Area Championships and braiding

[Ritazza]

This weekend is Area 1's Novice Championships at Old Chatham. (YAY!) This is kind of a weird questions, but obviously since it's the Area Championships, I want us to really look our sharpest. It's a one-day show, and they're running the format in the typical dressage-XC-stadium way, so here's the question: I want to be braided for stadium, but doubt I'll have time to rebraid her after XC if I rip out her braids after dressage. I'm not really the mane-grabber type on XC, but there's a first time for everything, and if I'm still braided I obviously won't have that safety fall-back. So, if you were me, would you leave the braids in all day so we could still look sharp for stadium, or rip them out after dressage and go braid-less for stadium?

[Janet]

I'd leave the braids in, and add a neck strap to have soemthing to grab.

[rhymeswithfizz]

If I had time, I used to take just a few braids out for grabbing - sometimes left them as rubber banded pony tails - then did a quickie 10 minute rebraid. Sometimes I just left the braids in and it all worked out just fine :)

[SevenDogs]

I'd leave the braids in and not worry about it. A neck strap might make you feel better and is a good idea, but you probably won't use it either, if you aren't a mane grabber.

I'm also someone who never grabs mane -- I guess maybe it just doesn't come naturally to some?

[luise]

I would pull the braids out after dressage.

[Divine Comedy]

If you don't like the way a neck strap looks, I've had good luck grabbing the top part of a hunting breastplate. The Nunn Finer ones are especially thick at the top which makes for good grabbing. Just practice it a little bit before you go (or even in warmup) and put your body in the habit of grabbing for that strap instead of mane if you need it.

[Ltc4h]

See if you can find someone to show you or pay someone to do it for you.
Sew them in, use wax thread. You will look great in Dressage and you can hold onto them when jumping they won't come out or fall apart.

[CanTango1]

I would leave them in.... If you arent a mane grabber anyway chances are if somethings happening you wont process to grab mane anyway...

I started riding with a strap, and it never fails I NEVER process to grab it anyway..

[Ritazza]

See if you can find someone to show you or pay someone to do it for you.
Sew them in, use wax thread. You will look great in Dressage and you can hold onto them when jumping they won't come out or fall apart.

:lol: I do sew them in already.
I feel like if we mess up enough at the Area Championships to warrent needing to either grab mane or fall off, then we better just fall off because we aren't deserving of being there!

[bornfreenowexpensive]

:lol: I do sew them in already.
I feel like if we mess up enough at the Area Championships to warrent needing to either grab mane or fall off, then we better just fall off because we aren't deserving of being there!


If you sew them in....you can just grab them. Honestly, sometimes grabbing braids is easier than grabbing mane.


I grab a LOT of mane....all the time....and even I can still go xc with a braided horse...you will be fine! Good luck!

[BestHorses]

I always take out braids for xc even though I never seem to grab mane on course. I'm a little superstitious in thinking that the one time I leave braids in I'll be looking for something to grab at every jump. ;) But if you really want to look sharp for sj leave them in. Of course if you walk xc and something looks spook-worthy you can always pull out a few braids just in case! :winkgrin:

Best of luck! Go Gogo!

[Jealoushe]

I usually leave mine in, I think it looks sharp. I've never been much of a mane grabber.

Good luck!:cool:

[Jazzy Lady]

I leave mine in for one days. The mane gets in my way when I am in a bridge for galloping (must for a puller) and I have trouble switching from a bridge to my "sit the **** on your haunches and jump it like a normal horse, not a 20' long horse" hands when I get it all tangled. lol. Stupid rubber reins that I can't live without.

[GraceThe Mare]

LOL! Well put, Jazzy! For a 1 day, I leave 'em. At least I'll look "polished" as we froth and grunt our way around!

[Ritazza]

LOL! Well put, Jazzy! For a 1 day, I leave 'em. At least I'll look "polished" as we froth and grunt our way around!

:lol::lol::lol:
Okay I just snorted Kashi cereal out my nose.

[Jazzy Lady]

:lol::lol::lol:
Okay I just snorted Kashi cereal out my nose.

mmm... go lean crunch...

that would REALLY hurt. I hope you were eating a smaller cereal

[Ritazza]

mmm... go lean crunch...

that would REALLY hurt. I hope you were eating a smaller cereal


Oh no it was Go Lean Crunch. The very, very crunchy kind. Painfully crunch.

[pday09]

You have a few options- one is to buy a grab strap to hold on to. The other, if you want to grab mane, is to rip the last three or four out and re-do them quick before sj with rubber bands. Good luck!

[EventerOP]

I would leave them in. . . I usually leave mine in. If you would feel better you could use a grab strap but I think you should leave them in!

Good luckkk!

Let us know how it goess:)

[WNT]

If you do nice rubber band braids, they are quick and easy to pull out from the saddle. I've been there, done that! Even if you just pull out the lower half so you have a bit of mane to grab. It never fails that the one time you'll need to grab mane, it's in little braids.

That said, I did once take my horse XC braided (sewn-in are more time consuming to remove...) and I didn't need to grab mane, but I hadn't really pulled his mane so the braids were about golf ball sized and easy to get a hold of of, LOL!