Why must every discipline require a different braid style?? *sigh*

So I have two horses I'll be showing at fair and I need to know how to do their mane and tails for each.


Arthur, my Paso Fino gelding. Gaited. Has a natural mane and tail

• Trail Class (western)
• Easy Gaited Western Pleasure
• Halter (western style)
• Games

Molly, my Thoroughbred mare. Has a GORGEOUSLY thick and long tail, and a thick mane that's kept pulled and parted down the middle so the mane hangs evenly on both sides. I just recently got her so I'm still learning what she excells in....

• Jumping (not sure what height yet)
• Dressage most likely
• Equitation maybe?
• Halter
• Games maybe
• some other English w/t/c kind of things

So....can anyone provide a nice guide for how I should do their manes and tails for each of these events, and a detailed description of how to do it? Thanks!

Sage

All I know is button braids for eventing. Luckily they're among the easiest to fake. I do them with rubber bands instead of sewing and nobody can tell unless they're up close. I'm glad I don't do hunters. I hear those take all night!

I don't know a lot about most of those classes, but I only do hunter braids [for eventing, fox hunting, & hunters]

How do you do a hunter braid, and what do they look like? Would they be good for just some small jumps? She's just starting jumping, and she LOVES it. Have to solidify her flat work a bit more, and then I'll really start training her for jumping.

For Arthur, I'd band it :) It looks pretty simple and mainly it is, but the trick is getting it to lie flat, and knowing how many bands to do that suit the horse.

For Molly, I'd do button braids but sew them in. That's not the best picture but that is how my horses look when I show them english. Hunter braids take lots of practice and and if you do them wrong, they can look disastrous. I just sew in my button braids, nice and tight, make my horse look immaculate, and there you go. You just need a nice clean proper turn out.

If your horses tail isn't clipped at the dock, I highly suggest you braid it.

Thanks! I was looking online at how to do hunter braids and I think I'll try it.....doesn't look too hard, but then again, I'm usually wrong about things like this!
For banding....since his mane is natural, would it still look okay banded? I'd think it'd look a little scraggly

Oh--and quarter marks....she has a real shiny coat, would quarter marks touch her look up or are they not appropiate for what she shows in?

If your doing showing classes on the flat, (hack classes), then yes I'd put quarter marks on her. However, you need to know which one would suit her, where to place them, how to do them correctly.

I'd band anyway. If your doing western halter, it'll be competitive so going that little bit extra might earn your a ribbon :) And for western pleasure band as well. I wouldn't worry so much about the trail class if its banded or not.