Plaiting tips please turnout experts!

[cobozzie]

I have got to turn out my youngster plaited for a county show. I have done a bit of plaiting but they always look messy. Are there any hard and fast rules? I have bought some stuff 'braid aid' or something to gel the hair. His mane is about 10cm and needs thinning a bit I think, as he's coloured the white hair is thick and horrible and the blacks bits are fine and OK.
Shall I use a combination of bands to finish the ends then sew them in? Should I fold over the ends first and secure with bands, I lady who plaited for me once did this I think.
I really want a professional look as the horse is super but I just miss the mark with my turnout!

Also his tail is very fine and not enough to plait, shall I tidy it and turn him out with a neat pulled top, take the bandage off just before he goes in the ring?

[Carole]

Yes for tail, if its thin I would down you will want to take much out the top other than a pure tidy, dampen it and lightly spray with your Plait aid or Shock Waves gel in palm of hand and lightly sweep down dock area that will be bandaged then as you say whip it off just pre class, if its thin tail lower do similar early in the morning once its brushed and clean, lightly dampen, divide into 3, plait each division and band at bottom, then hold together or cover with cut of tights leg, take out approx. 1/2hr before class brush and spray with glossing product lightly, it will give illusion of being bulkier.

Mane will really need a good thinning and only needs to be around 3"-4" long, space evenly. I use bands at end of down plait only so that once rolled up its hidden when sewn in. Try to keep 'seen' cotton on underside of plait more. But like with most things its the prep. ie the thinning and shortening that will help the finished result. I do the bunches first and band them, then down plait several, then sew these, then finish rest, once all done and I am pleased (sometime have to redo the odd one now and again) I then spray with Plait Aid then hood on, this keeps the little short hairs in place and stops them from sticking up, remove hood only at point when you are doing all your final touches.

[specialsparkle3]

Hi there, Here are details of how to plait which I posted onanother thread yesterday;
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Starting behind the ears using a small plaiting comb, take a piece of mane about 3 to 3 1/2 inches wide (depending on the thickness of the mane. divide evenly into 3 and plait tightly down to the bottom ---------Your mane should be correctly pulled for the best result.

Take a needle threaded with a long ,knotted piece of thread and sew through the bottom of the plait take the needle around the bottom of the plait, put your needle through the loop and pull tight.

When the plait is secure, take your needle up behind the plait and through it at the top on the neck, and pull the plait up and under so it folds in half.

Stitch back down through the plait and bring the needle out through the bottom of the plait.

Roll the plait up and push the needle through the whole thing .go back down through it and up again to be sure.

You can then secure the plait by either lightly stitching once or twice through the mane then the plait on either side to bring in any stray hairs, or to give a softer outine on the other side, just do one or two stitches more through the plait to make sure it's secure.

The forelock should be started the same but doubled up and left long and flat, if the mane is short enough. If you can do a french plait you can start a forelock off with one.

I hope this helps


ps learn to judge the thickness of the mane for each plait so they are evenly sized. You can only divide the mane up to start with if you have a perfectly even mane, which very few have.


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[SaturdayGirl]

Also if he has a slightly weak neck you can do the top bit of the plait a little looser and the sew the plait up higher, which creates the illusion of more neck.

Good luck

[cobozzie]

Good idea about the neck.
Thanks for the other tips, I shall print this out and pin it up as I tackle the job!

The first thing I will do is thin and shorten his mane between now and the show (Bucks County 3 weeks off) and that must make life easier I always under estimate how little mane there should be to get a good result.

[SaturdayGirl]

Hmm I find I always leave too little mane. I like it fairly thin but longish... But that's to get hunter plaits which are a bit chunkier