Plaiting Braids for the Show- Do it right!

Here some tips and tricks how you can plait the perfect plaits to impress the judge and may get one or two points more in the competition!

BEFORE

• Before you start you should to make sure that the length of the mane is not longer than 8 Inch. The end results can also be affected by bleaching from sun or by scrubbing manes on trees or so. Ideal is a nice pulled, thin smooth mane to get started.
• It is an advantage to be above the horse to see if the divided parts are even or not. It also has the advantage that you do not need to stretch yourself to high and cramping while plaiting the horse.
• Before you start to plait separate sections you have to make sure that the mane is moisture enough. Tip: Use our Mane and Tail Serum a few days before the competition to make sure that the mane is moisture enough on the day you want to plait. OR use a spray bottle filled with around 60% water and 40% Mane and Tail Serum for instant results. Shake well before you use it on the man. Use our Coat Oil   https://equineluxury.com.au/collections/sheepskin-covers/products/natural-horse-coat-oil-champion-shine

HAVE A CLOSE LOOK

• It is important that you have a good look at your horse. You need to know and see where are some parts of the horse which are not so pleased and try to destructed the attention to another area. For example: Some horses got a deepness on its neck what is caused by training the wrong muscles. If you plait the plaits up on the top you can create like a optical illusion and get rid of the deepness of the neck. If your horse has a big wide neck and you want to make it look smaller you can go the another way around and make sure that you pull your plaits nice and tight to one side. The plaits has to be very firm and the rolling has to be very hard if you want to have a thinner look of the horses neck. 
• A very common problem is that the most horses do not have much hair in the bottom of the mane. That is why you have to give a little bit more body to those parts by taking bigger sections.

FIND THE RIGHT SIZE

• The size of the parts depending on the size you want to have in the later plaits.
• If you have the luck to have a horse with thicker mane, divide the mane in smaller sections.
• Once you divided the whole mane in equal parts, you can start to plait.

Tip: always use  odd amounts of plaits to make the the neck of your horse less decided in two parts. Especially on hack days and dressage competitions you want to have an odd number of plait down the neck. It may give you the one or another more point for this expression. For ponies I'd recommend between 11 and 13 plaits and for horses 15. This amounts still depends on the condition of the mane and the expression of the horse's neck.

• the best way to start is on the bottom on the mane and try to decide the mane up in separate parts.

PLAITING

1. divide the first section in three equal parts: left, middle, right
2. plait in that way: put R in the middle so that M is on the right side. Than put L in the middle of M and R. Than put M in between L and R. go on like this principe. Tip: If you have never plaited before, just try it first in big style on the tail or on your own hair. You will see that you getting more and more confident with the time. 
3. When you plaited every section down nicely and fixed it with a rubber band on the end, start to roll up the plaits:

• Grap the end of the plait on the the rubber
• Fold the tip under the mane 
• Grap the folded middle of the plait and fold it also under the mane 
• Fix the bubble with at least two rubbers
• Make sure the bubble is not too loose 

 

 

 GOOD LUCK ON THE COMPETITION!