Going from pretty good to great braids.. how?

[pickupthepace]

I need some COTH advice for making my mediocre hunter braids better! I’ll start off by saying I have several (5+) years of practice braiding my own horse as well as others. My braids are good, but not perfect. They are just never perfectly straight and the same length. When braiding down I always put the yarn in at the same spot, and I try to make sure the braids are the same length. I’m just not sure where I go wrong- any helpful tips or tricks?

On a another note, I have difficulty making tail braids tight, especially at the bottom. I’m always jealous of some of my barn mates who have perfect tail braids. Would love some advice… do I just need to be more of a perfectionist and try a little harder? I’ll try to attach some photos. Thanks in advance!

[RedHorses]

In my experience the number one difference between good braids and really good braids is mane prep. A good braider can cover a multitude of mane care sins, but for really good braids proper mane prep can’t be half assed.

You’re looking at length, thickness, edge taper. When the mane is ready, it’s easy to do nice even braids quickly. Speed when braiding down helps keep those braids straight and even, while the mane prep almost guarantees an even length.

Where you put the yarn in doesn’t affect the final braid quality. So if you are counting crossovers, stop. It is difficult to get a perfectly even split on each chunk of mane so I put my yarn in so that the skinny and short sections have the yarn. This bulks up the skinny section and allows me to braid further down than the short section would permit on its own.

When you pull the braids up, resist the temptation to make the top bumps all the same size. The important line is along the bottom of the loops. If any of the loops is shorter or longer than the ones on both sides your eye tends to catch on it.

Be aware of the shape of the mane bed. With few exceptions the mane bed is narrower behind the ears, widens out with the widest point being about one third of the way down the mane, and gets down to the narrowest section in front of the withers. While the ideal is to have the mane an even thickness from top to bottom, that is often not practical as that section by the withers is usually too thin for good braids even when unpulled. Making those wither braids shorter (make the bottom line curve up gently and evenly) helps them to be more stable. Long skinny braids at the withers are easily pushed askew by the reins or rider’s hands. Short braids are more stable in general than braids with longer loops.

A very thick mane needs frequent, regular pulling as doing it all at once means it grows back all at once. That means the braid quality will suffer closer to the end of the season (championship shows).

A long, wispy tapered edge either gives you too much hair left over, or stupidly skinny inches at the end of the braids (long, unstable loops when pulled up). Learn to shorten a mane with scissors so you can create a tapered edge on sections that don’t need to be thinner, just shorter. The technique I use is to grab a few hairs and back comb as if I’m going to pull them, then cut on a 45 degree angle at my desired length. When presented with a mane with a ragged edge (usually from careless braid removal) I will clean up the edge with this technique before starting to braid.

Evenly spaced braids are ideal, but when the mane isn’t an even thickness I find it looks far better to have even braid thickness with closer spacing in the thick spot than it does to have a bunch of chunkier braids.

Practice is a huge help in improving your skills. Having a good mane to braid makes everything even better.

[Midge]

@RedHorses

Where you put the yarn in doesn’t affect the final braid quality. So if you are counting crossovers, stop. It is difficult to get a perfectly even split on each chunk of mane so I put my yarn in so that the skinny and short sections have the yarn. This bulks up the skinny section and allows me to braid further down than the short section would permit on its own.

When you pull the braids up, resist the temptation to make the top bumps all the same size. The important line is along the bottom of the loops. If any of the loops is shorter or longer than the ones on both sides your eye tends to catch on it.
.

I disagree with both of these statements. You want to make every braid as close to the same as possible. That means taking the same amount of hair every time, making the same number of crosses every time, putting the yarn in at the same place every time, and tying your yarn across at the same place every time. Do all of these things and the perfect bottom line appears.

OP, two other things that make or break braids is to pull the knot into the crest and the first tie across the top is a surgeon’s knot.

[GoodTimes]

I can make all my braids look the same, nice bottom line, they stay nice and tight, etc. but how does everyone hide the little tails of their mane braids? I pull the knot into the crest and hide the tail underneath the braid when I bump them, but it takes me forever. Is this what everyone else does?
I’ll be honest, when it’s my own horse and I know he won’t be braided for another few weeks I just cut the tails off and then next time I pull it I spend extra time with a clipper blade blending the ends.

[MHM]

@GoodTimes

I’ll be honest, when it’s my own horse and I know he won’t be braided for another few weeks I just cut the tails off and then next time I pull it I spend extra time with a clipper blade blending the ends.

I literally let out an audible gasp when I read the part about cutting the tails off! :lol:

[Midge]

@GoodTimes

I can make all my braids look the same, nice bottom line, they stay nice and tight, etc. but how does everyone hide the little tails of their mane braids? I pull the knot into the crest and hide the tail underneath the braid when I bump them, but it takes me forever. Is this what everyone else does?
I’ll be honest, when it’s my own horse and I know he won’t be braided for another few weeks I just cut the tails off and then next time I pull it I spend extra time with a clipper blade blending the ends.

