy like a scissor edge might appear.
Wavy Morgan hair can hide some of the cut-mane sins that show up more obviously in fine, straight manes.
I also flip to the other side for a baseline cut and then return it to the original side to make vertical snips until it is even but not blunt.
Mine has a mane that is thick enough near her head to create a bit of a fro when short, but thins out gradually and consistently as you move toward the withers. To have even braids (and not doorknob-sized button braids nearest her head) I have to thin certain areas. I keep a pulling comb in my grooming tote and do a couple quick pulls after every ride. Not enough to create significant pain, but if I keep up with it it prevents the top part from being too unruly. I have yet to find a scissor thinning technique that reduces bulk significantly enough for braiding without creating a lot of short frizzies that defy tidy braiding.
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Excellent advice everyone. Do I need real thinning shears, or will my duct tape slashing, hay string cutting scissors suffice?
I blunt cut to right length, then hold scissors vertically and snip away to soften the edge. lastly use a mane rake to thin it if still too thick. Done in 5 mins, tops.
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I use a solo comb to shorten, then pull to thin.
Take clippers and roach it off.
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Seriously considering! I love a roached mane, but she doesn’t have the neck for it I don’t think.
I didn’t think my gelding had the neck to have a roached off mane. But he got into cockle burs and it was so matted up with burs there was no getting them out. Took clippers and roached it off, he look good with no mane i was surprised. Better than spending hours trying to untangle the massive mess he had.
Regular old scissors are fine! I use a big pair of Fiskars 
(As long as you’re talking about the parts where you cut it straight across, or the parts where you thin with the scissors pointed straight up into the mane!)
When I used to have to deal with a super thick and long mane, I got one of these:
It’s super easy to use. I would hold chunks at the ends and pull down enough to create some tension. Then slide the comb through, starting however high up you want to go. You can take off a lot or a little, depending on which side you use and how much pressure you use. It looks really natural when you’re done. And at $7, one of the cheapest tools you can buy!
I actually use human thinning shears to seriously cut mane. I will cut to the proper length with the thinning shears on day 1. I do the same on Day 2 (yes, the mane is thick and then looks thin at a certain point). I do the same on day 3 and day 4… When the remaining mane is very thin, I cut it with regular scissors with the points facing up to trim off the remaining mane. This is time consuming and fugly for several days, but the result looks like a pulled mane without pulling. Lots of great suggestions!
I’m having a hard time picturing this. You cut the mane straight across with the thinning shears? How does that thin the mane that’s left and what’s the benefit of doing it this way versus just taking the length off all at once with regular scissors? I’m intrigued, but think I must be missing something.
Awesome!
I’ve been using the clipperblade method, but with a really thick mane it gets tiring holding that little square of metal.
This looks like it would be so much easier on my hands.
Off to Sally’s …
I also like a roached mane - especially for those with Trolldoll syndrome or a mane that flops to both sides.
For my refined mini (whose mane is of the Trolldoll variety) for Show season I also roach the near side of the mane at the base so it looks like it falls naturally to the right side only.
