Texas will be going to his first show on March 22nd. That is not very many days away. 12 to be exact. I am super excited to see him all dressed up for the show ring! And I think it is going to be really nice to be able to just chill out and watch his owner ride him the first time around. Note to his owner: Don’t forget to ENTER for the show! So as I am getting more and more excited I am also starting to wonder about something that is a show ring only issue.
What should we do with all this hair?
Texas’s Owner mentioned pulling his mane the first time I rode him. Now I know that is going to have to happen eventually because of the rules, but I am not showing recognized this year so I am hoping she will put it off. I like his long mane. I think he looks cute with it. Plus it hides some of his spots 
! And the one of the big reasons I don’t want her to pull it because I cannot even imagine how many freaking braids I would have to put in! Even with my fat dressage braids on his long neck there will still be at least 20.
So what I want to do, because it is much easier is leave it long this year, is to throw a stallion braid in! What do you all think? I don’t know if I can get away with it, he is not an Arab, Andalusian, Friesian, or any of the other breed where long manes are the norm. I think since we are just doing schooling shows and hanging out close to home this year it is the easiest thing. Is there anyone out there that thinks he should just get his mane pulled…I hope not! If there is you can braid him for me! Has anyone else every tried to go into the show ring with a long braid on a horse that is not one of the common breeds? If so how did it go?
So if I can talk his owner into leaving it long (she reads this blog so if you are with me comment, comment, comment! and if not…well I guess you can comment too ) then I am left with two braiding options and I don’t know which one I like better. Now please don’t judge the braid by my braiding job…I promise I will practice before I bring him to a show!
Here are the options….
Braid 1
or Braid 2
What do you all think?
Pull his mane and braid him the right way! He will look WAY more professional. As someone who showed a leopard appy for years, I can tell you that appys are more accepted in the show ring now than ever before, but they still aren’t warmblood classy, so every detail counts. Plus, to me, even a well done braid on a long mane just looks sloppy.
For a schooling show I pull the mane, but I don’t braid. A nice short neat mane looks professional enough for the schooling ring here. I also like to show off all of my paint spots. It gives the judge something to look at other than me!
Braid #2. Definitely.
Shorten and braid! There is nothing classier than a well-groomed, braided horse, even at a schooling show. It shows respect for yourself and your horse, no matter what level you are showing.
Braid #2. But, since he is going to be shown you might as well get the mane all pulled and nice starting now. I like long manes but my horse isn’t going to be shown so I don’t worry about it.
Pull it! You do not have to braid for schooling shows – as lon as it is neat and tidy. In fact, you really do stand out when you do braid because no one does.
I showed Willie for 3 years with a running braid. Standardbreds are different because even though we don’t really have any breed rules for showing, roadsters and harness racers have long manes. But actually, I never got anything but positive feedback! I only pulled it last year because I was planning to try some rated HTs and hunter/jumper shows; dressage doesn’t really have any strict rules about braiding, but hunters actually specify having small, multiple braids. Hmph.
There is a good article on doing the running braid here:
http://www.exhibitorlabs.com/article_02c.cfm
It’s like braid #2 but with some yarn to help keep it in. I never tried it with the yarn myself, but my braid came out looking about the same way and after some practice, I could get it to stay in all day.
If you plan to eventually shorten his mane anyway, I’d say shorten it now and get used to braiding it before it’s time to go to a big show. It took me a few months to get used to doing Willie’s mane in smaller braids, because even after pulling and thinning it was still too thick to braid the way I usually did!
I say pull it. I think along mane is going to make him look more Western-ish. Sorry to be a voice of dissent! Pulling my Appendix’s mane greatly enhanced his appearance.
I loved the day when my Morgan’s mane got long enough to do braid #2 instead of the little ones. I don’t think it matters for schooling shows but eventually I agree that its going to have to get pulled.
I vote for pulling and braiding. While it’s fun to experiment with different “dos”…. in the show ring a sleek well-groomed look is the right choice regardless of level.
You did a nice job of braiding #1 & 2 (#2 looks much better). But I don’t think his mane is long enough to pull it off for any length of time… not even with super-duper-hold hairspray! I just think it would be very distracting on the day of the show to constantly be fiddling with those inevitable stray ends putting them back into place. You’ll have more important things to focus your attention on.
Definitely pull it and either leave it loose (allowed for schooling shows) or braid it the right way. Not only is a long braid extremely hard to keep tidy throughout your ride, but it also tells people that you aren’t aware of show etiquette. (We know that’s not true of you, but that’s the impression it gives.)
