English Horse Mane Ideas

Equestrians competing in the English horse sports know that in order to be successful at these events, their horse's coats, tails and manes must be maintained to display the animal's good looks, health and musculature. Successful riders in dressage, show jumping, three-day eventing, equitation and endurance know to braid their mount's manes in very specific ways to conform to the traditions demanded by their individual disciplines.

  1. Pulled Manes

    • The English equestrian disciplines require riders to shorten and thin their animal's mane to keep the horse's appearance clean and neat for competitions and to allow for braiding. This procedure, known as "pulling," calls for the rider to separate tiny strands of hairs from underneath the fall of the mane and pull them out from the roots using a quick, jerking motion. This thinning continues until the mane feels of the same consistency from the horse's withers to its poll. The rider then breaks or razor-cuts the hair to a length of approximately 4 inches along the entire stretch of the mane. After pulling, equestrians choose whether to braid the mane according to their discipline or leave it as is.

    Dressage

    • Competitive dressage horses commonly sport "button" braids to show the line of the animal's crest and definition of the neck muscles. After the mane is pulled, braiders separate 1-inch sections of hair beginning at the poll -- the top of the head -- down to the withers, winding string or yarn the color of the mane around each section at the hairline. They braid each section, including the yarn in the braid, and tie it off at the bottom of the plait using the piece of yarn. The braider pulls the end of the plait through its top at the hairline and twines the yarn and the entire braid around the resulting loop of hair, tying it off and creating a "button" effect.

    Hunter/Jumper

    • Horses that compete in the hunter and show jumping sports wear braids that lie flat on the neck so as to not interfere with the reins and hand-placement of their riders. Plaiting begins with 1-inch mane sections being divided and braided with same-colored string or yarn, just as it is in dressage horses. Braiders pull the end of the plait through its top at the hairline forming a loop. They wind the yarn around the upper two-thirds of the hair loop creating a small button on top of a short loop that, once the yarn is tied off under the button, forces the braid to flatten against the horse's crest.

    French Braids

    • Equestrians who compete in English events with Arabian horses or the "baroque" breeds -- including Lusitanos, Andalusians, Lippizaners and Fresians -- typically leave the horse's thick, wavy mane long and flowing as a breed characteristic. During competition, riders French-braid the mane from the poll to the withers creating a long, thick rope designed to illustrate the arch of the animal's neck and accentuate its shoulders. Braiders begin by plaiting three thick stands of hair at the top of the mane and work the braid down the hairline, including additional pieces of mane as they go. They tie off the end of the French-braid at the horse's withers.