Question - Why, When Some People Plait, Do They Not Plait The Forelock?

[Jesstickle]

Ha I had this exact same conversation with my friend that took my mare eventing. He is very old school and told me off, plaited the 3 hairs, rolled it and said you are right it looks ridiculous and he took it straight out!!!

New horse has lovely forelock though so I do plait this one.

You can always make fakes from extra tail hair as well

Where there is a will there is a way

 

[alwaysbroke]

One of ours is nearly 19hh he doesn't like you standing infront of him reaching up if anyone would like to try reaching him when he goes into "head up" mode they are welcome to try

 

[MadisonBelle]

You can always make fakes from extra tail hair as well

Where there is a will there is a way

If you'd have seen the tail on this mare when I bought her, cut off at the dock!!!!!! you'd understand why I had a thing about NEVER messing with her tail once it had grown...took 3 years!!!! I was completely anal about it When I lost her I even refused to cut any off......

To be honest I think she looked better left alone whereas new horse looks very smart with her's done.

 

[Boysy]

Only one of mine suits a plaited forelock and that's only in summer when his forehead hair is fine enough for the plait to sit down properly. They really do look funny in winter with a plait as their forehead facial hair is so long and sticks straight out that they look as tho they have no forelock at all but instead have some bizarre ball standing out on their heads despite me plaiting down as much as possible, I only running plait their manes as well but then they are roughty tough hairy natives with proper full manes which are impossible to ball plait properly and as i show them as natives all summer i won't compromise the length and thickness for winter stuff....

I think as long as the horse/pony is smart and clean otherwise then it isn't a problem to be honest.

 

[MandyMoo]

Is it just me who has NEVER seen a horse with a plaited mane with an unplaited forelock?!?! sounds so weird to me....I can't imagine it would look right...maybe that's just cause I've never seen it - I always fully plait a mane and forelock, or leave it fully unplaited for SJ

 

[superpony]

I don't plait my welsh x ponies forelock as it is so thick! He does dressage. I do plait my tbs though,

 

[Santa_Claus]

Just for Mandymoo although these plaits were particulary awful although you cant see the ones on the other side

edit to add this one which shows why i get bored after plaiting her mane

 

[Nollaig Shona]

What colour is he? I could send you some of my boy's next time I pull his mane.

You're too kind, his forelock looks like orange cotton wool! But the rest of his mane is a dark reddish brown.

*waits by the letter box for the parcel of horse hair*

Those of you with horses with very thin forelocks could try using megatek.

Oooh, might be worth a go!

 

[zoon]

I think it looks ridiculous!

 

[Jesstickle]

It is certainly the fashion in SJing in Argentina. I was actually ASKED why I plaited PF's forelock, which left me a bit baffled because it's just what you DO, isn't it?... And yes, SJing is weird

The weirdest thing I've seen so far out at BS was a horse in both a standing and a running martingale at the same time. Horse seemed happy enough, I'm not complaining. I just couldn't get my head round how both could possibly have an affect

 

[tinap]

I've also seen the 2 martingales thing!!

Santa Claus, is that 2 rows of plaits?! Never seen that before either!

 

[Santa_Claus]

Yes two rows my horse has a LOT of mane and hates it being pulled so we have a row each side!

 

[Jesstickle]

Obviously they would be having an effect not an affect. Honestly. I despair of myself sometimes

 

[PapaFrita]

The weirdest thing I've seen so far out at BS was a horse in both a standing and a running martingale at the same time. Horse seemed happy enough, I'm not complaining. I just couldn't get my head round how both could possibly have an affect

How bizarre!!!

 

[natalia]

Two rows of plaits?! Yikes! I would have sedated by the vet and pull really short! Where there's a will there's a way but I'm pretty traditional on these things!

 

[RachelFerd]

Sometimes I have to leave my horse's forelock if there's no-one around to help me do it. needs twitching and quite thorough restraint to get the forelock plait in as he is so ear-shy. If I'm getting ready for a show alone I simply can't do it without causing far too much stress, so I just leave it. He also onle has the tiniest of forelocks so it's not very noticeable.

