Plaiting - up or down?

[Essex Maverick]

We have had conflicting advice about the way we should Plait the mane of our Mare before dressage. My daughter used to Plait as she always has 'down', ' as it was easier. However this meant that when balling up, they leant to the sideand did not sit up on the neck.
We were then told to learn to Plait 'up' which made the plaits stand vertical, and also then the balls stood nicely on the neck.

Is it preference of the person, or is there a right and a wrong way?

 

[Nessa4]

Think it depends on the shape of the horse's neck - plaits on top (especially a lot of them) make neck/crest look thicker; plaits to side minimise a thick neck. The number and thickness of the plaits also makes a difference. Just do what looks neatest and most flattering!

 

[Deltaflyer]

I was always given to understand that how you do the plaits depends on the horse's neck as plaiting up can help make a poor neck look better but a horse with a chunky neck might look better plaited down (mind you, that was in my showing days). I think the thickness of the mane can also affect the decision as if you end up with 'golf ball' plaits they can look a bit odd if plaited up. I would try both ways and see what looks best on your horse.