[ghost horse]

How long for western pleasure and how far apart are the bands? The show is not for awhile so I figured I start now to get it right. Also what about the tail? Should we keep it in a braid until then? I know alot of people who do it that way.Thanks

[shyxpony]

Okie dokie. Let me start off with the tail... I would NOT braid it or bag it if I were you, as that has a tendency to break the hairs. Get some Coconut Oil! It is magic... in a jar! It melts in your hands and you apply it to the tail. The quality of my mare's tail improved after the first use. It is AMAZING.

As for the mane... let me see if I can find you a link here... hold on a moment please

[shyxpony]

Ahh here we go:

Originally Posted by shyxpony

Well if you haven't done much banding before, I suggest using rubber bands that are similar in color to your horse so they won't stand out as much if you mess up a little bit. Banding is very time consuming but the end result is definitely worth it. These are my bands from the first time I banded my horse (the pic's a bit blurry, sorry) -

(click to enlarge)

Banding is pretty simple, just make sure it's all really neat and all the sections of hair are even. Smaller sections of hair make a short neck seem longer, and vice-versa. By 'smaller' sections, I mean about 1/2 inch, so adjust the size from there depending on your horse's neck. A clip is helpful to hold back the hair you haven't banded yet, so it doesn't get in the way of the hair you're banding. Once you've put a rubber band around the section, pull the hair on the underneath of the band so the hair lays down nice and flat.

Aaaand, I think that's it! I usually also put a rubber band around the forelock but I think that's more personal preference.

I also use some hairspray over the top to neaten the whispies. Hair gel works good as well. I would trim the mane so it's about half an inch longer than you want it to end up being, and then band it, and THEN trim it another 1/2 inch so it is even with the bands in. If you have a sleezy (one of those lycra hoods) I would band the night before and put on the hood for the night so you don't have to worry about it the next morning as banding can take a while. If you don't have a hood you can still band the night before but it is more personal preference. Aaand, also, if your horse has a super thick mane, pull instead of cutting, and just trim it at the end.

[ghost horse]

Thanks! I used to braid hunters so I think this will be easy. I will get some of the coconut oil, The horse has a thin mane so I might have to cut it instead of pull it.

[HUS_WP_lovr]

I do mine about 2-3 inches long for westernAnd as wide apart as the pic shxpony posted

[shyxpony]

I got my coconut oil online here: http://www.wholesalesupplementstore....conut-oil.html

You can get it at walmart, too, apparently. Do a search for Coconut Oil on here and you'll find tons of information about it.

[alana529]

I do mine about 2.5 - 3 inches. You can tweak it a little depending if the horse has a thick neck, thin neck, good neck, etc. but my pet peeve is a mane that's too long.

[Care To Jazz?]

braiding the tail loosely won't break the hairs. Just make sure it is loose and unbraid atleast every 4-5 days to leave the hair breathe.

[hjackma51982]

For the tail, you just want to make sure that the hair at the top is not bushy. What i have done (the few times i showed western...lol) was to wrap the dock lightly with a fleece polo over nightand just pull off right before my class. Just make sure that it not wrapped tightly enough to restrict the circulation at all or it will cause a host of promlems.

[karend1205]

FYI - I got some Coconut Oil at Walmart!! It was with the shortening and veg oil. It was only $4 something!!