Plaiting

[Katelynn87]

Hi guys,

I was just looking for some tips on plaiting really.

I've watched hundreds of videos on you tube and have mastered the basics but the plaits I am doing are unevenly sized, not in line and some of them fall out! Granted, I've never plaited a horse so this is literally starting from scratch but I would appreciate any tips, advice etc to help me on my way.

My horse is a cob and had a lovely thick but course mane. It isn't particularly long either, I trimmed it to make my life a bit easier...

Thank you in advance.

 

[conniegirl]

Start with a well pulled mane, thick course manes are horrific to plait.
You need to pull the mane to one thickness.
Then plait a wet mane amd make sure you divide it up first into even bunches
Also make sure you are above rhe level of the neck.

Get someone to show you how to sew in plaits properly. No amount of videos cab replace someone showing you even once

 

[Orangehorse]

Practice, practice. It gets easier. Agree, almost impossible to plait a thick mane. Some people like to put in bunches the width of the mane comb, maybe adjust slightly for thicker at the top by the ears and thinner by the withers.

Uneven numbers of plaits. Keep it all tight. Did I say practice?

I was shown how by a groom who had learnt at a hunter livery yard. They had to plait a black mane with white cotton, which wasn't to be visible and they were allowed 10 minutes on a hunting morning to plait up. Gosh, I couldn't do that.

 

[conniegirl]

Practice, practice. It gets easier. Agree, almost impossible to plait a thick mane. Some people like to put in bunches the width of the mane comb, maybe adjust slightly for thicker at the top by the ears and thinner by the withers.

Uneven numbers of plaits. Keep it all tight. Did I say practice?

I was shown how by a groom who had learnt at a hunter livery yard. They had to plait a black mane with white cotton, which wasn't to be visible and they were allowed 10 minutes on a hunting morning to plait up. Gosh, I couldn't do that.

10 mins is a bit quick for me but i can plait a fidgety show horse with top class plaits at 2am in the morning in about 20mins.

Agree a lot is practice but you realy do need a one to one lesson on it first where the teacher can correct you and physically show you where you are going wrong.

 

[Shay]

It is largely practice and strength in the fingers. You say you trimmed the mane - if you did that with scissors it is likely to have made your job much harder. You'd be better off pulling the name to thin it - or let it grow a bit and opt for a running or other discontinuous plait. I sometimes use the variation where you plait on both sides of the neck to accommodate a thick cob mane. The mane should be clean - but not freshly washed. Some people swear by plaiting spray - personally I don't find it helps. And then practice, practice, practice.....

 

[peanut]

I put a bit of hair gel on the mane - easier to plait and keeps them looking neat.

 

[Katelynn87]

Thank you everyone for your advice. Really appreciate it!

It came in very handy Friday night and much to my surprise they were all still neat and tidy when I turned up Saturday morning, so I clearly did something right! HA!

If someone can point out how to add pictures I will post one on here so you can see how I did

 

[Meowy Catkin]

If you upload your photos to an image hosting site (eg photobucket) you can then post the IMG code in the forum reply box.