My filly either refuses to have her mane pulled, or she just won't stand still. Help?

I'm shortening my filly's mane for showing, and since it is so long and thick, I tried pulling it.
I trimmed it with scissors until it was two inches longer than I want the finished length, then I tried pulling it. She was SOOO BAD!! She does not stand still for more than two seconds, and constantly swings her hindquarters out at me, even managing to step on my foot. She is never this disrespectful! It doesn't matter how few strands I take. I know some horses just don't like their manes pulled, but she doesn't stand well for scissors, either. I don't have this issue when I normally groom her, but I know she does get a little fidgety with her mane. That's the way she's always been, and I have no clue why! I've had her since she was born, so I don't think it is any past experience.

I have to get her mane shortened and thinned. She isn't as bad with scissors as she is with pulling, so I could just cut it (that's what I do for my gelding anyway, because he has a thin mane), but the issue is that it also has to be thinned out. It is way too thick for braiding. Is there anything I can do? I know people like Solo Combs, but that is wayyyy too expensive for me.

Also, she does the same thing with clippers, no matter how quiet they are. Any suggestions?

She need some manners!!

Its rude to not stand still, then swing her hindquarters at you.. that's a threat!!

I would work on her manners, then worry about the trimming later. :)

How many hairs are you pulling at a time? Keep it to four hairs per pull and do a sharp yank. Think of eyebrow plucking, a few at a time is tolerable, not a tweezer full. Be sure to take from the underneath.

Have you ever spent time to teach her to stand? If you haven't, then expecting her to stand for that, even if she isn't scared of the clippers or having her mane pulled is asking too much. I would go back and work with her, because chances are if you are showing her she will have to stand still quite a bit, so it isn't worth skipping over it. Take the time.

What I do is just have them stand at the end of the lead after lunging, or after doing any sort of work like disengaging their hindquarters. If they start fidgeting I ask them to think or work, and they soon learn it is so much easier to stand still than to bop around. Hope it helps, good luck. :)

Yep, this is exactly how I taught her! Normally she is never this bad. She stands fine for everything except clipping and pulling. Which is why I don't understand! Because she is normally so well-mannered.

It you do it right after a good workout when she is still warm her pores will still be open and it might be less painful for her.

As for manners you can teach then and they can know but I know with one of my mares with everything new or that she is not used to she will test to see if the normal manners rules still apply.

Like someone else mentioned, pull manes after a workout, when she is hot and her pores are open. Also, make sure you really are only pulling a few hairs at once, and that its a quick, sharp motion, instead of a slowww drawn out one, I can imagine that hurting a lot more.

If she only acts this way when you pull her mane, its obviously out of pain, nervousness, etc., which is understandable, although is definitely not a reason for her to be acting that way in my opinion. You could always try a hay net or something, maybe she is just focusing on what your doing too much to relax? I'm not saying to keep her from acting poorly, but rather as a reward for good behavior, if that makes any sense?

BTW my mare HATES clippers at this point, too, but all I can say on that is just taking the time and the patience to desensitize her to them a little every day.

Good luck!:)

I have a filly w a thick mane and tail (as opposed to my mare's silky, but sparse mane/tail). So of course I want to "play" with the filly's hair. She is always "busy" being a youngster. It is boring for them to just stand there whilst you fiddle with their mane. Heck, even I can't stand having to sit and have my hair cut. A hay net gives them something to fiddle with.