Pulling :P (the mane)

In the beginning

Hey guys :) Here is a tutorial on how to pull your horses mane. I have some pictures of Shannon, my intense mare. I say intense, she seems to think whenever blue is out of her sight that we are harming her or him!

Before we start, please do not judge Shannon on this, I just haven't had time to tidy her up properly since its still winter :(
Yes, dandruff, sorry! She just get it bad when winter rugs come!
Tip
Try using a rubber curry comb to bring the embedded dandruff to the surface. Then use a duster to remove the dandruff. (THERE IS NO SOLUTION TO DANDRUFF IN THE MANE OTHER THAN COMBING IT OUT)

So, lets start by putting it in stages.

Stage 1
Comb mane throughout, thoroughly so there are no tangles. Using detangler spray or condition spray is helpful to get tangles out and also to keep the hair in good condition (key to successful pulling).

Stage 2

Comb down the hair until you get to the thinnest hairs. Keep this in mind over how short you want the mane but at the start pull these hairs out first.








Stage 3

Take a grip of the longest hairs and comb it upwards until they are only remaining.
Do this thoroughly as to maximize the ease of removing the hairs.










Stage 4
This is where you have options as to how you pull the hair.
Option 1
Pulling with your fingers. You can simply take a hold of the hair and swiftly strike down to remove the hairs (any form of gloves are helpful here, especially surgical gloves). Make sure that your motions are swift as to not cause pain to the horse. Also try very little hair to start with if you have never pulled your horses mane before as they could react badly.

This is my technique if I am going to use just my fingers to pull the hair out. That is to overlap my middle finger and then strike down with that middle finger making it a very swift, easy motion.
However just gripping the hair like the picture above is fine, the thicker the bit of hair the harder you will find to do this though.




Option 2

This is my preferred option when I have a really thick mane which also needs thinning.
You bring the hair through the bottom of the comb, through the teeth, then back over, down and through the teeth again. Then grip the comb and swiftly pull down to remove the hair.




Stage 5
At the end spray the mane with conditioner and work it into the tips. Also ensure any sensitive roots which have become stimulated by the pulling are clean and healthy. Then just comb the mane, fully again.

Finished!
There we go, that's how you pull a mane. Again remember this is the way I do it, along with many others. It doesn't necessarily mean it will work for you, but if you try out a few techniques there will be something that works for your horse.

(This is getting shorter in due course, I just do it gradually)