HORSE SENSE: Step-by-step guide to pulling and plaiting manes 24 June 2016 Premium

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24 June 2016

Leanne O'Sullivan on 24 Jun 2016

HORSE SENSE: Step-by-step guide to pulling and plaiting manes

This week we have advice on pulling both thick and thin manes and how to achieve perfect plaits

Leanne O'Sullivan

24 June 2016

Back combing mane before pulling longer underneath strands

About to trim the longer underneath hairs with scissors

This picture shows half the mane trimmed using scissors and the remaining half of mane which has yet to be trimmed

The finished mane which has been fully trimmed with scissors

Equipment for plaiting

A corectly threaded needle with the loose ends knotted

Strait parting between plaits compared to a poor parting

A sharp, straight parting between plaits in comparison to a poor parting

Separate the mane into even sections and secure with a plaiting band

Dampen down the mane, I use a wet cloth so I can wrap it around the mane and damben the sides and underside of the mane

A tight plait will make the resultant rolled plait look neater and more secure

A loose plait will be less secure and will look messy when rolled

A plait correctly rolled at the end and secured with thread, ready to be rolled and stitched

This is cheating, but if you find it difficult to secure the ends of the plait with string you won't notice the plaiting band once the plait ir rolled

Pull the needle back up through the centre of the plait close to the crest

Pull the thread tight

A nice neat plait secured with plaiting bands

You can then pass the needle up and down through the rose bud as much as is necessary to secure thae plait, cut the string on the underside of the bud

A stitched plait with thread around the outside to help secure loose strands of mane

OVER the years I have groomed for a number of different people and I have also worked with a number of different grooms - one thing that I have noticed is that everyone has their own slightly different way of pulling and plaiting manes.

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