How to Braid the Mane for Dressage Braids

An important part of dressage is impeccable presentation of the horse and rider. Although it is not essential to braid your horse's mane for dressage competitions, it is the standard practice of professional riders and will create a good impression of you for the judges. Braiding your horse's mane for dressage is much the same as braiding for showing, where horses have individual button braids, but each braid will be secured with white tape.

Things You'll Need

  • Plastic horse mane comb
  • Braiding bands
  • Needle and thread
  • White electrical tape
  • Hair gel
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Instructions

    • 1

      Separate your horse's mane into even sized sections, using a plastic horse comb and secure each section with a braiding band. You should have an odd number of sections; nine is common, but this will depend on the length of your horse's neck.

    • 2

      Braid a section of mane from the top down to the bottom. Use a normal three-way braiding technique; separate the section into three strands, place the left-hand strand over the middle strand then the right hand strand over the middle. Repeat this until you reach the bottom of the section of mane you are braiding.

    • 3

      Secure the bottom of the braid with the needle and thread, by wrapping the thread around the bottom on the braid about five times and then knotting the end of the thread onto the part that is already wrapped around the braid. The color of thread should match your horse's mane as closely as possible.

    • 4

      Fold the braid in half, so the bottom of the braid is underneath the top. The folded braid should be about an inch long, so if your horse has a long mane, you may need to fold the braid in half again.

    • 5

      Wrap the white electrical tape around the braid, making sure the join is on the underside of the braid.

    • 6

      Repeat steps 2 to 5 for each remaining section of mane and also for your horse's forelock.

    • 7

      Apply a small dab of hair gel to each completed braid, just before the dressage competition, to smooth down any loose hairs.