Jumper braid question

[Tha_Ridge]

While I leave my hunter braiding to the pros, I’ve become quite nifty at braiding my jumper (and find it quite meditative to do before showing). I’ve begun to expand my repertoire from the usual button/rolled braids, but there’s one type of braid I just cannot figure out — the type where the braid is folded in such a way that it juts above the horse’s crest. The best example I’ve regularly seen it on is Jimmy Torano’s Chewbacca:

Anyone know? (I cropped that from another photo, so sorry for the poor quality.) I’m guessing that rather than braiding down, I need to braid up to give the braid that vertical lift but then I can’t figure out exactly where to put the bands to keep the braid upright.

[weixiao]

I haven’t done these in ages and only did them a couple of times so might have to torment my mare to try and remember for sure but IIRC you braid up (braiding from the opposite side also works and can help) and then you “fold” more than “roll” the braid from up above the crest and then you just have to find the balance point for the band depending on the particular mane length but if you center the band right above the crest it should sit up tall. I think it was close to half up and half below for the horse I did them on. You want enough below the band and tight on the neck to support the top. Kind of push it up away from you as you fold almost like you’re going back across the neck. The braid needs to be very tight and I think a bit narrower than for a Dutch braid. I don’t remember it actually being too hard to get it to stand up as long as you braid up enough and it is tight enough. The gelding I did them on had a very coarse mane that wanted to stand straight up in a Mohawk anyway so that may have made it easier too. His mane was a bit too thick (no matter how thin you pulled it, he was Irish and had a very wide mane) Cobra braids looked so beautiful on him but these braids got a bit too carriage horse-y on him.

[Tha_Ridge]

Thank you! That is super helpful. I love that someone on COTH inevitably can answer any question you might have. My mare has a finer neck and not a naturally huge crest, so she could benefit from a little bit of carriage horse.

Here are my scallops from yesterday—so much easier than I thought they would be for my first try!

[IPEsq]

If you want a rounder topline you can also do fewer, fatter buttons that are a little poufy (Dutch style). Maybe not so extreme as some of the dressage horses that have like 5-7 braids total, and if the mane is fine, your buttons are going to be smaller anyway unless you braid in yarn or fake hair. You have to braid up and a little looser in the top of the braid so you can push it up higher on the crest when you sew it in.

[Peggy]

Finally remembered to get photos.

I cannot take credit for these braids. Thank you, Hector.

Braid down.

Fold and rubber band. Then he does something with rubber bands between the braids.

[MHM]

Hmm. That’s interesting with the rubber bands between the braids. Maybe to stabilize them?

I’m much more familiar with hunter braids. Lol.

[Peggy]

Pretty sure it’s to stabilize them. I’ve done hunter, jumper, and dressage braids in the past and have used rubber bands at times for the last two, but had never seen the stabilizing trick.

I think Grady got loops st one show. It’s kind of what they feel like doing and have time for.

[Peggy]

Just downloaded show photos. Here’s the finished product in all its glory.

[Tha_Ridge]

LOVE! Thank you, especially for the close-up photos!

[Foitin]

Dumb question, but ignorant hunter only person here. Are jumper braids just a convention, or do they have a function? I like they way they look!

[Tha_Ridge]

I think just for fun! Or at least mine are. My trainer thinks they all look better braided, and like I said, for me it’s a nice, meditative way to get in the “zone” before my class. (I’ll leave the hunter knots to the pros!)

[Peggy]

Not exactly the type of braids the OP was looking for, but I thought this tutorial was helpful. The person (wendyscholtenhorses) is fun to follow on IG in any event.

Wendy Scholten Horses on Instagram: "Finally a video about my braiding....

[TwoStrides]

Waterfall braids are pretty if you feel like branching out with something new again

[FrittSkritt]

HOW do you do that?!

[SamBDA]

I’d love to know how to do this! Any guides you can share?

[weixiao]

I’ve never done them with the tails at the bottom but I’ve done scalloped braids like this: https://blog.cheshirehorse.com/2020/08/07/the-secret-to-reverse-scallop-braids/ It looks like with the ones TwoStrides showed you would just create a “button” with the top half of the braid by folding it up from the middle and leaving the end hanging before incorporating it into the next braid, rather than pulling it up and going over the top.

[IPEsq]

@Peggy

Not exactly the type of braids the OP was looking for, but I thought this tutorial was helpful. The person (wendyscholtenhorses) is fun to follow on IG in any event.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7mAOmloYIN/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

To add some pouf at the topline, you can use this basic technique, but start your braid by braiding upward and not so tight at the top. Then instead of rolling with the band, roll and then push the rosette up against the crest and sew in.

A pro tip is you want a longer mane for these, especially if the mane hair is finer and/or thinner and you want a good sized rosette. This is not hunter braids mane length unless the mane is quite thick and the hair is not fine. (Bay horses may tend to have finer individual hair than chestnuts, for example, at least this has been my experience—talking TBs, Arabs, WBs not Fresians or notoriously more hairy draft or draft cross types).

This is a good technique if you find that the folding the braid and banding upward still seem wimpy/fine.