10 Smartest Horse Mane Braiding Ideas

Horses have long manes that require special care. Horse mane braiding is often imperative to keeping the mane healthy. Long and thick hair is prone to knots and tangles. If not cared for properly, you might end up having to cut it off.

Horses often have more beautiful hair than people do. In fact, many women are envious of what some horses sport. In order to keep the manes beautiful and healthy, braiding is a must. Spending long minutes on a daily basis, braiding a horse is not something a horse owner is ready to do. Most of the time a simple braid can last for a few days.

 

Horse Mane Braiding Tips

Here are a few tips that can help you braid a horse’s mane in a flash.

 

1. Don’t Cut the Mane Too Short

While it seems as if a short mane is easier to braid, don’t go overboard. Give your horse a mane cut but leave it at least 5 fingers long. Such manes are easy to keep neat, however, you can forget about impressive hairstyles.

 

2. Strive For Even Density

When the mane is evenly dense, it’s much easier to braid. Some horses have thicker manes in the middle and thinner on top and bottom. Pull out the hair to create an even density. Most horses don’t mind such a  procedure. You can use a thinning comb to do the job.

 

3. Keep The Mane Slightly Dirty

Freshly washed mane can be harder to braid than slightly dirty hair. When the mane is a bit oily, it’s easier to shape. Elastic bands and other hair accessories stay in place. Wait at least one day after shampooing the mane, to start braiding.

 

4. Avoid Spraying Hair Products Directly on the Mane

Most horses don’t appreciate you spraying the hairspray. They don’t like the sound and might start shaking their heads, which is not what you want. Try to avoid spritzing. Apply hair products to your fingers first. Braid spray for horses is a big help, so don’t avoid it all together.

 

5. Do the Braiding in Advance

If you are prepping your horse for a competition, don’t leave the braiding for the last minute. It’s a good idea do braid the equine the night before. You can’t account for all the unexpected problems that can occur on the day of the competition. So it’s better to be prepared in advance.

 

Stunning Horse Mane Braids

Horse mane braiding can be a tough task if you’ve never done it before. Many horse owners turn to professional groomers to deal with braiding. However, there isn’t anything complicated about braiding a horse’s mane. In fact, it isn’t anyhow different from braiding your own hair. Of course, a horse might not be happy about the procedure at first. That’s why it’s imperative to teach a horse these grooming techniques ever since it’s young. Here are a few horse mane hairstyles for you to enjoy.

 

1. Horse Mane Like Faux Braids

Interlacing your equine’s braid with a faux one is a great idea when the mane is too short for a large hairstyle. This approach can keep the hair neat all day long while adding the braid some prominence and volume.

 

2. Braided Horse Mane

These braid loops are not very easy to create. You have to start with making a waterfall braid on top. Then take the hanging strands and create simple French braids. Attach the braid ends to the waterfall braid in order to make hanging loops.

 

3. Horse Mane With Hair Accessories

Simple French horse mane braiding can be applied to attach various hair accessories or other decorations. If a horse needs to wear something large on its neck, use simple braiding techniques to keep it in place all day long.

 

4. Overnight curls

If you want your horse to have striking waves or curls but using a flat iron might be too long or too dangerous, use the overnight braiding technique. Make as many simple French braids as you can and leave them overnight. Unbraid them in the morning and voila!

 

5. Braided Buns With Horse Mane

This professional horse mane braiding technique is not easy to achieve. Ask a professional groomer to show you how to make these neatly braided bun horse mane. Such hairstyle is perfect for competitions and shows.

 

6. Basket braiding

If your horse has a really long mane, you can go all out with experiments. This basket braiding technique requires dozens of elastic bands and tons of patience. Remember, this hairstyle is good for shows and photo shoots but as soon as the horse runs, it will be ruined.

 

7. Long and fabulous

What could be better than braiding long and thick hair? Horses look fantastic with simply French-braided hair. If your equine has a very long mane, don’t hesitate to create really long and beautiful braids.

 

8. Tiny and perfect horse mane

If the horse has short hair, you can go for this tiny bun hairstyle. The main problem with such short horse mane braiding is keeping the buns intact. You’ll need to buy plenty of clear elastic bands.

 

9. Flower horsepower

If you are planning to make your horse look special for a photo shoot, flowers are a must. A flower crown can be held together by a braid. You’ll need to ask a professional groomer to help you attach the flowers.

 

10. Half braided horse mane

These half braids are perfect for stallions. They don’t look feminine but make the horse appear grand nevertheless. Make the French braid just half way down the mane and tie it with a large manly elastic band.

 

Watch tutorial – How to Braid Horse Mane

 

We hope these new horse mane braiding idea allowed you to come up with a special hairstyle for your equine. Remember, horsehair is very similar to human hair so the number of experiments is endless.