Thin, yucky mane that goes everywhere

My mare has super thin and medium fine hair for her mane. I want to do something with it but I'm on the fence about pulling it. Has anyone ever pulled a thin mane and does it look ok short?? Also does anyone know of anything to make it thicker BESIDES the fake manes?

Thanks!!
Posted via Mobile Device

I've never pulled a mane so I can't help you there, but my horse did have a decent mane, not too thick not too thin. I cut it shorter and now it is super thick!

My pony had rubbed out a section of her mane this past summer and I just roached it to make it even and used MTG. Now her mane is almost mid-neck and a lot thicker, but her mane still isn't thick compared to other horses.

When pulling thin manes, I usually pull a little and then feather the rest with scizzers. You don't want to thin the mane out too much in an already thin maned horse because it will stand up like a mohawk. Feather it with scizzers so it looks pulled, not cut.
Posted via Mobile Device

I wouldn't pull, but a shorter mane does sometimes look a bit thicker. You can just cut it so that you aren't actually thinning it but there is a major trick to making it look natural. Here is what I do

Wet or gel the mane to the wrong side. It needs to be good and wet if you are using water as you have to make it lay perfectly on the wrong side. Then slowly and carefully cut it to about 1/2 inch longer than you would like. I usually do it about an adult hands width. Then flip it over to the correct side and fluff a little so it is laying more the way it naturally does and then trim any pieces that are obviously much longer than the rest. Avoid the temptation to make it perfect right now. Wait about a week before doing more evening out because sometimes after about a week it looks natural on it's own.

A product to help keep it smoothed down for shows, etc that I like to use is something called Hask Placenta. Click Here to see it You get it in beauty supply stores such as Sally Beauty Supply. It's really good for strengthening the hair and yet it also noticeably smooths it down for a few hours. Stay away from anything with alcohol or other drying agents as they will cause breakage which is a thin mane's worst nightmare.

I know this is going to be un-popular but:

Diet CAN help. It isn't the be-all-end-all for what Mother Nature gave the horse in the first place but diet can help.

My 25 yr old with equine metabolic syndrome has always had a "B" in the mane department. It almost dipped to a "D" when the EMS exploded on him.

Last year he started having frequent colics until I figured out he can no longer eat more than 1 to 1-1/2 pounds of "stuff" in his feed pan anymore.

Along with feeding him three times a day, I switched him to a high dose liquid vitamin that only requires he eat one ounce daily

Since starting him on the liquid vitamin last October, his mane has gotten a bit thicker and has grown a couple more inches. It's a little wavy and not-at-all fly away.

His tail always did drag the ground but now it drags the ground by close to a foot. I don't keep it wrapped, so that means he's out in pasture dragging it all over the place without it breaking off

Making sure the horse is worm-free is also critical to a healthy coat/mane

The only real fix to obtain a truly luxurious mane that wasn't born into beauty, is to buy extensions if the horse is going into the ring