When a horse is being bred to be a show horse rather than a racing horse, one has to have knowledge of braiding. Braiding is an aesthetic concern as much as it has a practical use, way back when horses were used for various tasks like hunting, being steeds for warrior knights, and many others.

You see, horses’ manes can grow very long. Similar to how a person’s very long hair can become a nuisance when doing some tasks, a very long mane on a horse could result to entanglement in vines and bushes when hunting or riding through forest trails. Thus, braiding was born.

Nowadays, braiding is necessary when someone intends to trot a horse through an event. Braiding can give elegance to a horse’s already impressive appearance. As horse breeding is an art, so braiding became an art on its own. Nowadays, you can find several types of braids used on various breeds of horses.

The first style on our list is continental braiding. Continental braiding is ideal for horses that have naturally long manes. If you want to use this type of braid on your horse, you’ll have to wait for a bit of time for it to grow longer before you can try this. A continental braid will require you to split and band together certain sections of the horse’s mane. When you’re done, you should see a net-like appearance to the horse’s mane when looking down at it when riding.

A more practical and more beautiful variation of the continental braid is the diamond braid. This one will require a lot of effort from you. However, your horse will have a very beautiful appearance when you’re done. When viewed from the side, the mane will have a diamond-like pattern in between the split hair, with small ponytails dangling down the bottom of the braid. This is more comfortable for the horse as well, as it does not restrict head movement.

On the other hand, the Rosette braid is quite popular for dressage events. When braiding a horse’s mane in this style, the hairs will also be pulled up into clumps that take on the appearance of a button. This is comparable to typing one’s hair into a bun, only that the Rosette braids are tighter. Since it requires a mane that is at least five inches long, you can find more than 10 “buttons” running down a horse’s neck in this style.

Last but not the least, we have the Hunter’s Braid. What makes the hunter braid remarkable is the use of yarn, and the preference for colors that provide contrast to the color of the steed’s hide. Thus, if the horse is of a pure black color, one can use white yarn or any other bright color. While it does take time to work on, a hunter’s braid can make a horse look very elegant in the ring.

It’s very useful to know about horse braids, because you will definitely end up having to braid your horse’s mane if it gets too long or messy. However, practical concerns aside, horse braiding can be a great bonding time between the rider and the horse as well, and your horse will turn out looking as fine as ever.