Banding & Braiding for Show

Usually when you see a horse at a show with a banded or braided mane, they will be competing in classes such as Western Pleasure, Horsemanship or Breed Shows for the American Quarter Horse, American Paint Horse, Palomino or Appaloosa Breeds.  When branding or braiding your horse’s mane for a show, there are several steps involved.  I will give you a brief overview of what steps you will need to take, followed by several “How To” videos to give you a complete understanding of all the steps you will need to take.  These very informative videos are brought to you by Expert Kelli LaBar on behalf of Expert Village.

First of all, you will need to start with a clean mane.  Think of it this way…..isn’t it easier to fix your own hair if it is clean?  Horse’s really aren’t any different.

SUPPLIES NEEDED:  Small Mane Comb, Hair Clips, Bandings Elastic Bands, Scissors, Stool (to stand on) & a spray bottle with water.

COMB:  If your horse’s mane is clean, then you will need to thoroughly comb through the mane.  Once you can easily run your fingers through the mane, then you are ready for the next step.

THINNING:  You will have to decide whether or not your horse’s mane is actually a bit too thick to band or braid.  A real thick mane will be very difficult to braid or band leaving you with a thick bulky looking band that may not lie as flat as you’d like.  If your horse has a real thick mane, then you will want to thin it out before starting the banding process.  Thinning the mane can be accomplished a couple of ways.  You may want to pull the mane, which simply means gathering a very small section of hair from the underside of the mane, twist it into a mane comb and pull it out.  You might think that this is painful for the horse, but their necks aren’t real sensitive and as long as you take small sections at a time, your horse probably isn’t going to mind.  Some people like to thin the hair with thinning scissors.  Either of these methods will work, but some people prefer the pulling method believing that you will get a more professional look.

 WET:  Your next step will be to wet your horse’s mane using a spray bottle with water.  The water makes your horse’s mane much easier to work with and holds the hair together better.

TRIM BEFORE YOU BAND:  Before you begin to band, you may want to shorten up your horse’s mane to a manageable length.  Don’t trim too short, but if your horse has a fairly long mane, it will be quite difficult to work with so just give it a nice workable length.  Don’t be too particular about getting this perfectly straight, because you will be giving it a final trim after you are done banding.

SECTION:  The next step will be to section the hair that you will be banding.  You’re going to want to start sectioning just below your horse’s bridal path.  You should try to make each section about an inch wide.  This will give you a nice sized section to work with that isn’t going to be too bulky or too thin.  Once you comb your 1 inch section, use your clips to pull the rest of the mane over and out of your way so that you’ll have just the section you want to work with.

BANDING & BRAIDING:  Now we are ready to really get to work.  When you take your section, always pull in a downward direction so that your band or braid will lie flat when you are finished.  As you are pulling the section downward, begin to braid just a couple of braids, then you will want to use one of your mane bands to hold it in place.  If you are just looking for a banded mane, then you will want to place your band just above the section you just braided pulling upwards with each twist of the band and pulling downwards on the braided mane simultaneously.  This will help to insure that your band will lie flat when you are finished.  Continue sectioning and banding until you have reached the last section of your horse’s mane near the withers. 

MANE TAMER:  If some of the mane doesn’t lie real flat, you may want to put a mane tamer on your horse overnight and move to the next step after the mane has settled down.

TRIMMING A BANDED MANE:  The final step is to put the finishing touches on your work.  You have put a lot of time into making your horse’s mane look neat and tidy, but what will really put the icing on the cake is to give it that final trim.  Hold the first band that you put in (remember to pull it downwards) and using your scissors, trim off the bottom of the band in a nice even cut.  Continue this step one band at a time making sure the you are keeping your cut even with the previously cut band.  When you are finished you will surely have something to be proud of.