Title pretty much explains it all… I’ve pulled manes before, but I was more for looks and less for the actual function to make braiding easier. Now I AM pulling to make braiding easier and I just want to know how you guys decide when it’s thin enough? I feel that the definition of thin might feel different to me then to someone else. Basicly where I am right now is I’m less concerned about pulling to lengh, I want to pull to the correct thickness first and then trim it to the length if needed. I have been around hunters up until now and I feel that making button braids might allow a different thickness then the 1000 tiny hunter braids.
IME, the thicker the better. Easier to braid button braids with a thicker mane.
I had a mare with a double mane, only had to do 9 braids along her neck, because they were big and thick. I personally like that, but this all comes down to personal preference.
My TB, has a thick fuzzy mane, I fit about 10 braids along his neck, they’re a good size to me.
You don’t pull thin manes. Medium thickness is perfect.
It depends on your braiding tastes and your horse’s conformation to some degree (small pony neck, big thick drafty neck, etc). I like to have about 14-18 braids on a neck, and the thinner the mane the better for me. It’s much faster for me to braid a thin, short mane of even thickness. A thick mane is more hair to deal with, takes a little longer to handle, and uses more thread per braid than a thin mane. Given time and enough waxed thread, I can make pretty braids with just about any mane, but the thick ones take more effort. If I’m not too motivated to pull it, I’ll deal with the thicker/longer mane.
Lots of braiding experience will show you what type of mane you like to braid. Then pull to your preference. I hate pulling manes, so I usually try to pull really thin, really short, so I don’t have to do it again for several months. 
With a bushy mane, it may take several sessions (over months) to get it thin enough; a one-time pull may make it short, but not thin enough, and you’'ll have to quit before you end up with a 2" long mane. Conversely, if you have a thin but long and scraggly mane, just use an old dull clipper blade to tease and gently cut (abrade) the hair to desired length.
Pretty clear from the replies that it’s personal preference (personally, sign me up for short and thin)! You should just do some test braids as you go. I’d do them where the crest is widest, so you don’t over-pull. Learned that the hard way!
[QUOTE=LadyB;8548427]
IME, the thicker the better. Easier to braid button braids with a thicker mane.
I had a mare with a double mane, only had to do 9 braids along her neck, because they were big and thick. I personally like that, but this all comes down to personal preference.
My TB, has a thick fuzzy mane, I fit about 10 braids along his neck, they’re a good size to me.
You don’t pull thin manes. Medium thickness is perfect.[/QUOTE]
LadyB - question- I have been wrestling with this, too. I love button braids but I keep screwing it up.
My horses’ mane tends to be on the thicker side, so I pull it thinner, then when I try to braid I end up with about 22 braids!
I have tried sewing and yarn.
So for a good button braid - mane should be about - 5 inches long? Medium thick? I know it is hard without seeing the horse.
I downloaded a great article from EN awhile back, and, well, mine just look nothing like that!
Personally, 
This guy has a very thin short mane, so it was harder to work with, with wax thread.
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v433/taylor_blitz/10526184_972136249485553_8081404339062311912_n_zpsyv5c2rhr.jpg)
This is 100% done with elastics (excuse the awful look on my face, I was happy this round was over)
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v433/taylor_blitz/10577135_10153871581015680_3711886088636158464_n_zps7mltlt37.jpg)
[QUOTE=LadyB;8549055]
Personally, 
This guy has a very thin short mane, so it was harder to work with, with wax thread.
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v433/taylor_blitz/10526184_972136249485553_8081404339062311912_n_zpsyv5c2rhr.jpg)
This is 100% done with elastics (excuse the awful look on my face, I was happy this round was over)
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v433/taylor_blitz/10577135_10153871581015680_3711886088636158464_n_zps7mltlt37.jpg)[/QUOTE]
Girl, you are GOOD!
Thanks for the tips, I will practice. By mane comb, do you mean the regular little metal combs, or those plastic ones with the hole in them? I think both are around 3 inches.
What happens to me is when I get to the bottom I seem to “run out” of mane, and can’t keep it tight. I know that is not explaining it well, but I seem to have a hard time keeping a thicker, or wider braid tight?
Thank you 
I do the whole width of the mane comb, usually the bottom braid, by the withers, is a dinky looking thing, but usually its hidden by your hands or breastplate.
https://equineink.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/pulling-comb-traditional.jpg using a comb this size, use the whole length to measure.
