When should/shouldnt you plait a horse? Help please

Tiarella

Tiarella

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Need help with my NVQ questions please
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Ooo and also, why would you trim a horse? and where would you trim a horse? (does that mean where as in stable etc, or where as in ears, legs?)
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Thanks
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But surely you've been told the answer to your questions in lectures, via coursework etc.??

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Nope, not for NVQ questions, theyre totally separate to the ND coursework.
 
Depends on the horse, surely - what have you got so far?

Off the top of my head, I only plait for shows and hunting. (I plait a whip's horse, and only for Saturdays, Boxing Day and NYD, not in the week)

And trimming: I trim beards, tails and the insides of ears for the hunters - they are usually clipped out anyway. (ETA, not inside the ears, but the hair that tufts out of them!) I don't do their legs or heels as they don't wear boots to hunt.
My own horse has her heels trimmed though, she is prone to mud fever and I can't get at the scabs unless her heels are clipped. You might trim whiskers for showing.

My friend has a native though, and that is never trimmed or plaited, for anything.

Would it mean where abouts do you do the trimming? Somewhere safe and bright, I'd say, so you can see what you are doing!
 
OK, well as well as the job the horse does, the other thing to consider is the horse's management - e.g. if it lives out then you probably don't want to be trimming too much anyway.
 
Arabs sometimes have one single plait at the top of their mane for shows i think, and part bred natives and arabs are pulled and plaited i'm sure, might be worth putting that in? non native coloureds must be plaited and trimmed but native can be natural or hogged with feathers, ears, tail and whiskers trimmed.
 
I plait for hunting, showing, eventing, hunter trials (when it's judged on best turned out) and affiliated dressage.

I don't plait for show jumping, unaffiliated dressage, hunter trials.

I trim ears (inc inside), whiskers, heels. Cut bridlepath and tail and keep mane and tail pulled.

Show cobs are hogged.
 
You shouldn't put just one plait in a nervous owner's horse's mane and then sometime later tell them that horses are being marked ready to be stolen . . . . . . . .
 
I also plait to lay manes on correct side. or plait them after pulling to keep the main lying flat (dont ball them up just leave them hang down)

I trim straggly hairs around top of hoof by coronary band, ears, whiskers,beards and straggly "cat Hairs" down legs (some dont agree with this as horses use them to find food) I also use a trimmers to tidy up tail again not alot of people agree with this, when I first moved to my yard they all thought i was mad (but I can not pull tails to save my life)
They were shocked at how neat and tidy it was so now I have to do everyones.
 
Basically horses should be plaited for all formal occasions such as shows, hunting, exams, unless on of the following applies:

If the horse has a pulled tail the tail need not be plaited

If it is a cob and is hogged - then it should also have a pulled and trimmed tail, be clipped with trimmed heels, ears, chin etc.

If it is a coloured traditional cob - then it should be left un plaited unpulled and untrimmed with full feathers. Although out of courtesy and practicality a running plait and tail plait is used for hunting.

If it is a native pony, then it is unplaited and untrimmed for showing. You would probably plait for hunting out of courtesy/practicality. You may also plait for dressage/showjumping for the sake of appearence although it is not incorrect to be unplaited. I think fell ponies normally have a single plait at the poll.

If it is an arab then it is normally left unplaited for showing. Again a running plait may be used for hunting.

Part bred natives and arabs should plait for showing, as should coloureds who are neither traditional cobs nor hogged show cabs.

Some people remove plaits for the cross country phase of horse trials.

It is not necessary to plait for endurance. It is not required to plait for dressage or showjumping but it is considered good practice to do so and particularly for dressage it helps create a good impression.
 
Some people plait for endurance, but leave them long as you would when laying a mane - just to keep the mane out of the way and let heat escape off the neck faster.
 
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