I have been asked to share how I roach the boys manes. I like their manes to stand up a bit so I don't clip them down to the skin. I like that look on a sleek horse but on a fluffy pony I think it looks a bit silly. That's my personal opinion! I am not saying you can't do it that way. It's certainly easier.
To start, I give them a good brushing. I brush out the mane, so there aren't any tangles if it's long, and I brush it if it's short - to make sure my clippers will slide through it easily.
If the mane is long, I will use scissors to cut the bulk of the length off.
Then, I grab my clippers. I first clip the bridle path. I usually keep this short, just wide enough for the halter strap or bridle straps.
Next, to roach the mane, I put one hand behind where I'm working and "comb" the clippers from the base of the mane up to the top, slowly clipping the hair. I clip it shorter on the outside of the roached mane and leave the middle longer.
Lastly, I go over the top of the mane with my scissors. Make sure you have nice sharp scissors. If they are dull, they can pull the mane more than snip it, making the pony rather irritated. Whoever said they don't have feeling in their manes was crazy!!
I have curved scissors for grooming my dogs. They are very sharp and a great shape for shaping the roached mane. I can use them to get that lovely curve at the withers and up behind the ears. These are rather pricey, so using regular scissors work too. If you are going to be roaching often the curved scissors are worth the money!
These are the clippers I have - Andis Pro-Clip Super Two Speed w/ detachable blades - spring green
These are similar to my scissors - Hashimoto Curved Scissors for Dog Grooming
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