Have you ever tried to braid your horse’s mane for a show and gotten so frustrated that you begged a friend for help or ended up paying someone to do it for you?

Braiding a horse’s mane is not overly difficult, but one adage holds true: Practice makes perfect. If you want to have beautiful, even braids, don’t wait until the night before a show to start learning. It takes most people a few fully braided manes to develop an efficient technique.

My preference is for “hunter bump” yarn braids because I find them easier to put in and take out than round braids sewn in with thread. This type of braid is a good all-purpose style that can be used for hunter/jumper, eventing and dressage horses. Yarn also securely holds in braids without damaging the hair.

Pulling the Mane Before Braiding

Before you braid, you’ll need to pull your horse’s mane to thin out the hair and even the length. If he has very thin hair, you can probably get by using scissors (held vertically, never cutting straight across) or an old clipper blade to even out the length. For horses with thick hair, however, you need to pull the mane until it is thinned out and about 4 inches in length. Thick hair makes yarn braiding nearly impossible.

If your horse is sensitive about having his mane pulled, do just a small section of pulling every day for a week or so to keep him from getting too worked up. It also helps to pull after you’ve ridden, as body heat tends to open the pores and make the hair less painful to remove.

In extreme cases, it may be necessary to have your vet administer a small amount of tranquilizer to get the job done. Pulling should be done every four to six weeks to keep up the short, thin mane necessary for braiding.

Using Yarn to Braid a Horse’s Mane

Note: In the photos, the horse’s mane lies to the left and is braided to the left. This is acceptable for eventing and dressage horses, but hunters prefer to train and braid the mane to the right.

◆ STEP 1. Assemble all of your braiding equipment. Tie your horse safely and comfortably so he can’t wander off, either on cross-ties or in his stall. Have a hay net nearby to distract him and increase his patience, if necessary. Stand on a sturdy stool or mounting block so you can easily reach your horse’s mane. NOTE: We used white yarn in our equine model’s black mane so that it would be more visible in the photos. For a show, use yarn that matches the color of your horse’s mane.

◆ STEP 2. Starting at the top of the mane, just behind the bridle path, wet down and comb a section of hair approximately two to three fingers wide, or 1 to 2 inches. You can use water, but there are grippy braiding spray products available that really make things easier. Use your comb to make a razor-sharp part, and keep the rest of the mane out of your way with a hair clip.

◆ STEP 3. Begin braiding downward (as opposed to out toward yourself), pulling each section of hair out to the side as you work your way down for maximum tightness. When you get about halfway down the braid, place the middle of a piece of yarn under the bottom of the braided section. Incorporate one half of the yarn into one section of the braid. Do two more crosses of the braid, then incorporate the other half of the yarn into the third of the three sections. Continue braiding as far down the hair as possible.

◆ STEP 4. Tie off the yarn at the bottom of the braid with a single slip knot, pulling tightly.

◆ STEP 5. Slide your pull-through down into the top and center of the braid at the crest; thread the free ends of the yarn through it and pull them out through the top of the mane. The braid will now be folded in half.

◆ STEP 6. Use the free ends of the yarn to make a simple square knot under the braid and pull tightly.

◆ STEP 7. Push up a “bump” so a knob of the braid is visible along the crest of the neck, with the rest of the braid in a small, folded loop below the bump. Tie another tight square knot on the “waist” of the braid (between the bump and the loop).

◆ STEP 8. Make another knot around the waist of the braid, this time behind it. Pull tightly, and use scissors to trim the yarn tails a couple of millimeters from the knot.

I like to braid the entire mane with the braids hanging down first, then go back down the neck to pull the braids up and “bump” them, making my yarn knots. My third and final pass is to trim the yarn tails with scissors. Finally, I braid the forelock using the same method, although it may require French braiding for the first few rows if the forelock is large and unruly. I don’t like to pull or shorten forelocks, but that is certainly an option.

Don’t get discouraged if your braids don’t look perfect the first time. Keep practicing, and beautiful, even braids are sure to follow.

The post Upgrade Your Horse’s Mane Braids appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Style your pony’s mane for English with rubber band braids or western competition with mane banding.

Rubber Band Braids

Materials:
◆ Braiding rubber bands that match your horse’s mane (white was used here so they were easier to see)
◆ Metal pulling comb
◆ Hair clip
◆ Braiding spray or hairspray

Braiding your horse’s mane is easy to learn with this technique using rubber bands. All it takes is a bit of practice! These braids aren’t appropriate for A-circuit hunters (you’ll still need lots of tiny yarn braids there), but should be perfectly fine for schooling shows, jumpers, eventing and dressage competitions.

The first step is to prep your horse’s mane to the right length. If he will let you pull it, this thins out the hair nicely and makes braiding much easier. If he hates having his mane pulled, the good news is you can still do the braids, they’ll just be a lot bigger than what is shown here.

We don’t recommend cutting straight across with scissors to shorten a mane. This leaves a blunt and unnatural edge. Try a SoloComb, clipper blade or scissors turned vertically to shorten while keeping a natural edge if you’re not pulling.
Either way, get the mane to about 5 to 6 inches in length, and you’re ready to go!

1. Starting at the top of the mane, measure a section about as wide across as four fingers. Clip the rest of the hair out of the way. Dampen the hair and braid tightly, pulling downward. Secure at the bottom with a rubber band. To pull the braid up, fold in half and use a second band to secure (shown).

2. Fold in half one more time and finish off with a third band. Always keep braids pointed downward and pushed against the crest of the neck.

3. Continue braiding all the way down the neck, keeping the size of each braid the same.

4. Pull up the braids one by one, folding in half and then folding again. Don’t forget to braid the forelock using the same method. Then you’re done and ready to show!

Banding the Mane

Materials:
◆ Black rubber braiding bands (these work on any color horse)
◆ Comb
◆ Scissors
◆ Hair clip
◆ Braiding spray or hairspray

Banding for the western show pen has the same purpose as braiding: to present a neat, tidy appearance in front of the judge and to show off your horse’s neck. As with braiding, practice, practice, practice makes perfect! Don’t just wing it the morning of your show.

Prep the mane by shortening it to about 4 or 5 inches long; you can always take more off later. Give it a deep clean with shampoo to remove any dirt, dust and dander at the roots. Don’t condition though, because you want to be able to get a good grip on the hair.

1. Spray hair with water or braiding spray and comb. Separate so that the same amount of hair is in each band for the best finished product. Make sure to section off using a comb so the mane is divided with straight lines.

2. Hold the mane down and close to the neck, banding high up on the hair. Wrap the band with no overlap so it lies flat. Don’t wrap so tight that the hair “puckers.”

3. If any bands appear out of line at the end, pull out to either side while keeping the section against the neck to push the band up.

4. As a final step, press the hair down to measure the length and make sure it’s even. Cut straight across with scissors or thinning shears (for a more natural edge) if the length looks uneven.

You can tame the forelock with a bit of baby oil to keep it lying flat, or put a band it in as well. All done!

This article on English rubber band braids and western mane banding originally appeared in the July/August 2019 issue of Young Rider magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Braiding and Banding: How-To’s for Young Riders to Improve Their Skills appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.