Plaiting a long mane for dressage?

[spotty_pony]

And by long I mean LONG ?

Contemplating taking the Friesian out to a Dressage competition in a couple of weeks time but he has a long mane down to the top of his legs. I am assuming correct dress would be a running plait as assuming they wouldn't want it down as it would stop them being able to see the movement properly?

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

Running plait tight to crest definitely the way to go.

 

[planete]

It is what they do in Friesland, it should be ok here too:

. I am addicted to this channel and their Friesians at the moment!

 

[milliepops]

another vote for a running plait, probably the simplest way to keep it tidy. there isn't really a requirement to plait but almost everyone does so for the sake of bundling it up out of the way I would do so too.

 

[spotty_pony]

Thank you ? he has his mane in a running plait nearly all of the time anyway so that's easy enough! Planete - He is from Friesland too!

 

[spotty_pony]

And also - what to do with the forelock?! Leave it down?! ?

 

[HufflyPuffly]

So I do a slight variation, I plait one plait, push it back up through the base and then plait into the next one. I’ll see if I can find a video.

 

[catembi]

Oh yes, that plait into plait thing is **brilliant**. I saw it on here & had a play about with it yesterday. I usually sew my plaits, but banding & threading into the next one is sooooooo much quicker, & looks far neater than rolled-up individual plaits. I have got a photo but it's on my phone. You can see the third plait down is sticking up - that's the 'normal' one and the others each side are linked. We have our dressage debut on Tues and I am definitely plaiting the new way.

 

[catembi]

Okay, photos. Not desperately neat as I was only messing about.

 

[I'm Dun]

Okay, photos. Not desperately neat as I was only messing about.

wow! I'm going to try that on my shortmaned one!

 

[HufflyPuffly]

I only had not very clear pictures on my phone…

 

[WelshHoarder]

I’ve done the plait through to plait on the fidgety baby Welshie for dressage - by the second time I had it down to a fairly good finish (a couple were a bit wonky but it was good enough for local unaffiliated anyway!). I did sew them in up to half way up as the first time I did them she pulled out a couple near the bottom in the trailer and it was a pain to put them right because of the way they're all linked together. She looked pretty smart for a pony whose mane normally looks like a haystack - not massively long, but very thick and always falls on the “wrong” side, but these just about did the trick of taming it ?

One tip, using a ponytail pull through (plastic loop on a stick thing) makes it so much easier and quicker! I made one from a bit of old wire that does the job, just helps with pulling the plaited tails back through easily and in the middle each time.

Reverse side:

Plaits:

Normal state of her ?: