hairspray or gel |
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1) Because the tail hairs grow from the bone in its tail, you can't just get 3 sections and start plaiting! Instead you have to french braid, similar to braiding a womans hair for a formal event. Begin with 2 sections of hair on either side of the tail. (look at the blue and orange) |
2) Get a third section of hair (green). You may have to get it from the side of the tail, like the other two strands. This horse has quite a thick tail, so it was easy to get the third strand from the middle of the tail. Cross the right strand over the middle (blue over green) and then the left strand over it (orange over blue) |
3) Now gather up some hair from right-hand-side of the tail
and add it to the green section of hair. Cross this now over the
orange strand (green over orange).
4) Gather up some hair from the left-hand-side of the tail and add this to the blue section. Cross this over the green. (blue over green). 5) Now gather up hair from the right-hand-side again but this to the orange section. Cross the orange over the blue.(orange over blue) Be sure to keep it as tight as possible. |
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7) It helps if the tail has been washed the day before, rather than on the day you want to braid. This makes the hair soft and easy to work with, but not too slipery. If you are having difficulty, try dampening the hairs at the roots of the tail while braiding, and add lots of gel to keep small hairs in place. I don't suggest braiding the day beofre the show - as the entire tail could be ripped out on a fence and the horse has less protection from flies and the elements when its tail and mane are braidded up. Make sure that you undo all the braids before letting you horse back in to the paddock at the end of the show day! |
Finally, plait the last three strands right to the ends. Secure it with a rubber band. So far, your horses tail will look like this... |
Now just fold the plait end under itself a couple of times until it looks like this:
You can fold the end right up under the braid so that it is hidden underneath, but it all depends on personnal choice and what type of even you are entering. If you were entering a local show or gymkhana, leaving the tail like this is fine. If you going in a royal show or a dressage event, tucking the end right under is preferred. Sometimes the tail is not plaited for these types of shows, instead the hairs are pulled to make it neat and fine up the top of the tail, and full and thick at the end. |
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