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You'll first need a few items before starting:
1) a bucket (makes a decent stepping stool)
2)
spray bottle filled with water
3) steel comb
4) baby oil
5) yarn or rubber bands (match to the horse's mane color)
6)
crochet needle (if you use yarn)
7) seam ripper (if you use yarn)
8) butterfly clip
To start, if your horse has
a habit of moving his head too much when he's tied up, tie a full hay sack in front of him. Then turn on music, since you
will be there a while. Turn the bucket upside down under your starting point, the forelock. Now, here's whatcha do ...
1)
Spray water over the whole mane (makes it easier to braid) and comb out the section you're going to braid (use baby oil on
tough tangles). You can keep the rest of the hair out of the way with the butterfly clip.
2) Make a simple three strand
braid until you reach halfway down.
3) With a piece of yarn 1 yard long, wrap the middle of the yarn once around an
outside strand of mane and gather the yarn hanging down with the middle strand, then braid the yarn the rest of the way down.
Leave an inch undone at the bottom.
4) Wrap the yarn around the end and tie a secure knot. You should have about eight
inches of yarn hanging from the bottom of the braid, depending on how long your horse's mane is.
5) Poke the crochet
needle through the top of the braid and place the yarn in the hook. Pull the needle up through the top and continue to pull
the yarn until the braid makes a loop with the end of the braid tucked under the top of the braid.
6) Wrap the yarn
around the top of the braid, then secure with a knot.
7) This takes a toll on your fingers after a while, so if you
don't like the job you did, you can always cut the yarn using a seam ripper.
8) If this is too much trouble, then take
the easy way out and use rubber bands. Use one to secure the end of the braid, then another to secure the loop at the top.
Unless you're a purist (like myself) it shouldn't matter what you use.
Braid from the head to the wither, and braid
on the right side of the neck (it's traditional). There should be anywhere from 20 to 40 braids along the horse's neck.
Now
your horse's mane is ready for a cross-country ride.
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