Plaiting a thick mane - any good products?

J

Jingleballs

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Despite having pulled my cob's mane and thinned it significantly it's still quite wiry and unruly and my last attempt at plaiting it looked pretty awful - it doesn't help that he insists on rubbing the plaits on anything he can find and they then start falling out.

There seem to be loads of gels and such that are supposed to make plaiting easier and keep the plaits in for longer - are there any that are particulary good for really thick manes?

Got some dressage next weekend and I'd like to try and make him look half decent this time so any suggestions are welcome!
 
I use cheap as chips value, extra strength hair gel. However, my friend who was an event groom for a well known eventer, and now has a healthy sideline in turning out spoilt teenagers' horses for events swears by the Lynn Russell Quick Plait stuff

http://www.molevalleyfarmers.com/mvf/store/products/lynn-russell-quick-plait-750ml

and really rates it. I might actually invest as it's unlike her to like anything that isn't Tesco value!! :D
 
whatever strong hair gel is cheapest in asda at the time ;) are you banding or threading? I actually find threading easier and it certainly keeps them nicer for longer :).

eta :eek: nah I think I will stick with the 2.99 stuff!

ps. don't wash it, ever, at all!
 
Many years ago I did successfully use the extra strong gel that you can use for extreme hairstyles like mohicans, but you do have to be very careful to wash it all out. Also successfully used the straightening balm you get for frizzy hair prior to plaiting, not too much so it gets greasy tho. After sewing up also finish off with Charles worthington anti-frizz serum, but not too much so it looks greasy & attracts dust. Did in my teens once go to the extreme of blow-drying & using straightening irons prior to plaiting, looked fab but not very practical. If its a nice chunky cob I'd go for more plaits, I think 15 neat plaits look far better than 11 tennis balls. I also tend to stick a lycra neck cover on the night before I want to plait with manes like that to flatten it down, then back on after plaiting to protect them.
 
Thanks for the suggestions - I'd heard good thinks about the Lynn Russell product so might look into it but I'll probably try the cheaper version first to see how that works.

Sorry to be dim but how exactly does the tights idea work -do you have to cut up the rights and then band them round the plait?
 
Many little plaits, and let the mane get very greasy in the run up to the event. I don't bother with gels because I find they make the hair snap and then the next time you plait you need even more because you've got yourself lots of little hairs.

I wet the mane with a tiny bit of water and spray my hands with strong hairspray. Wait for that to get sticky and then I'm off- I also will sew the plaits in if the mane is really wild. This method means your hands end up black with grease and it's totally grim, but it does mean plaits look immaculate :D
 
I dont' think her stuff is that expensive, I've been using the hoof stuff, its ok as hoof stuff goes, have to say I like effol liquid, but they didn't have it at the time
 
You need to wash it and condition it lots !!! i use alberto balsam sunkissed raspberry conditioner its £1 and really good , i then use supreme products moisturise and condition to soften the hair and supreme products easy plait , sow your plaits in it will make them much neater and stay in longer , i once plaited my irish draught show hunter ( with a ridiculously thick mane ) at a stay away show and left them in for the whole week and they didnt budge ! try using a lycra hood during the night to keep them clean and in place ! :) x
 
with my hairy cob I put a good dollop of hair moose on to start with to make it sticky (like some one else said, don't wash the mane!) Then plait it, usually with about 13 plaits & to finish off blob each plait with hair gel & a blast of hairspray.

I tend to do them the night before so put a rug with a neck cover on & they normally still look good the next day. They look much better if sewn in too xx
 
I just use water to get the yellow ponys bog brush plaited. I have a small feed bowl sized bucket with a little water in and a dandy brush, wet the brush and wipe the underside and then the top of the mane, plait tightly and roll up and secure with a band. I like a clean mane to plait though so I wash and section off the night before then just plait up in the morning. I can find some before and after pics if you want?
 
I use Supreme Products 'Easy Plait' - it makes a big difference, much easier than gel, it makes the mane really easy to keep hold of.

Stitching them in is much neater (and more correct) than banding and with a little bit of practice is just as easy.
 
Can we have clarification on the tights suggestion, I'm imagining
the foot over the head and a leg down the neck, holes cut out for the eyes obviously, would stop my boy eating, got to be a bonus. Then cut off the surplus leg, off for an alchoholic refill
 
flirtygerty said:
Can we have clarification on the tights suggestion, I'm imagining
the foot over the head and a leg down the neck, holes cut out for the eyes obviously, would stop my boy eating, got to be a bonus. Then cut off the surplus leg, off for an alchoholic refill
Click to expand...

you either have a small horse or very big tights! :eek:
 
ester said:
you either have a small horse or very big tights! :eek:
Click to expand...

:D :D :D

flirtygerty- take the leg of a tight, and place it over the plait and secure with a band, then continue to do the same, but leave some tight between each plait to allow for neck movement, otherwise all the bands pop off and the tights come loose.
 
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