 

[Santa_Claus]

It is short its the thinning aspect it lacks. Why should I pay to have my horse sedated when I have developed a perfectly smart way to present ourselves that doesn't require unnecessary sedation? Most people don't even spot that she has two rows although those that do think it is a fantastic idea and it actually shows off her neck better for dressage.

If she was a top show horse yes maybe i would act differently but she isn't and will never need to therefore I have this flexibility and I choose spending 40 mins to plait instead of 10. We can't stay traditionalists forever as that will kill the sport there has to be evolution with how we dress, how we compete aka fences etc and how we are judged so sometimes I think people should be a bit more open minded about change when it is not detrimental to the sport

 

[Jesstickle]

S_C I actually quite like it

I don't think I could be bothered to do it but it looks kind of cool. Do you literally brush half the mane on one side and half on the other and plait like normal?

 

[TarrSteps]

I think SC's idea is a great solution! In fact, it's probably more comfortable for the horse than trying to crank her toothbrush mane over to one side. There are horses that are noticeably affected by being plaited, believe it or not, and lose softness in their top line because they are uncomfortable. Hence the fashion for loose bottomed dressage plaits. If it looks smart and the horse is comfortable, it's the right choice.

 

[Santa_Claus]

S_C I actually quite like it

I don't think I could be bothered to do it but it looks kind of cool. Do you literally brush half the mane on one side and half on the other and plait like normal?

Nope it is fairly upright due to thickness and it often changes its mind on which side it falls and often half will be one side half the other which is fairly well illustrated here but it is longer than normal in this photo!

To plait I bunch up first with each plait about third to half width of normal mane comb then work down one side plait by plait splitting each bunch as I go so on the other side is a corresponding bunch. Once I've finished one side I do the other which only takes 10 mins as is like plaiting a normal mane haha Its the splitting that takes the time as I like to get a nice straight line down the middle of her mane so that from side on from the ground you can't see the one on the other side.

For illustration purposes two photos from same dressage test one from each side

Sorry to take original thread off topic but as further fuel for that when I do plait her forelock it looks rediculous as it is soo big as you can't double plait that haha

 

[Honey08]

My horse has no forelock either and I manage to bundle it up into something resembling a plait.

I'm sorry, I don't buy the 'not enough to plait excuse'!

I'm that school too, I've done some really interesting twirls of hair with our previous sweet itchers!

It is short its the thinning aspect it lacks. Why should I pay to have my horse sedated when I have developed a perfectly smart way to present ourselves that doesn't require unnecessary sedation? Most people don't even spot that she has two rows although those that do think it is a fantastic idea and it actually shows off her neck better for dressage.

If she was a top show horse yes maybe i would act differently but she isn't and will never need to therefore I have this flexibility and I choose spending 40 mins to plait instead of 10. We can't stay traditionalists forever as that will kill the sport there has to be evolution with how we dress, how we compete aka fences etc and how we are judged so sometimes I think people should be a bit more open minded about change when it is not detrimental to the sport

I'm very much a traditionalist, and have to have my husband's horse sedated for his teeth, so I scalp him every April at the start of the season while he is under, and manage with a thinning rake and a solo for the rest of the summer, but I have to say that, while I probably wouldn't do it myself, (poss as I'm too lazy!) I really admire the effort you've gone to in solving a problem and still turning out respectfully. It looked a bit strange from the above shot, but side on, as you said, you hardly notice, and both sides look really smart!

 

[I.M.N.]

I don't plait one of my horses forelocks as I think plaiting should make the horse look smart and he looks ugly as sin if I plait his forelock. I used to event him like this and now I hunt him and no one has ever said anything. At the hunt last Saturday I was having a look around and noticed and surprising amount of horses with unplaited forelocks, ranging from ponies to big hunters.

(I am not a show jumper, never have been, don't plan to be)

 

[spookypony]

I don't plait the forelock, but because my pony has a full mane, I don't do traditional plaits either. With a running plait or a lattice (our usual options), plaiting the forelock seems less important. If I'm competing a horse with a pulled mane, I do plait the forelock.