fixing a BAD haircut. Ideas or suggestions please.

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amysue

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So....some working students got over excited with the scissors and now a few of my minis look AWFUL! I mean, I may have to roach their manes and start over because they're so bad. I actually cried as I stumbled upon the huge pile of hair on the grooming bay floor. They cut forelocks blunt straight across and WAY too short, so short that they stick straight up now making their heads appear bigger than they are and frumpy. They also trimmed the manes to a choppy uneven blunt end that just makes their necks look chunky and rough as it breaks the smooth shilloette of the natural falling taper. They also went waaay overboard on the bridle paths so they make the necks look even worse. They even trimmed the last hairs on the mane at the withers so now they have littke alfalfa sprouts!!! The worst is my buckskin mare, Lacey, her forelock was gorgeous as it was about an inch longer than her face and now its blunt across her eyes and it makes her look like a bug eyed fly! Poor thing! I personally cannot stand forelocks trimmed straight across, I think that it widens the face by drawing attention horizontally across the eye at first glance. I know some diciplines trim this way, but in my opinion, my horses look better with naturally tapered manes I thought I laid down the rules on haircuts with the kids, but obviously I need to go over it again. I don't want to hurt their feelings, because they're awesome with my horses and I truly value their work, but I have to make sure it doesn't happen again. Seriously, I'm too embarassed to post pics of them. So...now I am wondering how long should it take for them to grow back? I just left it alone out of fear of making it worse (if thats even possible) by cutting any more off. Any ideas or suggestions? Thank goodness it is cold out now and they're in full winter fuzzies and we don't have any events coming up.
 
Time, time and more time. Hopefully, they'll grow out before spring events start.
 
Unfortunately there is nothing you can really do apart from give it time.

I agree with you 100% i cant stand seeing the forelock cut straight across, actually just told a good friend of mine off for doing the same to her standard bred horse. He had a big head already, now its huge.

Hope you have hidden the scissors from the students. Only positive that could come out of this for you would be to grab a few Pics so next time they know "This is NOT how to do it"
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Use a razor or the blade of your clipper to take the straight cut out. Still be short, but won't stick up as badly. Pull the blade underneath from the body out to the end of the hair. It will soften that whacked look. But we all know how fast their hair grows, so hopefully it won't be long before it looks better.
 
Pull their mane like a hunter's maybe? It will thin it and make it lay better as it grows out (hopefully!)

If you hold the forelock straight up and "chip" into the ends with scissors it will soften the hard line a little. Sort of like when you get your hair layered and the stylist combs it up and then nips into the ends.

That worked for me when we had a forelock disaster. But just take off little bits at a time until you see how it's going to look.
 
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First DEEP breath.....good....now another one. Been where you are and it seems like every single time you get a new person, especially an excited one, this seems to happen. When it happens I just keep reciting over and over "It's only hair, It's only hair". If the hair is long enough to lay down, you can use scissors(sparingly) to cut straight up from the bottom to take the bluntness away. Otherwise time heals, or in this case grows, most things. I find wine often helps also. The liquid inside keeps me happy while the bottle is good for so many things.
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I had to pour myself a tall jack and ginger after realizing almost every horse in the barn got "mutilated". I am afraid to try snipping away at it to taper it but it really can't look much worse. I am just afraid that the ones who had really long forelocks may never grow back quite the same. The older mares who have had this happen before have never looked the same.
 
You could try adding one of the many supplements that are supposed to help hoof growth, the same ingredients help with hair growth. Even just biotin can help.
 
The more jack and ginger you drink the better it will look.
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Try cutting into it as they do at the hairdressers, it will help it to look less bulky. If you do this every few weeks, without taking length of it , you will help to promote growth at the same time your thinning out the bulkiness.
 
Good ideas. Thank you all for the suggestions and support. They just look sooo awful. I used to feed a farnam supplement called "super 14" it seemed to work, but got expensive so I started buying whole flax seed and grinding it fresh in the coffee grinder every day. I will pick up a tub of biotin crumbles this week. Maybe MTG will help?
 
Nope, they're longer but still blunt cut straight across making their heads look ultra wide.
 
Now that its grown a little , try cutting into it. So comb down and then with your scissors cut up into it on a slight angle , like they do at the hair dressers, it will eliminate the "Bulky look" and thin out the bottom part
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I have been toying with this idea, but I am afraid to make it worse. I have been slathering them up with MTG and added a hair/coat supplement. Spring will be here before long, body clipping will begin amd then I think I may try to taper things.
 

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