If you have a lot of tail, your mane is too long so make it shorter. If it’s just a bit long, I fold the braid so the tail is inside. You kind of have to guide the knot between your fingers so the braid almost makes a circle. Then when you pull the knot in, the tail is between the two halves. Tie it off and if there are any wispies sticking out, cut them off and cover your ears so you don’t hear MHM gasp.

[pony4me]

How many braids do you normally put in? At one show, my horse was beautifully braided, and we counted the braids. There were 42. You might look at some photos of braid jobs you admire and count them.

[GoodTimes]

@Midge

If you have a lot of tail, your mane is too long so make it shorter. If it’s just a bit long, I fold the braid so the tail is inside. You kind of have to guide the knot between your fingers so the braid almost makes a circle. Then when you pull the knot in, the tail is between the two halves. Tie it off and if there are any wispies sticking out, cut them off and cover your ears so you don’t hear MHM gasp.

lol There isn’t a lot of “tail” left. I was just wondering if anyone had a trick for tucking them in. I don’t even have to think when I’m braiding down, tying off, and bumping, but hiding those little ends drive me nuts. Some people have told me to roll them inside like you say, and some have told me to pull the knot into the crest with the tail pointing down against the neck and then include it in your surgeons knot, etc.

I usually put about 40 braids in for an average warmblood, and it takes me about an hour and a half. A good 15 minutes of that is just messing with the stupid ends! They never go where I want them too. I’m much better at actual tails, they only take me about 20 minutes.

Sorry for hijacking.

[RedHorses]

I’ve never really managed to figure out what happens to my braid tails. They vanish when I pull up the braid and tie the knot. Even watching carefully as I do it slowly hasn’t helped me see where they end up hiding.

@Midge - I don’t count crossovers when braiding. I put the yarn in when it seems the right place and I have my shortest and thinnest sections placed to collect the yarn. Start with a well prepped mane and the braids come out even, bumps and loops without having to think about it, or count. But knowing the bottom line is more important visually helps when you have that inevitable shorter braid where someone slipped with the seam ripper when taking out the previous braids.

OP - also make sure you are braiding down and not out - keep your knuckles close enough to brush the horse’s neck as you braid.

[RedHorses]

For tight braids all the way down the tail bone, push your hands towards the tail instead of pulling the tail towards you with the braid as you work.

[MHM]

@GoodTimes

…some have told me to pull the knot into the crest with the tail pointing down against the neck and then include it in your surgeons knot, etc.

That’s what I do with the tails. Unless they’re very long (a good sign that the mane needs to be shorter, as Midge says), they pretty much disappear once the braids are pulled up and tied. Cutting them off is not a thing I would do. :lol:

[Midge]

@HJdaydream

I am loving this thread! I am an “ok” braider, I wouldn’t even say good, so I am committing all these tips to memory!

Yours are too long and I would guess you aren’t pulling your knot into the crest. They are a good start though.

[Midge]

@RedHorses

@Midge - I don’t count crossovers when braiding. I put the yarn in when it seems the right place and I have my shortest and thinnest sections placed to collect the yarn. Start with a well prepped mane and the braids come out even, bumps and loops without having to think about it, or count. But knowing the bottom line is more important visually helps when you have that inevitable shorter braid where someone slipped with the seam ripper when taking out the previous braids.

It’s not like it’s a rule so if it works for you to not count, great. But especially for someone starting out, I would strongly advise to count. I agree a perfect mane is the best tool but someone starting out probable isn’t going to know how to get that, either and lord knows it’s not what a professional gets handed every day.

[Midge]

@pony4me

How many braids do you normally put in? At one show, my horse was beautifully braided, and we counted the braids. There were 42. You might look at some photos of braid jobs you admire and count them.

The number of braids itself isn’t a good measure, but you’re on the right track in that size does matter and smaller braids generally look better.

[Midge]

@GoodTimes

lol There isn’t a lot of “tail” left. I was just wondering if anyone had a trick for tucking them in. I don’t even have to think when I’m braiding down, tying off, and bumping, but hiding those little ends drive me nuts. Some people have told me to roll them inside like you say, and some have told me to pull the knot into the crest with the tail pointing down against the neck and then include it in your surgeons knot, etc.

I usually put about 40 braids in for an average warmblood, and it takes me about an hour and a half. A good 15 minutes of that is just messing with the stupid ends! They never go where I want them too. I’m much better at actual tails, they only take me about 20 minutes.

Sorry for hijacking.

The other thing about hiding ends is not having a messy tail when you tie off the bottom of your braid. The knot and the hair should be separate. I tie my knot to the right side and the tail of the braid is on the left. Where you place the knot doesn’t really matter as long as there is no hair in the knot.

[beowulf]

@GoodTimes

I can make all my braids look the same, nice bottom line, they stay nice and tight, etc. but how does everyone hide the little tails of their mane braids? I pull the knot into the crest and hide the tail underneath the braid when I bump them, but it takes me forever. Is this what everyone else does?
I’ll be honest, when it’s my own horse and I know he won’t be braided for another few weeks I just cut the tails off and then next time I pull it I spend extra time with a clipper blade blending the ends.

don’t worry, you’re not alone – even if no one here will admit it. i’ve done the same, having a horse with the most unruly of manes. since he’s mine, i do what i WANT. :lol: