Mane Thinning

[ManyMinisFarm]

Hi, my stallion has a sorta thick mane and I was wanting to know how to thin it out but keep it looking good.

 

[Renolizzie]

Such a good question. Wonder what people will say.

 

[disneyhorse]

While you could try pulling it, most people opt for a slightly longer bridle path and then running the clippers to under cut (or over sometimes). It doesn't look great growing out, but since most minis are clipped before shows it's quick and easy to maintain.

 

[paintponylvr]

I don't under clip at home. I'm not sure about the smaller minis, but I've found with the 2 mature Shetland stallions (40 & 45" in height) that we've owned and the 2 jr stallions (3 this year - both look to mature 39/40"), they have part of their crest/mane thicker in some spots and thinner in others.

I did some h/j and we pull the mane. With the big guy, who was shown/presented at open shows as a h/j pony in 2005, I started with pulling completely to make him a h/j mane (the length of a dollar bill). To keep from thinning the thin areas too much, I used an old clipper blade as a "rough knife" and shortened the mane with a brisk up & down rubbing motion with the clipper blades (near his withers it was VERY thin, but about 1' long). It didn't friz any more than the rest of his mane that was pulled (his didn't have a tendency to frizz at all - some do). In the thickest area, I parted his mane and put the "top" over to the other side of his neck (had to braid it and tie it to his halter to keep it over for a bit) and then pulled all of his mane out on the bottom part (just like under clipping). However, it doesn't grow back the same as clipped mane does - grows back sparser and "softer" and automatically "trains" down under the rest instead of extending up thru the top portion like a trojan horse. Pulling takes time, as you literally pull only a few hairs at a time. I never got the mane done in one session on a pony, especially if they were only pulled once or twice a year.

In 2 years, his pulled mane grew back out in the "normal" look for a pony/horse with the middle being longer and pointed in a semi-v at the shoulder blades. I pretty much left it alone then, but continued to 1 or 2x yearly pull him in (he wasn't really working at that time) and would pull the thicker underside - which was much easier than had been previously. I then kept it about the same shape but just pulled to thin and shorten it a bit so it wasn't so heavy as he got older.

His normal, natural, pasture locks. He's 5 yrs old.

He's had it somewhat pulled and shortened. It was thickest from mid-black to first quarter of the white. Thinnest at bottom of white and the black at his withers.

Before his h/j campaign/trimming. He had come to us as a 3 yr old with his mane on the left and no amount of "training" or braiding or wrapping or sweating would make it lay to the right, so we just left it alone and showed him with it on the left. Most of the rest of our ponies had their manes trained to the right from "babyhood".

Pulled a bunch but not finished length.

3 months later after a show. 13 years old.

Back to normal pasture locks after a cleanup, basic pull & clip in Jul 08. 16 yrs old.

AJ lived out on pasture and paddocks his whole time with us. When he was body clipped in both 2000 and in 2005, he was blanketed in the pasture when ever the weather went cooler than 45*, but his coat was allowed to grow back in (he was clipped only once per year). The last couple of years he did wear a w/p blanket in the worst months, but he was never stalled. We purchased him in June 1995 and he lived thru July 2012.

 

[amysue]

It depends on his hair type. I had two stallions with thick manes get clipped along the side of the crest while being body clipped by a student. It looked okay on the petite stud until it grew in a bit then it was a mess to maintain. The heavier build Bond bred stud just looked rediculious in my opinion. He did not really have a cresty neck, but the clip job actually made it look like he did. I let the student maintain the cut for the duration of the season and it almost appeared to have made the mane look thicker not thinner or longer. I was always taught growing up to always pull and never cut the mane because that made it thicker. I ended up roaching his mane and letting it grow back normal. If I want a horses mane to thin out, I reverse pull it. To shorten a mane u grab the end, tease it with a comb in an upward motion, firmly pull the longest piece out. Repeating this will shorten and thin the mane leaving a natural look contoured to the neck. Just cutting across never looks natural. To thin it to appear longer, gently brush the mane out with a soft body brush. Combing it out intertwines the strand layers, but soft brushing it lets the layers sit on top of one another and allows you to isolate the short top hairs that you'll want to pull to thin it out with out leaving the telltale bald crest line. Good luck and take your time, you can always take more off, but you cant put it back in. Personally I like pasture manes the best. They always look so long and natural. You can achieve that look by refraining from combing it out for so long that the strands naturally taper and break off.

 

[Hayley~Diaz]

Depending on the horse itself, I usually always do some amount of pulling (as described above) as a bushy, long mane can hide good shoulders and a neck. I never let it get too long either. I do use a few clipping and make up techniques for the ring to enhance features too. Just depends on individuals horse and owner preference. Just my opinion.

Maybe post a picture of his mane?

 

[Marty]

Just wanted to let you know that if you are asking because your horse has a bushy or frizzy mane, not a lot is going to change it. You'll have to keep after it no matter which way you want to go, if you undercut, overcut, pull it, the remainder will still be bushy and frizzy like it was in the first place.

I slipped with the clippers and under cut it by accident when body clipping, then I shaved down a extra long bridle path so I didn't have to deal with so much of it. Then add your slop to what's left right before you enter the ring.

 

[Jill]

We have also under cut it to thin it for shows or if it's just thick and summer, to make them more comfortable.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

For very thick manes I will take a very small strip off by undercutting with the clippers (wider near the bridle path and thinning along the length of the neck) then I use human thinning shears on the under side of the mane (never the surface as I don't want multi length hairs to show) and randomly clip out some of the mane. I do a couple of clips, comb out the now loose hair and check how it looks, then if it needs more, I will repeat. By going slow I am sure to stop before I over do it and it seems to last pretty much the entire summer. I've never had a problem with the mane sticking up as it grows back in either as you can if you just undercut a strip completely. Be sure to clean up the top side of the mane, trim out the short fuzzy hairs growing along the neck etc. before starting so you are happy with what you are looking at before starting on the underside to thin.

 

[madmax]

I do not like undercutting for my horses, it is a mess growing out.. Whether for show or just to keep neat at home, this is what I do. I want to shorten the mane first by using a stripping comb, I grab a hank of hair and pull it up and out towards the rear of the horse and slide the blade in short strokes to shorten. It leaves then ends more natural instead of a even cutting.

I am from the school of pulling the mane using back combing and pulling hairs out from the underside.. To make this easier, a couple of weeks before doing this, I braid the entire mane in many braids with rubber bands and leave them in for that length of time. When taken down and combed out, the tangled mess created will all comb out into a thinner mane because of the breakage.

I also test the pulling and if it does not come out easily, I will wait until shedding times when it seems to let go better.

This is only what I do, not written in stone! Half of my horses have naturally thin manes and are no problem, the rest are a challenge for sure. I have a small stallion that has a very silky thin mane and I let it grow long because it is so pretty, but I do shorten it when it gets to his knees. It is thin enough that it does not drag on his neck.

I also have a boy that if you looked up frizzy in the dictionary his picture would be there. Go figure.

I use shorter and pulled for him.