Also, if the owner actually pulls the mane—and not just a trim with thinning shears—the bulk of the hair will become much more reasonable and you won’t have to put in as many braids as you think. The thinner the mane, the neater and fewer the braids.
Finally: stop trying to hide your Appy’s spots! He is beautiful, and your ride will speak for itself.
Umm…definitely pull the mane. I agree with Melissa about the impression it gives. While I love the running braid, it doesn’t seem as polished as a nice, tidy pulled mane, or hunter braids.
but hey! I found this thread about tall boots on Chronicle of the Horse Forums: http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=193999
Several posters talk about their boots and replacing zippers.
If you go back to the thread list page, there is another thread about tall boot recommendations:
http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=193784
I’m afraid I would say pull it (sorry) you can leave it loose or braid it. Either way he should look finished. If you do opt for the longer braids I like #2 better. I also love his spots, so show them off. It was always fun to have the only paint on the showgrounds in the beginning before it became ‘acceptable’ and we polished him up and showed him off in his best light. By best light I mean braids even at schooling shows. It’s a lot more work but it’s worth it, especially as he moves up, he will be remembered as always being shown looking his best.
I say – do what you want with your horse and forget what anybody else thinks! He is a cutie and will look great whichever way you decide to go. Be proud of those spots!!! Appaloosas are supposed to be spotted!! Personally, I think you did a great job with both of the braids, but I like the first one for some reason – it looks the most original to me. You don’t have to show a horse that looks and is dressed-out exactly like every other horse in the ring to look neat and respectable. Focus on your riding and your horses action and you’ll both be winners!! Oh, and don’t forget to have fun.
Remember…opinions are like mothers, everybody has one!!
If you dress for the show then your horse has to be dressed too and that means pulling and braiding. Sorry. If you plan on showing in plaid breeches, paddock boots and a t-shirt because it’s a schooling show, then sure, leave his mane long or do a stallion braid but otherwise – ya gotta match. It’s etiquette.
I wanted to vote with you, because I know you dread the braiding. But honestly, neither of these photos look “polished” enough for a show to me. I realize that schooling shows accept lots of “variety”, but you are a horse savvy gal. I think Texas deserves to be groomed to perfection, and pulling and braiding say that to me. These 2 photos just seem like the rider woke up late and didn’t have time to deal with the mane.
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My 2nd vote is to pull and leave mane “natural”.
3rd vote (LOL) is photo #2.
Really, I have to say, he’s just so adorable. He deserves the gorgeous braided mane for his shows. He’s gorgeous!! I’m sorry. But just think of the braiding time as “bonding” time. ;o)
I personally like the look of a long mane when the horse has a beautiful mane to show off (regardless of his/her breed). Griffin’s mane is thick at the top and then gets rather sparse as you get closer to the withers (thanks to a skin problem he had when he was younger).
Unfortunately his mane does NOT look good long, so I decided (just recently – in fact) to keep it pulled. He looks very handsome with a pulled mane. I pull the top part that is isn’t so thick looking and then just trim the sparse part with a scissors. This makes it look more even throughout and I like it.
At any rate, I can understand the difficulty in doing all those little braids. A trainer showed me last year how to do english/hunter braids on Griffin because I had considered braiding Griffin’s mane for the horse fair. She warned me that it takes a lot of practice to get it good, but I still never ended up doing it. I tried to “practice” doing it at home a few times at home by just doing half his neck, but my braids never looked good so I gave up **sigh**.
I agree that if you can braid well that a pulled mane with the little braids looks the nicest — but if you are not a good braider, the running braid done well would look better than pulled braids that arent’s as uniform or neat as you’d like them (my running braid looks WAY better than if I tried to do the little braids again..Ugh
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If I were in your shoes I guess it would depend on the shows I was going to and what the rules were regarding braiding???
If you have to pull his mane, just try and remind yourself that it will grow back and he can have the long mane after the show season is over
Braid #2! I think Texas looks very handsome with his current hairdo
I’m so happy to hear Tex is going to go to his first show, we need to get together for a drink to catch up!!!
try to put off choping it short for as long as poasible, you can pull it and get it thin, but dont cut it, i find that unless you do a PROFECIONAL job its gonna look crapy, crapy, crapy. just get it thin and braid it it will look so much neater and prettyer