Sable has this thick fluffy Thelwell mane, forelock and tail, even in summer. How do I get it thin, flat and shiny in appearance? I note that all of you people who show, have always got nice hair on the ponies and I always wondered how to get Sable's that way. I want her to look like a mini, not a fluffy, scraggly Thelwell pony
I have never thinned a tail, but for manes and forelocks, I undercut the mane and do a "V" on the sides of the forelock.
Some minis have a naturally "frizzy" type of mane / forlock / tail. Looking at Sable's pictures, hers looks a little that way but not extremely frizzed
I think undercutting will give hers a more sleek look.
I use a Mat Breaker tool like this Mat Breaker to thin manes, forelocks and shorten tails. It does a great job and keeps a natural look. Just be careful with it though, as the blades are sharp!
I have never really thinned out the tail or felt the need to. I think the forelock out by making a V and trimming it up around the sides a bit (Just a tad so its not noticable). Most of my minis have longer bridle paths and i always do a undercut under the mane. Undercutting just means you go in under the mane (the side it lays over on) with clippers and cut the hair that is underneatht that. It generally lays down flatter and sleaker and is not as poofy. The can make the undercut and thick or thing as you like for what the horse needs.
It's her forelock that drives me nuts. It stands straight up sometimes it is so poofy. I have gelled it, have tried conditioner on it, trimmed it with the V already and nothing seems to make it look the way I see it in show photos. And yes, I am truly bored sitting at home with no trailer to take her to shows with (and she isn't registered) so I am gussying her up for photos.
Talk about an adult living a girly dream OH!
I will have to try clippers. I have never done the clipper thing with her and just from knowing her, I know it won't go well!
I can picture the headlines already;
"Wild Eyed Woman Found Dragged Down Country Road by Clipper-Crazed Thelwell Pony."
[SIZE=12pt]One of my girls sports the "Tina Turner" look every Spring. I do the mane undercut and forelock 'V' as well. It was scary to do at first but it really looks good. The only cutting I do on the tail is using the brush stroke (turning the clipper backwards & 'brushing') to shape the top of the tail.[/SIZE]
OH!
