[*Jamie*]

So I made a braiding attempt yesterday. I am doing hunter braids here.

I pulled her mane beforehand...

Do you think it is short/thin enough for braiding?
(sorry its hard to tell with that pic. Maybe how the braids turned out will answer this question, see pics below)


Here are some of the braiding photos:
(first pic were my first few braids, so kinda bad.. but they improved I think)


I have a few questions:
-Do you think my braids should be closer together? (I am doing hunter braids)
Appx how much hair do you use for each braid... half an inch? 1"?

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CRITIQUE ANYTHING YOU SEE THAT COULD BE IMPROVED/how to improve it!!
Suggestions, constructive criticism, etc are always welcome!! THANKS!

[3questr1an]

Looks very nice, umm about how much hair to use...i really couldnt tell you since i just use one of those combs that measueres the hair for you, (the 3 pronged thing that seperates the hair evenly) i would say that its about an inch though

[practiallydream]

looks pretty good for not doin it very often. practice makes perfect but remember this is no thing as perfect.... lol

[honeydoozy]

That's a great attempt - keep practicing!!

I'd say focus on the following:

Keep the base of your braids *tight*... they are quite loose at the top. Braid downward, not out towards you. It helps to wet down the hair thoroughly, one little section at a time.

I don't think they're too far apart - for hunter braids I sort of eyeball it to about the width of 2-2 1/2 finger widths. (For dressage - three fingers - but everyone's fingers are a little different.)

When you pull the braids up, pay special attention to the little button that you create at the top - make sure that they are all about the same size as you go along. In your finished pic, the ones farther down the horse's neck seem to have gotten bigger than the ones at the top.

Braiding seems like a lost art, now that more and more people just pay someone else to do it - good for you, for learning and practicing!!

[smitty]

Good for you. I used to be one of those people who was hired to braid a half dozen or more horses prior to a show. I made some good cash back in the day .

The braids did get better as you went along. The spacing looks ok. The color of the yarn you chose matches pretty good too. My only "critique" would be the lose hair that is at the end of the braid. If you look at your pictures the "ends" of the braids are showing. You need to tuck them in the mane. I do not recommend cutting the ends off......your mane suffers later on.

I also agree that a little water on each section will make your life alot easier. I used a small sponge and had a little bucket of water that I could dip the sponge in and then wet the hair just prior to braiding it. The sections are usually one inch apart. (I am just talking for hunters...not dressage. I am not sure how you do dressage braids.)

Keep up the good work....
Smitty

[*Jamie*]

Thanks for all your responses and critiques!

I really appreciate it... its the only way I'll improve right!! I'll keep it all in mind!

I'm really really slow right now... I htink it took me nearly 3 hours to pull and trim the mane and braid half the mane haha... (with breaks of course!)


Anyone else?

[bluejay]

Looks good, and no closer than that, I would agree with about an inch of hair. My one suggestion would be to use show sheen/quick braid etc, it will make it easier to pull them tight and not to mention it will keep the lose shorter hairs in. Not bad at all for a first attempt

[lucky_pine]

It actually looks pretty good to me. I don't braid for shows though. I'm western.

[Minnies_cheeky]

Well I don't know what "hunter braids" are specified as, but I do english rosettes. My boy has a biiiiiiiiiiiig loooooooooooong faaaaaaaaat WB neck, and I normally do eleven or thirteen braids, plus the forelock braid. Normally the hair section for each braid is the width of a mane comb (3-4inches wide).

Well done, they are much better than my braids when I first started! (im still learning to make mine neat but I'm getting tehre) Keep practising, you'll have them perfect in no time

[*lauren & jp*]

they look pretty good! i'm also practicing braiding (hunter braids). (my trainer said if i get really good at it i can go to the big shows with them and braid for money!!-we shall see!) My trainer also said that each section of mane you use should be about the width of your first 2 fingers.
And don't worry about how long it takes you right now-you'll get faster as you get better and better at it-plus you said you had to pull the mane before you did it (and pulling alone takes me FOREVER!!!)

Here's a few things i do to make it a bit easier-my trainer suggested all of these things:
-My trainer suggested that while im practicing i get a bright colored yarn that stands out so i can really see where the yarn is and what im doing.
Breyer is bay so i bought bright blue and it really stands out with his black mane! and it looks really cool when im done braiding!
-i bought a little spray bottle so i can spray down each section i'm about to braid. After i spray the section, i run the comb through it just to get the hair smooth and straight (the water helps this) and then i do my braids.
-i also bought some hair clips just to pin back the rest of the mane that im not working with to keep it out of the way of the braid im working on.
-when you go to take the braids out, soak the braids down first, then take them out. It will help the "curliness/frizziness" of the mane to "fall out" easier!

good luck and keep up the good work!