Hey there-
I have attached a picture of my QH Roo.
As long as I have had her, she has had a long mane. Before she was mine, she was a cutting horse. I focus more on English events, so do you think I should pull her mane? It isn't exactly unhealthy looking. It has a little bit of frizz but is pretty thick. My instructor told me if I didn't want to pull it, but still wanted to show, that I could try braiding it.
What do you guys think?
Also- if I were to pull, what is the best way to start, since it has some length?
She has a beautiful mane! I don't think she needs a pulled mane... If you are doing english shows however, you can always try a running braid. You can youtube it to find videos.
I wouldn't pull it, if I were you I'd just braid it, I think braided manes look better than pulled. I like hairy horses so I always say no to pulling lol Posted via Mobile Device
I wouldn't pull it, her mane looks pretty, but you could cut it with scissors if you want it shorter. Pulling a horses mane will make it a little shorter, but it will also thin it out a lot, and her mane looks fine.
I wouldn't pull it either, its just the right length for braids....there are actually braiding books for mane and tail that are really helpful for show horses. you can google it and a few come up. One of the horses in my pasture is a timed event horse, she has a super long mane so i do a running braid on it and looove the way it looks!!
She would look lovely with a pulled mane - but the decision is yours.
To pull such a long mane you wouold want to spend several weeks doing it as she would be uncomfortably sore if you do it all in one go.
The aim of a pulled mane it to get the mane the same length and thickness from top to wither. So you work on a mix of scissors and a pulling comb. I use a dog comb with a handle on it as I find it is less likely to break the mane off. Thinning scissors and hair scissors.
Start by looking at the hair by the withers, noting the thickness of the mane here, often I just shorten this with scissors. Take a few long hairs, and with the comb back comb the rest of the hairs out of the way. Cut the remaining hair at an angle to the length that you want the mane to finish. Keep doing this until all the hairs are the right length.
Now work on the rest of the mane - best done when the horse comes back from work and the pores are open - hair comes out more easily. Grasp a few of the longest hairs and back comb the rest out of the way, wrap these hairs around the comb and pul quickly to remove the hairs. Rub the horses neck quickly to ease the discomfort. Some horses hate having their manes pulled but generally get used to it and tolerate it if you don't do to much in one session.
Work your way along the mane randomly removing long hairs. Repeat this every few days until either the mane is the length you want or the thickness you want.
If the mane reaches the thickness you want before being short enough - you will need to finish it as you did the area near the mane. If it is short enough but still thick then you will need to use the thinning scissors.
Work mostly from the underside of the mane with the thinning scissors back combing some hair out of the way and cutting across at an angle with the thinning scissors.
To help reduce the discomfort you can try rubbing oil of cloves into the skin, this numbs the skin slightly and makes it less painful.
Take your time pulling the mane - a little every day is best and then keep it tidy by pulling a few hairs every few days.
A picture after would be nice. I like my manes about 3 - 4" in length - I do small English plaits for shows and I like them small and neat.
She has rubbing at the top, may or may not be visible after you put a nice running braid in her mane for English. If you are just showing English, I would cut, thin, pull. Much easier to work with & looks great short after it's been flattened out by slinky & you are not braiding.
I wouldn't pull it, but trim it so it's shorter for the English events. Then, if it's too thick at the top and looks kind of ridiculous, then you can pull it. That's just what I would do pretty mare! Posted via Mobile Device
Thanks guys! She is my baby... I am still very indecisive. I think she would look cute with a pulled mane, and it would be easier to manage. At the same time, we get lots of summertime pests and she gets some relief from her long mane. Decisions, decisions!!
IF the mane is in good condition, I agree with the others that you can use a running braid. If you aren't familiar with it, it is essentially a french braid down the length of the neck, close to the crest at the top and angling downward as you get towards the withers. If you do decide to shorten for regular braids, use scissors to cut to about 6 inches and then pull from there down to the desired length. Some people like a shorter mane to braid, others a little longer. I stick to about the 4" length. To pull without thinning pull from the center rather than underneath and as noted, if there is a lot, do the pulling in more than one session. It helps if you don't "yank" the mane but just hold pressure and allow the skin to naturally release the hair. It takes a little longer but it seems to avoid a lot of tenderness later.
My first horse was a Morgan/Welsh cross and he had a long mane that was incredibly thick. Just out of sheer desperation I used the running braid since individual braids took hours due to the thickness. He ended up getting roached later on but that is another story
i do have to agree with the others who say that you should leave her mane. I keep two of my guys manes natural and i like the looks and they are so much more comfortable in the summer and winter. I do have to pull my other mares mane and do her whiskers and clip her dock etc... because i event her and i don't really have any other options. Depending on what kind of English showing you are doing you should be fine with your mar having a long mane. Some people my mom for one example can't stand anything but the natural look so im not even aloud to give my ottb a bridle path, but with any mane i would suggest a bridle path and keep it maintained! Good luck and have fun with your new girl!
I'm going to be the odd one out and say that I think she'd look cute with it pulled. Especially if you're going to do english and want to do braids, it just makes you and your horse look 'put together'.
If you're serious about English riding, mainly shows, it needs to be pulled. She's cute, but would be more presentable and professional looking pulled.
I would, but I like a short mane - less upkeep. I spend enough time on the tail!
Try getting a razor thinning blade. It can take some practice to get a real "pulled" look, but I use the blade to shorten the mane to slightly, SLIGHTLY longer than I want, if the mane is thick, then I take the blade underneath and razor through the underside a couple of times. Omit this and just razor it where you want it if the mane is thinner. Brush it out when you're done, even up any spots with the razor, and trim any loose hairs with scissors.
I was told by season trainers,If you are want a nice mane for banding or braiding don't be pulling/thinning:-(. You start pulling out the mane well those hairs you pull grow back & later in season you end up with all these short little hairs poking out your nicely banded or braided mane. Over the season with the grooming & banding it will naturally thin some on its own.Start with a nicely washed mane,if your horse is blessed with a thick mane well you just have more work cut out for you,having to make more bands or braids:lol: After banding or if you just want to shorten & clean up the natural mane edges to make them neat/even a final trim is in order.Once your horse's mane is banded, curls and cowlicks will lie flat, making the mane appear longer And some sections may be longer than others.To finish mane "edges" off to more desired length & natural look, not the chopped off cut, many people will use thinning shears.You can get a similar result too by using a pair of straight scissors positioned up into the mane about one-quarter to a half-inch deep; then snip up and down the length of the mane.
If you are planning to go short & are starting with a really long mane,go ahead & shorten it "part" way with just a blunt cut,you'll be cleaning it to be more natural looking later but have it a more reasonable length to work with to start banding/braiding:wink:
What a wonderful looking mane! It's long, and would probably be perfect for braiding! I wouldn't pull it at all. It just doesn't look necessary. Try conditioning it, and the frizz will go away, and just keep it in good shape and braiding will be a breeze . Please though, it would look much better un-pulled.
You will find the mane grows thicker in about the middle third of the neck. If you thin this a bit from the underside she will still have the protection yet will be easier to comb out.
Aw beautiful mare, and I love her mane! Must be fun to brush and braid!
For pulling, it's really up to you, it all depends on your preference. However, last year when my horse rubbed some of his mane, I just cut it all to a short length with small scissors, and looked just fine.
Pulling looks more natural tho, you'll need a pulling comb for it, and if you are unsure how to start/do it just talk to an experienced friend, trainer, etc.
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