How to Pull a Horse's Mane

Stock breeds show with short manes. Hunters jumpers and dressage horses show with braided manes - which requires the mane to be short. While some people think you should just cut the mane to the length you want, that's not correct. Learn to properly pull a mane to help your horse look his best.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Halter
• Lead rope
• Trimming shears (optional)
• Comb
• Gloves

1. Halter your horse and take him to the wash rack.

2. Tie your horse in the wash rack and wash his mane with shampoo.

3. Let the mane dry.

4. Start in the middle of your horse's mane and grab a three inch section.

5. Use your comb to comb the section of mane backwards - towards your horse's neck. This will cause most of the hair to "bunch" up near your horse's neck.

6. Wrap the remaining long hairs around the comb and pull firmly. The goal is to pull the hair out by the roots. You'll need to do just a few hairs at a time.

7. Comb the "bunched" up mane down and repeat until the mane is the desired length.

8. Once the section is the correct length, move to the next section and repeat all the steps.

Tips & Warnings

• If your horse has a particularly thick or long mane, you can thin it and shorten it with mane trimming shears before pulling it. That'll save you some effort.

• You may want to wear gloves as you pull the mane to prevent cutting your hands.

• If you haven't pulled a mane before, practice weeks or months before its time to go to a show.

• Some horses do not like having their mane pulled and may need to be sedated.

• Don't use scissors to cut straight across the mane. It looks unnatural and short, thick manes will stand out, instead of laying flat.