I just realized that for years I’ve braided my tails overhand. I never knew about overhand and underhand. Is underhand considered more attractive? Is underhand more commonly done?
Also, you tell me how to do a mud know or link me to some videos? And is the Lucky Braid dvd worth seeing? Does you learn things there that are not on the other braiding dvds?
Thanks!
If anyone could provide a really good video of tail braiding for hunters as well as forelock braiding, I would appreciate the help too! Sorry to steal part of the thread! I’ll be watching this thread 
[QUOTE=Withstand;8065909]
If anyone could provide a really good video of tail braiding for hunters as well as forelock braiding, I would appreciate the help too! Sorry to steal part of the thread! I’ll be watching this thread :)[/QUOTE]
It’s actually quite sad how difficult it is to find good videos, considering how many are out there! I watched a bunch a few months ago to try to find the better ones and I linked to them on my blog for easy finding:
http://showringready.blogspot.ca/2014/12/video-roundup.html
The first braiding video has the forelock starting about halfway through. The third braiding video also includes the forelock, but while the quality of braiding is higher than in the first video, there’s no spoken instruction.
The tail video is a fairly good one from Greenhawk.
I loved my lucky braids DVD. That and my “grooming to win” book.
Oh, dear braider friends, do you braid underhand or overhand? Thanks.
Manes and forelocks overhand. Tails underhand. No clue why except that my fingers are a bit weird and can’t do tails overhand. That’s how I taught myself and I’m too old to change!
I have had pros do both over and underhand on the tail. I think people do what they feel most comfortable doing. I am far better at overhand but I also suck at tails so I nearly always delegate that 
Thanks so very much!
Hi VXR!!
I do overhand 99% of the time. Underhand if a person wants the raised braid on the tail.
[QUOTE=Tackpud;8066298]
Manes and forelocks overhand. Tails underhand. No clue why except that my fingers are a bit weird and can’t do tails overhand. That’s how I taught myself and I’m too old to change![/QUOTE]
Damn, I’m the opposite. I can’t teach myself underhand.
Thinking about how these braids look, I think the “underhand” version of a french braid is necessary for the tail so that you have a single, clean-looking cylinder. And overhand braid–where the braid is raised up off the “surface” of the hair coming into it-- will look like it’s own rat tail…. growing noticeably thicker as it progresses.
Like that thing in Alien,— gnarly-lookin’ to be sure, but worse because the braid was expensive.
I personally love the braid on top best but if I let my fingers think on it for a bit, they can also so the other way. Ruthann’s video is excellent but it doesn’t have tails. There is a good book out there simply called Braiding Manes and Tails by Charne Lewis. Lots of photos and good text.
FWIW. In people, Overhand= French braid and underhand = Dutch braid if you are searching for tutorials.
Any key points/ideas/neat things those of you who have seen Lucky Braids can tell us about?
I found a great idea on a braiding video for anyone who wants to practice while not at your horse. Make a cardboard in the shape of a rectangle. Put a bunch of slits on each of the long sides of the cardboard at about 1/2" intervals. Cut up some yarn, knot one end, put knotted end in back of cardboard, so you now have a cardboard with “tail hairs” to practice on. I made one yesterday. Way kewl, imo.
And you could switch to embroidery floss to add more difficulty
I think I get it but how, exactly, would that be more difficult, Rosey? Do you just mean by having to keep more strands together? When I used to do tails regularly my struggle was not getting the three central strands & braid too thick. To me, it took the most time/effort/finesse to keep dropping hairs. I guess it is like that for everyone?
Still seeing mud-knot help. I used to do them but so long ago, I forget.
I plan to try to learn some human braids on my cardboard thing, too.
The narrower the strands the tighter you need to braid and more strength your hands will need to develop.
[QUOTE=mvp;8066603]
Damn, I’m the opposite. I can’t teach myself underhand.
Thinking about how these braids look, I think the “underhand” version of a french braid is necessary for the tail so that you have a single, clean-looking cylinder. And overhand braid–where the braid is raised up off the “surface” of the hair coming into it-- will look like it’s own rat tail…. growing noticeably thicker as it progresses.
Like that thing in Alien,— gnarly-lookin’ to be sure, but worse because the braid was expensive.[/QUOTE]
My tail braids are underhand with the braid raised up off the tail. When the braid starts to get thick, I drop hair with each cross to keep the thickness even.
When I was foxhunting my grey pony, I would do my own version of a mud knot. I would dutch braid my pony’s tail all the way to the end. I used a thick people hair band to finish it off. I would then find the end of his dock and go an inch or so down and fold the tail up, tucking the end of the braid into the top of the braid and fish it behind the braided part until it is near the bottom. I then use the appropriate color electrical tape. I encircle the braid just before it is tucked behind the dutch part at the top of the dock a couple of times with electrical tape and then encircle the entire tail at the top. I do the same thing about the same distance down the tail from the bottom of the dock. This will keep the tail neat through out a 5-6 hour days hunting.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151460827489201&set=t.100000524258440&type=3&theater
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151460827699201&set=t.100000524258440&type=3&theater
Whether over or underhand, you have to drop a little as you add a little to keep the braid even-sized. Even with an underhand braid, you don’t keep adding and adding and adding as you go.
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