Plaiting Dilemma

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laurenbirt_

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I have my first BE event coming up in less than a month and I'm having a dilemma with plaiting. My mare likes to rub her mane at the bottom meaning the top half of her mane is the perfect length whilst the bottom is very thin and straggly. So when we try to plait, she has half a mane of lovely plaits and the other is just filled with tiny messy ones. Any suggestions as what to do with this would be great as we don't want to hog her.
Secondly, with my pervious horse we would plait up the night before and put a lycra hood on to stop the plaits from being rubbed out overnight. However, the horse I have now is naturally a very warm horse and sweats buckets with any kind of hood and gets extremely uncomfortable. Anyone have any tricks to keeping the plaits in overnight when not using a hood?
Thanks :)
 
You can add fake hair to the plaits if they are really bad but honestly nobody sees the plaits up close and personal. Plaiting spray at least sticks the hairs together so they look less straggly.

I hate plaiting night before as think it's really uncomfortable for the horse so plait in the morning even with a 3.30 am start. If you have to plait night before, just plait but don't roll. They then have a far better chance of staying in. It takes seconds to roll them and can be done at the venue. Mine is out at night and the one time I did this, he was fine in the morning bar grass stains and he's grey!

Good luck with your first BE!
 
I wouldn't worry about the difference in thickness and plaits, I would just do lots of small plaits which will make it appear more even.

I never plait the night before because I don't think it's comfortable for the horse and they never look as neat.

Good Luck with the event :)
 
Plaiting spray, don't plait the night before, I can't see how it can be comfortable for the horse.

Or be a rebel like me...
I have decided not to plait my mare anymore as I think it makes her tight in the neck and it certainly stresses me out!
Last 2 events she has scored 25 and 27 and been top of the marks out of sections with 35+ competitors so the judges don't mind either!
 
Another one for never plaiting at night. You wouldn't want to sleep with your hair plaited tight against your head. And there is a reason they rub them out....!

We have an Appie who lost a section of mane in an accident which then grew back poor. We do a crest high running plait to the poor bit and then standard plaits below. (Quicker too). We're not showing - just hunting and eventing.

Millitiger is right that the judges don't usually mark you down at lower levels if you are not plaited. But if they can't see neck movement clearly and free of tension that might cause you to be marked down at higher levels.
 
If it is really really thin we just used to use an egg white to stick the few straggly hairs onto the crest (sort of where the grow out of the neck)
 
LJR said:
I wouldn't worry about the difference in thickness and plaits, I would just do lots of small plaits which will make it appear more even.
Click to expand...

This is what I'd do. I plait the night before but not very tight (I dont do tight plaits anyway as I think they're uncomfy) but just leave it in long plaits, I dont run them up. I just find it helps with my mares mental mane that sticks bolt upright to stay over to then redo them the next day a bit easier and quicker.
 
I always plait the day before - horse lives out, no stables and plaiting at 5:00 am in the dark in sub zero temps for winter dressage isn't really an option.

I don't pull the first couple of twists too tight and always sew. Then an old stocking banded over the plaits with a headless hood under her rug keeps everything in place until the next morning and sticks down all those little whispy bits.
 
Our spotted horse has the typical 'thin, wiry' mane of his breed type and I first divide the mane into sections, then I dip my finger into some hair gel, run it on the left and right side of the 'bunch' that I have created, leave for about 30 secs before plaiting the 'bunch'. It makes the hair tacky and sticks into the plait nicely. So I gel up the bunch that I'm going to plait next, then plait the 'bunch' in front that has had the gel on for 30 seconds, by the time you have plaited and rolled the first 'bunch', the next 'bunch' is just right to plait...

Not too much gel though or stays slimy. Practice makes perfect. I never plait the night before. Only takes me 20 mins or so to do a tidy set.

I think everyone has their own little 'ways' and you get yo know your own horses mane.
 
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