I’ve heard that Assmussen will braid the entire mane so the jockey will be too busy pulling out braids during post parade to fuss with the horse lol. My trainer actually did that on a couple of nervous horses she didn’t want warmed up too much or having the rider pulling them around a lot. Riders hate braids lol. There was one barn here and they would braid them wet the night and take the braids out so the mane would be all fluffy and curly. Then they’d put quarter marks on them and deck them out in ALL purple, with purple silks. Those poor horses all looked like My Little Ponies!
