mini mane

[miniluv777]

Hi - i am new here and have my first mini that i adore! She is about 18 months old and I am wondering what in the world I can do with her mane come spring time. In the pic she's standing in wind. It lays a little flatter than than, but it's so thick. How do I "thin" it without ruining it? Thanks much.

 

[targetsmom]

Welcome to the forum from CT!!!

This is a very common problem with minis and you will probably hear lots of different solutions. Thinning shears will help. What many people do (especially for shows) is to clip along the underside of the mane and then along the "top side" so that you narrow the mane area. The problem with doing this is that you have to keep at it because as the hairs grow out, they stick straight up. And of course, you want to start gradually and check to see how you like it. For showing people also use hair gel or similar products to get the hair to lay flat.

You can also pull the mane like Quarter Horse and Paint people do. They do it to shorten the mane, but you can pull and not shorten - if your horse will let you and you don't mind pulling hair out by the roots.

 

[ruffian]

When it's warm enough to bathe her, use a shampoo and conditioner on it and you will find that a lot will come out with the "wash" so to speak. That may thin it out enough. You can also use a product such as Cowboy Magic to smooth it out. If all else fails, use clippers on the underside to take some off. If you aren't going to show her, you probably don't need to thin it a whole lot.

Congratulations on getting your first mini! Can't wait to hear about your 2nd, 5th, 20th, etc.!!