How to Plait Your Horse’s Mane is a useful skill for any Equestrian, so we thought we would share our 5 Step Process to Perfect Plaits, so that you and your horse will be Dazzling at the Competitions all year long. I plait using elastic bands, that’s because when I stitch, my OCD goes into over drive and then I have to have my plaits surgically removed! Which, proves too expensive long term, so there you go, Elastic Bands it is!
Step 1 – Get that Mane in Order!
This is very important step. Have your horses mane pulled well ahead of show day, so that he is not uncomfortable or sore.
I personally no longer pull manes, unless I have a horse that doesn’t mind, and all of mine do! I prefer to use a thinning comb and then just trim the mane so that it appears pulled. I put effort in to making sure that the mane feels pretty even for the whole length of the neck as this will help keep my plaits more even later on, during the plaiting phase.
Step 2 – Prepare the mane for plaiting.
In this step I organise the length of the mane into even sections, to ensure that my plaits look even the whole way along the neck. I damp the mane with a sponge and put an elastic band around each section of hair ready for plaiting.
Step 3 – Hair Gel and Plait down.
You may think that only super models and John Travolta in Greece use Hair Gel ( really showing my age now!), but for my horses nothing is too good;-) I use a small amount of hair gel, along each section of hair as I plait. Yes your hands can get a little sticky but hair gel helps to keep all stray hairs in place, so that you get a very clean crisp look when you’re done. Just keep some baby wipes at hand to counteract the sticky fingers!
Step 4 – Roll Up for Excellence;-)
Once I have plaited all of the mane, I then roll up all of the plaits together. This way I can keep all the plaits looking crisp and as even as possible, and can position them to show my horse’s neck off in the best light!
Step 5 – French Plait the Forelock.
The French Plait in your horse’s Forelock is certainly the Cherry on the top of the Plaiting Cake! If you can do it well, it will give your horses turn out, the most beautiful of finishes. I have included a beautiful picture of a French Plait in the forelock from www.themanebraid.com this gives you the idea of just how good this plait looks when done well. It can be a difficult plait to master in the forelock, so give yourself plenty of time to practice.
My horse Ed does not like a French Plait in his forelock, he is just too impatient when it comes to plaiting, full stop! You know the type; the gelding who thinks that all this primping stuff is only for girls! When I have a horse like this, I use a nice bit of hair gel in the forelock to get a good tight plait that looks good when you roll it up.
Well that’s my 5 Steps on How to Plait Your Horse’s Mane. Remember Lots of Practice Makes Perfect, enjoy your primping sessions with your horse and when you get to your next show, send us in your pictures of you and your horse in all your Finery! Happy Plaiting, Until Next Time,
To Your Equestrian Success,
Roma