Braiding with Bands

Endurance braids

[Quick edit ... the link to the braiding video has been fixed.  Sorry about that!]

This was my first attempt at braiding a short mane.  No, not this photo.  The braiding with bands are down below.  This photo shows how we braid for endurance.  Not quite show braids, are they?  And that's Vetwrap, not yarn. Since Arabians typically have long manes, it is acceptable for me to do a running, or French braid when I show him dressage.  

I don't know if Sydney's mane has been pulled, or if it is just naturally thin.  Let's hope it's just thin as there is NO WAY I'm pulling it.  OUCH and t-e-d-i-o-u-s.  I'll keep it short, but if it's thick ... oh, well.  I am sure the purists are freaking out, but remember my roots.   

It took me 45 minutes to set up my supplies and do 14 braids.  The first four took the longest.  Once I figured out how the bands worked, I got a lot quicker.  I braided a section, put a rubber band at the end, and then folded the braid in half (like the hunters would do), but then I folded it in half again.  I pinched it all together tightly and wrapped the double-folded braid with another rubber brand.

I watched a bunch of YouTube Videos to see it being done, and one in particular was very helpful (see it down below).  The woman braiding wore the rubber bands on her pinkie so that they were easier to access.  That was definitely a helpful tip!  

Next time I'll try it with the yarn ...

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Here's a slide show of the process.  Click the play button in the top left corner (do a mouse hover to see it), or click and scroll through the thumbnails.

Ready for our lesson. I think the braids turned out quite nice, even for a rookie!

Watch the YouTube video here.