A set of mane thinners is a very useful item to keep in your grooming kit. Whether you’re looking to shorten or thin your horse’s mane to make plaiting easier, or you’re simply trying to tame their wild locks, many horse owners agree that the traditional way of pulling a mane isn’t the easiest (or kindest) way to do it. A lot of horses dislike having their mane pulled, and so alternatives methods have had to be found.
To get the best results when you’re pulling a horse’s mane, you need to thin it as well as shorten it, and there there are a growing number of products that claim to do this in a humane way, such as mane thinners. Our tester used a number of mane pulling products on two horses for over 12 months. Neither horse likes having their mane pulled, so she was keen to see how they reacted to this new method of tidying. As well as assessing her horses’ behaviour, our tester also considered how easy the products are to use and how effective they are at giving a neat and natural finish. Each product is marked out of five for ease of use, effectiveness and value for money.
The Your Horse test: mane thinners
The Solocomb
Solocomb
Is it easy to use?
“This is a simple piece of kit that is easy to use. The handle of the comb is rubberised, which makes it easy to hold. To cut the mane you simply press down the lever on the top of the comb handle and the blade cuts the mane. The horse feels no pain or discomfort — not even a pull.”
Does it do a good job?
“The more I use the SoloComb the better the results I get. At first one of my horses still thought I was going to pull hair out, as the technique you use is similar — back combing hair before pressing the lever to cut through the mane — and he was anticipating the hair being pulled out. He soon realised that pulling hair out wasn’t going to happen and now stands quietly to have his mane shortened. You can’t be greedy. To get the best results only cut a small amount of hair at a time.”
Value for money?
“This is an affordable piece of kit and very good value because it does a good job. The blade has done both of my horses’ manes several times. You can buy replacement blades.”
RRP £20.49 (US$42.99)
Buying in the UK? Purchase here
Buying in the USA? Purchase here
Solorake
Is it easy to use?
“This rake is so easy and quick to use for mane thinning. The shape of the handle makes it comfortable to use too. I’ve used this product on my both my horses’ manes and tails with great results. All you do is comb through the mane and tail in the usual way. I recommend combing through with a regular mane comb first to remove any knots and tangles for best results.”
Does it do a good job?
“This is a double-headed rake and it makes short work of thinning out thick manes. I’ve used it a lot on an Irish Sport Horse who has a particularly thick mane and who thoroughly dislikes having his mane pulled. The SoloRake does the job and my horse stands quietly while I use it. I found that I just needed to tidy the length up a little once I finished thinning the mane.”
Value for money?
“I think this is great value for a handy mane thinning rake.”
RRP £20.49 (US$25.95)
Buying in the UK? Purchase here
Buying in the USA? Purchase here
Lincoln Thinning Knife
Is it easy to use?
“This is a neat bit of kit that folds away neatly (like a pen knife) when you’re not using it for easy storage in a grooming kit or similar. The wooden handle is a good shape and provides good grip. It took a few goes with this to perfect my technique as you have to make sure you hold the hair you want to remove tightly, otherwise it doesn’t cut very well.”
Does it do a good job?
“Once I’d got my technique sorted I got on very well with this thinning knife. It important not to try and remove too much hair at a time in order to get the best results. It’s great for quick tidy ups to keep my horse’s mane at a good length for easy plaiting. Both of my horses are happy to stand quietly while I shorten and tidy their manes.”
Value for money?
“This is very good value and a useful item to have. I will definitely buy it again.”
RRP £13.50 (US$39.99)
Buying in the UK? Purchase here
Buying in the USA? Purchase here
Smart Grooming Pro Levelling Knife
Is it easy to use?
“This handy knife has proved to be great for tidying manes. It’s easy to hold and the wide blade makes it effective as well as easy to use.”
Does it do a good job?
“This knife leaves a natural looking finish to a mane, which I like. It also doesn’t take very long to work down the mane and get it nice and level. One of my horses still isn’t keen on having her mane back combed, as she thinks I’m going to pull the hair out, but she is getting better the more I use this knife. I found that it works best when used with a rake to thin the mane first.”
Value for money?
“This is very good value. It is a great piece of kit to have in your grooming kit for regular mane touch-ups. You can choose between a blade for fine or coarse hair.”
RRP £14.95 (US$19)
Buying in the UK? Purchase here
Buying in the USA? Purchase here
Smart Grooming Smart Manes Thinning Rake
Is it easy to use?
“This rake is quick and simple to use: simply brush the mane onto the wrong side and brush it through, before running the rake through from the top of the neck down. It’s a quick job — just run the rake over the area of mane that you want thinning a couple of times. I found it quick and easy to use. It is particularly handy for horses who dislike their mane being backcombed — as is the case with my horse — because there is no need to backcomb the mane at all. It removes a lot of the stress associated with mane pulling for both of you.”
Does it do a good job?
“I found this rake really effective, but you need to be careful you don’t get too much mane in it at once. I only use it on the thickest part of the mane and both of my horses stand quietly while it is done. You need to tidy up and level off the mane after you’ve thinned it to give a neat appearance.”
Value for money?
“This isn’t a cheap thinning rake, but it feels like it is good quality and it is still working well after heavy use. Replacement heads are available to buy separately and are available for fine, coarse or medium hair.”
RRP From £39.95 (US$49)
Buying in the UK? Purchase here
Buying in the USA? Purchase here
Roma Mane Comb and Thinning Blade
Is it easy to use?
“This mane comb is a really handy addition to your grooming kit. It’s easy to hold and you can use it just as a comb or turn it over so that the blade is facing the mane to thin and shorten. Think of it as a two in one. If your horse’s mane needs a quick touch up, you don’t even to swap mane combs.”
Does it do a good job?
“I got on better with this one when I used it as a finishing off comb. The blade copes well with levelling off the length of the mane, but I found that it struggled to thin out my horse’s mane. I’ve used it on both of my horses several times and the blade still has some life left in it.”
Value for money?
“This is an absolute bargain for such a handy item! It is very good value because it works well at shortening and tidying. I think everyone should have one in their grooming kit at home and one on the lorry for final touch ups when you’re out at a show.”
RRP £2.70 (US$8)
Buying in the UK? Purchase here
Buying in the USA? Purchase here
Metal Thinning Razor
Is it easy to use?
“I like the longer handle on this comb which makes it easy to hold and use. I also like that blades can be easily replaced when needed. As well as manes and tails, it can be used to thin feathers on a horse’s legs, so it’s a handy razor to have.”
Does it do a good job?
“This razor is not as effective at thinning out the mane as some of the others products I’ve used and tested, but I found it good for levelling off the mane after it had been thinned. It did work a little better on the tail. The blades do need replacing quite often.”
Value for money?
“This is a useful bit of kit that won’t break the bank.”
RRP £4.99
Buying in the UK? Purchase here
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