The Best Way to Thin a Horse's Mane

While you can thin a horse's mane in several ways, pulling by hand is the most effective method. Pulling involves using a comb to brush the horse's hair while pulling out the long strands with your hands. This practice ensures the mane will lay flat and even. Using scissors on the mane will make the hair fall out in clumps, and using a pulling comb to remove the hair will irritate the skin and teach the horse to fear grooming. Pulling by hand will keep your horse's mane looking tidy while providing your horse with a peaceful grooming experience.

Things You'll Need

  • Mane comb
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Instructions

    • 1

      Comb your horse's mane over to the wrong side --- the side of the neck to which the hair does not naturally fall. Combing on the wrong side of the mane ensures that any hair pulled out will be on the underside once you flip the mane back over.

    • 2
      Comb out knots before you begin pulling hair from your horse's mane.

      Flip the mane back over to the right side. Comb out any knots.

    • 3

      Examine the mane. Notice where the hair is longest along your horse's neck. Begin with the longest section, and grasp the ends in your non-combing hand.

    • 4

      Pull the hair taut. While grasping the ends with one hand, use the other hand to backcomb the hair. As you do so, the shorter pieces will bunch up toward the neck, leaving you holding only the longest strands.

    • 5

      Pull out the long strands in a swift yanking motion. This technique will not hurt the horse, but it may grow impatient, so do it as quickly as possible. Pull several strands at once rather than a whole handful.

    • 6

      Repeat this procedure along your horse's mane. If the mane does not look even, wait a few days to see how the mane will fall naturally before attempting to pull the mane again.