To plait or not! Help?

[horsefeed]

1st ODE on Friday (in years), unaffiliated.
I am an adult on a pony.
She is native, feathers still on (was planning to clip off but not enough time now)
Her mane is tidy but too long to plait traditionally and make tidy and too short for a decent running plait.
I am going to put a black fly veil on so don't need to do her forelock.
If I plait will do tail, if not I won't.
Would you bother to plait and if so do I go for massive golf balls or a running plaiting that will be very close to her crest?

 

[CMcC]

i wouldn’t plait.

 

[w1bbler]

I don't (I'm rubbish at plaits that would last beyond the dressage ?)
Im definitely not the only one, so you won't be the odd one out.

 

[Ratface]

A running plait, in my opinion. Shows respect to the organisers and the event.

 

[TheSubwayDino]

Perhaps just a running plait!

 

[JGC]

I have a skewbald cob and always do a running plait more or less along her crest (doesn't stay in otherwise - she has a lot of mane). I think it looks fine and easy enough to whip out after the dressage!

 

[ihatework]

Surely one of the benefits of an au natural native is you don’t have to plait!! Embrace the extra 30 mins in bed I say ….

 

[Annagain]

As she's a native I think you can get away with not plaiting.

If, however, you do decide to plait, there's a very clever method for long manes. You plait the mane about 3" down, and band it. You then thread the end of the bunch back up through the base of the plait so that the plaited part rolls into a neat little ball. I use a cable tie formed into a loop with a long 'tail' (so it looks like a letter 'P') as, effectively, a giant needle - poke the end of the 'tail' through the base of the plait from underneath toward the top, then put the end of the bunch into the loop and pull it through.

You then feed the end of the bunch (that is now sticking out the top of your neat little ball) into the middle section of your next plait and repeat the process. There are a few videos on you tube if you google something like 'plaiting a long mane' if I haven't described it well enough.

I have known someone use long nose pliers to pull the bunch through - stick them though the base of the plait from the top towards the underneath, grab the loose end of the bunch and pull back through.

Found you a good video.
How To Plait A Long Mane Without Shortening It - YouTube

 

[ponynutz]

As others if she's a native it should be okay. If you want to for dressage I'd say a running plait would be best - easy enough to do at show too.

 

[Pinkvboots]

I wouldn't plait a native type I have Arab's and never plait them for any show.

 

[ycbm]

The event is being organised to make a profit for the organisers and every competitor is a paying customer. Even as an unpaid volunteer I wouldnt expect anyone to plait for me and I wouldn't consider it disrespectful if they didn't. Many show jumpers no longer routinely plait. I think it's time it died out everywhere except show classes. I think it was designed originally either to show who had the best groom working for them or to get the mane out of the way of the reins for hunters.
.

 

[ownedbyaconnie]

This is just one of the many benefits to having a native. Don’t plait!

I’m on a riding club committee and if someone turned up to one of our shows unplaited I wouldn’t take it personally ?

 

[WelshHoarder]

If you do decide to plait, the ones described by Annagain work really well - I’ve used them before on little Welshie for dressage if she’s looking particularly haystack-like, and once you get into the rhythm they’re really quick. I’ve done them in about 10 minutes flat once when I arrived to watch the end of camp show to be greeted by a panicked small person begging for help with plaiting! Not the neatest, but they did the trick ?

 

[Leandy]

I wouldn't plait. It is perfectly correct to present a native with natural look mane, tail and feathers.

 

[Gloi]

It's a native. Turn out to the breed standard.