To plait or not to plait .. that is the question ?

[Spangles]

Horse is sensistive ....

Opinions on plaiting please ? Is it necessary to give you a chance of good marks ?

Do you get marked down for not plaiting ? Obviously the judges don't know why you have chosen not to plait.

If you don't plait the mane, should you not plait the tail either ?

Thining our horse becomes tight and tense in the neck if plaited anywhere near tight.

What are hooded plaits, are they looser more comfy for a sensitive horse ?

 

[Wheels]

For dressage?

 

[Goldenstar]

No need to plait the tail if the mane is done unless you want to .
It helps to plait senestive horses on normal days to help settle them .
Has the horse seen a decent Physio tight muscle fascias in the neck can make horses resent plaiting .

 

[Batgirl]

If for dressage you don't need to plait, nor will it affect your marks.

 

[Shay]

Depends on what you are plaiting for. If its a native you can usually get away without plaiting for anything. If its for dressage there are mixed views and although I do agree with Batgirl that it shouldn't affect your marks if you don't - but it can do because the judge cannot see the line of the neck in full - or because they just feel you should plait. For showing it will matter - don't enter classes where you have to plait. For Pony Club - it can depend on your DC as some can get fanatical about it. For hunting - you might get some odd looks - especially for something like open meet - and it is considered polite to the landowner to plait. Some hunts are stiffer on that than others - ask the secretary. For showjumping - don't bother.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Plaiting tightly does indeed cause the horse discomfort. Someone on here, I think it was EKW, related how horses PM'd after death on the racecourse showed evidence of bruising and trauma in the neck area caused by the plaits, and unrelated to the cause of death.

It's possible to tie the first few loops of the plait loosely, then subequent loops very tightly so that you have a neat plait to roll up and sew in, without pulling on the neck very much if you 'must' plait. I doubt I will plait again after reading about the bruising suffered by the dead racehorses.

 

[Mule]

Plaiting tightly does indeed cause the horse discomfort. Someone on here, I think it was EKW, related how horses PM'd after death on the racecourse showed evidence of bruising and trauma in the neck area caused by the plaits, and unrelated to the cause of death.

It's possible to tie the first few loops of the plait loosely, then subequent loops very tightly so that you have a neat plait to roll up and sew in, without pulling on the neck very much if you 'must' plait. I doubt I will plait again after reading about the bruising suffered by the dead racehorses.

Is sewing the plait too tightly the problem or is it making the plait itself too tight?

 

[be positive]

Is sewing the plait too tightly the problem or is it making the plait itself too tight?

I would expect most racehorses to be plaited using bands so it was probably the plaits being too tightly plaited against the neck that caused the bruising, it is usually very easy to plait a tb type because they have a fine mane on a slim neck and will be easy to pull very tight against the neck, I think if you use thread you can do a fairly loose plait that holds well with tight thread but will be less restrictive, using bands makes it more difficult to plait loosely and get them held properly.

For the OP if you are doing dressage or eventing I would work on getting the horse happy to be plaited even if it takes until next year because at some point you may want to go to a champs or on a team and want to look the part, I have plaited numerous horses and they all improve over time if you adapt your plaiting to suit the individual, some will be happier with a few loose plaits, others prefer loads of tiny ones, play about with it and see what they prefer.

 

[Otherwise]

Hooded plaits would work, they're loose at the top in order to get the scalloped hood shape and then plaited tightly further down so they're still neat when rolled up. Forelocks need to be tight to actually look nice but I never bother plaiting it and just leave it loose, if you don't like the look you could always stick a pair of ears on. Obviously showing you'd have to plait traditionally if it's a class you plait for, either practice and get the horse used to it or don't show.

Whilst you don't need to plait for dressage I'm always a bit leary of not doing it. Having written for a fair few you get some funny judges with very strong views about inconsequential stuff like that that I don't want to take my chances that I'll run into one who takes offence at not plaiting.