Then braid the braid as far as you can down, whatever hair that is left unbraided, put it in the elastic folded, like an o-ring. Then you ROLL the braid up and wrap another elastic around, or ‘fold’ the braid twice, up underneath.
You don’t want the braid too tight, then it won’t look more like a button braid, too tight is harder to work with, but too loose and it’ll just fall out.
The first photo, those braids are more loose, because it creates the bigger neck effect on top by puffing them up, you just want the middle of the braid to be tight. Don’t pull down when your braiding the braid, that creates pull on the braid and lengthens it, you want it more ‘wider’ looking at the top, oh this is hard to explain!
ETA: for the record, It took me a long time to work out what worked best for me. As crappy as it is, practice really does make perfect. I never thought I would be good, but I juts kept trying. There are so many neat little tricks to create volume when using wax thread.
[QUOTE=LadyB;8549085]
Thank you
I do the whole width of the mane comb, usually the bottom braid, by the withers, is a dinky looking thing, but usually its hidden by your hands or breastplate.
https://equineink.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/pulling-comb-traditional.jpg using a comb this size, use the whole length to measure.
Then braid the braid as far as you can down, whatever hair that is left unbraided, put it in the elastic folded, like an o-ring. Then you ROLL the braid up and wrap another elastic around, or ‘fold’ the braid twice, up underneath.
You don’t want the braid too tight, then it won’t look more like a button braid, too tight is harder to work with, but too loose and it’ll just fall out.
The first photo, those braids are more loose, because it creates the bigger neck effect on top by puffing them up, you just want the middle of the braid to be tight. Don’t pull down when your braiding the braid, that creates pull on the braid and lengthens it, you want it more ‘wider’ looking at the top, oh this is hard to explain!
ETA: for the record, It took me a long time to work out what worked best for me. As crappy as it is, practice really does make perfect. I never thought I would be good, but I juts kept trying. There are so many neat little tricks to create volume when using wax thread.[/QUOTE]
Actually what you have here does make sense to me. I am copying this so I can use this for help!
I really appreciate this! 
If you have questions, I’m more than happy to answer them Just PM me.
One other thing, the shorter the neck, the MORE braids you want, this gives the illusion of a longer neck, the longer the neck, the less braids you want, giving the shorter neck illusion.
[QUOTE=LadyB;8549091]
If you have questions, I’m more than happy to answer them Just PM me.[/QUOTE]
Thank you! I will practice this weekend!
With a lot of horses if you aren’t looking for that perfect Hunter mane, I just pull so that the mane is of a uniform thickness. Usually near the poll is a bit thinner than the middle of the crest, so I pull from there to match the sections nearer the poll nd withers. The best looking braids are the tightly done, uniform ones!
Definitely all about personal preference! I stopped pulling manes when I stopped hunter braiding. None of my horses like it and honestly I’m not sure if I agree with pulling manes anymore (I do the angled scissor cut and no one is the wiser just looking at my horses). I learned to braid buttons via the Dutton method and prefer a medium thick and slightly longer mane so that they can be wrapped around effectively. I braid with yarn and can do 9-11 braids in each of my horses’ manes in about 20 minutes. I get a lot of compliments on them and sometimes end up braiding for friends too, so they must not look too shabby.
It depends on what kind of buttons you like. Fat or tiny.
I use my metal braiding comb to make the sections. Each section is the length of the braiding comb. This makes 9-12 braids.
If the horse has a short neck that ties in low to the shoulder, I use the braid comb to mark off 10 sections, and then half those sections to make 20 braids.
For horses who have a neck that is short and ties in well at the shoulder I stick to 10 braids. Even for ponies. Fat braids make the neck look rounder and most kids don’t get them on the bit well so they need a rounder looking too line.
If the mane is thick it needs to be longer. If the mane is thin it needs to be shorter.
Cobra braids need a thicker mane.
I prefer cobra braids made of nice big fat buttons for dressage.
SJ the braids can be tighter to the neck.
Because I like fat braids, I do not pull mane. I use those
For me, length is much more of an issue: if it’s too short, you can’t wrap them like the Dutton method and have to resort to hunter bumps. Ask me how I know! HAHA! I prefer a shorter mane, though… catch 22.
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