More reasons not to plait...

[Ambers Echo]

1) Lottie hates it (and so do I).
2) @RachelFerd just got a dressage PB in her recent ODE, unplaited
3) This rider got her jacket button caught in a plait!!!

Hurrah for the no-plaiting revolution!!

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Get a shetland. Wash N Go!

 

[AandK]

Interesting... I have to admit, I enjoy plaiting and think it looks so smart, BUT I am thinking of not plaiting my exracer at his first show (unaff dressage). I know he was plaited for racing, and as he's a sensitive ginger, I want it to be a relaxing experience. I think I will feel strange not plaiting though!

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Interesting... I have to admit, I enjoy plaiting and think it looks so smart, BUT I am thinking of not plaiting my exracer at his first show (unaff dressage). I know he was plaited for racing, and as he's a sensitive ginger, I want it to be a relaxing experience. I think I will feel strange not plaiting though!

Just don't look down and you won't notice

 

[Widgeon]

I saw the title of this thread in the Tack Room and had to laugh - I thought "AE *really* hates plaiting doesn't she!" I bet that was a nasty stomach lurching feeling though, when she started sitting up after the fence and realised she was attached to her horse's neck....

 

[humblepie]

Ah but many years ago I caught my little finger in the mane when jumping. It still sticks out at an odd angle. My hand looks like an odd attempt at the Vulcan greeting.

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

Natives are the way to go

 

[Spotherisk]

There’s always hogging… until you get smacked in the face with spiky hair when taking a jump wrong. I lost half the skin off my nose and upper lip!

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

There’s always hogging… until you get smacked in the face with spiky hair when taking a jump wrong. I lost half the skin off my nose and upper lip!

Nooooo! No one needs stubble rash!

 

[Squeak]

There’s always hogging… until you get smacked in the face with spiky hair when taking a jump wrong. I lost half the skin off my nose and upper lip!

And there's nothing to grab hold of in an emergency!!

 

[J&S]

All those beautifully turned out horses at the Trooping of the colour last w/e, not a plait between them! (though not sure if the drum horse has a plait).

 

[Deleted member 163966]

My reason not to plait, is that my horse has the thickest mane on the planet!!! (not a native) and any attempt to get plaits into it just makes it look dreadful. I'm definitely not planning to hog, and I would have to thin it too much to get it to plait nicely, which (IMO) would ruin it, so no conventional plaits for us. Also I have never mastered the art of doing a running plait, so that's not an option either. Hey ho .... Maybe I could just put it in bunches and put a ribbon on each of them, or get some of those blingy band things to put on them. Or just brush it nicely and leave it natural

 

[palo1]

I have an appy x arab and there is no way that mane could be plaited lol!! It falls out as soon as I start brushing it and the horse is absolutely beautiful anyway; no artificial enhancement needed . Other horse is a native so no plaiting needed. An old, rather posh friend of mine always says, with a shudder, that plaiting is 'Very South of the River'. I have no idea of which river actually but clearly, for him, after a lifetime of breeding very smart sport and top level show horses and selling them very well, it is not a good thing lol!! I would loathe to dismiss his view so I always take that line now myself hahahahahahaha!!!

 

[Sealine]

I hate plaiting and I no longer have any reason to but I never did plait for dressage.

 

[Annagain]

This couldn't be more timely. I'm supposed to be doing the area dressage on sunday. I'm trying to find someone else as the sciatica makes riding really painful but if I can't, I'll have to as I dont want to let others down. Standing to plait is also an issue so I've been wondering if I can get away without it. I've been thinking of a bit of a grovel to the judge beforehand!

 

[MagicMelon]

This couldn't be more timely. I'm supposed to be doing the area dressage on sunday. I'm trying to find someone else as the sciatica makes riding really painful but if I can't, I'll have to as I dont want to let others down. Standing to plait is also an issue so I've been wondering if I can get away without it. I've been thinking of a bit of a grovel to the judge beforehand!

Theres no rule to say you have to plait so just dont! Dont think you need to grovel to anyone! Only time I ever grovelled to a judge was was I was pregnant and couldnt fit into my show jacket anymore so had to ask if I could do dressage in a sweatshirt!

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

Plaiting sucks lol. I hate plaiting and would seriously abandon all dreams of any sport that made it mandatory I'm unbelievably cack handed so it's a nightmare

 

[Annagain]

Theres no rule to say you have to plait so just dont! Dont think you need to grovel to anyone! Only time I ever grovelled to a judge was was I was pregnant and couldnt fit into my show jacket anymore so had to ask if I could do dressage in a sweatshirt!

I've known judges dock points for people (well not people, horses but you know what I mean!) not being plaited unless they have a native. If it didn't take so long to grow back, I'd hog him. He came to me hogged so I know it looks ok on him.

 

[RachelFerd]

Just did the stats to amuse you - that 25.5 score unplaited was the best ever eventing dressage score i've had in 115 starts on lots of different horses. And the only ever time I've done eventing dressage unplaited - hehehe!

I'm still going to plait up the older horse, as he really couldn't care less and I just daren't lose any more marks than I have to with his moderate-at-best dressage abilities. But it will make me think twice about whether or not to plait the younger, more sensitive one. I've had an interesting reaction to it on my own FaceBook page - most people saying its a good thing, but a few people I know saying that not plaiting shows a lack of respect to organisers, judges and landowners. But they've not come back to me on whether or not its more important to respect the horse's view on plaiting. This has amused me quite a lot.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

Why I bought a native. Mind you I quite like plaiting, I find it quite therapeutic, same with plaiting or pulling tails (mostly raking and scissoring but you get the idea) and general show prep.

 

[catembi]

When I was competing, I did the sort-of running plait where you plait down normally, band & then loop into the next plait without rolling up which is a lot faster, looks good & also removes the need to pull the mane as it stays in better with a longer mane. I have TBs and I am lazy

 

[Accidental Eventer]

you're non-plaiting crusade made me think i should look into the rules here in Aus and I cant find anything that says you have to plait. The only mention of plaiting is that we dont have to plait for training days. Interesting!

 

[Ambers Echo]

Just did the stats to amuse you - that 25.5 score unplaited was the best ever eventing dressage score i've had in 115 starts on lots of different horses. And the only ever time I've done eventing dressage unplaited - hehehe!

I'm still going to plait up the older horse, as he really couldn't care less and I just daren't lose any more marks than I have to with his moderate-at-best dressage abilities. But it will make me think twice about whether or not to plait the younger, more sensitive one. I've had an interesting reaction to it on my own FaceBook page - most people saying its a good thing, but a few people I know saying that not plaiting shows a lack of respect to organisers, judges and landowners. But they've not come back to me on whether or not its more important to respect the horse's view on plaiting. This has amused me quite a lot.

Being generally smart, turning up on time, being polite/friendly and not leaving rubbish on the land or making too much noise is respectful. Plaiting is not! I’d far rather respect Lottie’s views on plaiting than ‘respect’ a fairly meaningless tradition. It looks smart so if horses are fine with it, then of course carry on. But I’m done with it and that is such a relief.

 

[Cloball]

I plait (after a fashion) my native but only for ventilation.

 

[BBP]

On the subject of meaningless traditions, I remember losing the best turned out award at a 3* event in NZ just because my plaits were the ‘wrong side’ of the neck. In all other ways the horse looked exceptional. Had my rider been planning to head out to dressage with their sword to hand I could have understood it, but otherwise, maintaining the tradition of always plaiting on the off side is bonkers to me.