Button vs running braids

[appendix100]

I show QH’s, currently have a large appendix that I am showing in ranch riding. No braiding, banding, hoof black or fake tails allowed. Any of them are disqualifications. So when I go in HUS class, I just use a running braid, he has a really long thick mane & ideally I’d like to keep it that way for the ranch class.

We are also starting to show over fences. nothing rated, & nothing very large. My current question is for the local hunter classes, am I better off using the running braid I currently use, or should I put in some form of dressage button braid that I can do with a long mane?

[Clover5]

Definitely go with the running braid. The button braids will make you stand out, and not in a good way. It would be like showing up to the class with pouffy dressage braids on a short-maned horse. Just make sure the braid is nice and tight tight tight to your horse’s crest, not gently sloping down - it will look neater and will be less likely to get in your way. Be sure to tuck the long end of the braid so it’s not flopping around. When it’s done correctly it shouldn’t stand out too much from the fancy hunter braids