| If you have ever shown a horse, you will know just | | | | pull the braid sideways you will have a braid that sticks |
| how important it is to have your horse braided to look | | | | out. Take the far right section and cross it over the |
| its best. Not everyone knows how to braid their | | | | middle section so that it is the new middle piece. Now |
| horses, and many turn to professional braiders to do | | | | take the far left section and cross it over the middle |
| the job. But horse showing is very expensive and | | | | section so that it becomes the middle piece. This is |
| adding the cost of braiding to the fees only makes it | | | | basic braiding. Continue this process until you reach the |
| that much harder to afford. | | | | end of the braid. |
| Anyone can learn how to braid their own horse. It | | | | If this is your first time braiding, your braid will probably |
| takes a lot of practice, but with time and patience, you | | | | be quite loose. The best braids are tight braids, so you |
| can learn to produce show-quality braids and avoid the | | | | need to learn how to make the braid tight. Keeping the |
| cost of paying a professional to do the job. | | | | tension between your fingers, pull each twist of the |
| The first stage in learning to braid is to braid with | | | | hair as tight as you can. The pressure should be |
| elastics. Start out with elastics the same color as your | | | | sideways, through the twists, not downwards along |
| horse's mane. If you can't find the right color, choose a | | | | the neck. This takes a lot of practice, and your first |
| color that is darker than his mane as it will blend in | | | | attempts will not likely be very tight at all. Don't despair; |
| better than a lighter color. | | | | if you keep trying you will learn to get it tight and tidy in |
| In addition to elastics you will need a mane comb (or | | | | the long run. |
| pulling comb), a hair clip (the long alligator type is best) | | | | At the end of the braid, use the elastic to hold it in |
| and a small brush or sponge with a bucket of water. | | | | place. Braid the hair as close to the end as possible, or |
| Start out by combing your horse's mane so that it lies | | | | you will get stuck with a lot of excess hair that sticks |
| flat and has no tangles. Use water on the brush or | | | | up and looks messy. |
| sponge to wet the top portion of your horse's mane. | | | | When the braid is finished, fold it under itself so that the |
| Then separate a section about 1" in width, and use the | | | | elastic is underneath. Now, take a second elastic and |
| hair clip to hold the rest of the mane back. | | | | wrap it around the folded braid, close to the top of the |
| Take an elastic and place it on your baby finger (you | | | | neck. If you have kept it tight and the overall pull |
| can put a few on the finger if you'd like, but be careful | | | | downwards, the braid should lie more-or-less flat |
| not to cut off your circulation). Then separate the hair | | | | against the horse's neck. |
| into three even sections. It is very important to make | | | | Continue this process down the neck until you reach |
| these sections as even as possible as uneven | | | | the end of the mane. Wet the hair as necessary to |
| sections will make braiding impossible. | | | | keep it lying flat and the braids as tight as possible. |
| Now comes the braiding part. If you have never | | | | While your first attempt will not likely be show-worthy, |
| braided before, this will take some practice. If you | | | | if you keep up the practice, soon you will have decent |
| know how to braid, you are ahead of the game, but | | | | braids suitable for low-level shows. |
| the technique on a horse is a bit different. | | | | Once you have perfected the elastic braid, for |
| Throughout the process keep the tension on the braid | | | | professional-quality braids, try learning to braid with |
| in a downward direction, along the horse's neck. If you | | | | wool. |