5 Best Tips to Fix Messy Mane Braids

Simple solutions to fix messy hunter or dressage braids

Why learn these five best tips to fix messy mane braids on your hunter or dressage horse?

Does this scenario sound familiar…

You put your heart and soul into braiding your horse’s mane. You step back off your stool to see how your braids look.

UGH! Your braids are a hot mess.

It looks like a child braided your horse. Oh, my!

You’re left wondering, how can that be? You tried so hard to get them to turn out.

Frustration sets in.

Can you relate?

Well, please don’t despair!

I have simple solutions that will make a difference. And give you way to create neat, hunter or dressage mane braids that you’re going to adore.

As a braiding expert and instructor, I get a ton of questions about how to fix messy braids. I was plagued with messy braids myself, for years. So I can relate to the frustration! But, I was able to conquer the mess and create neat, eye-appealing braids on thousands of horses.

How did I do it?

I’m sharing my five best tips to fix messy mane braids with you. You’re going to love this list!

What Does a Messy Braid Job Look Like?

Messy braids twist left and/or right and often appear willy-nilly or contorted. They have a random appearance because every braid looks different. When your braids look messy, they detract from the pleasing picture you’re trying to create with your horse.

In contrast, neat, eye-appealing mane braids that flatter a horse’s confirmation are the crowning jewel of your horses’ turnout.

Why should you care about the quality of your mane braids?

Think about everything it took to get to the point that you are ready to show. All the time, work, and expense you put into riding and training your horse.

Do you really want to fall flat in the homestretch by settling for messy braids and subpar turn out?

No way.

Some riders feel the quality of your braids don’t matter. But consider what my long-time trainer said about messy braids…

If you have a perfect ride, the judge may be more forgiving of messy braids. But, if you don’t have a perfect ride, messy braids are just one more thing added to the list of cons for the judge to consider.

~Eberhard Biesenthal

I don’t know about you, but it’s not often that I feel I have had the perfect ride in the show ring. So, I like to ensure my braids and turnout are top notch to swing the odds and judge in my favor.

Anyone can learn to braid a mane beautifully given the right knowledge. And that is something I can help you with.

If you’re new here, get access to my Resource Library of braiding videos and resources for FREE.

What Causes Messy Looking Mane Braids?

• Loosely braiding down the mane
• Braiding the mane dry
• Taking too large of hair sections when braiding down
• Using too much tension when tying braids down
• Braiding a poorly prepared mane

Five Best Tips to Fix Messy Mane Braids

You can transform messy braids into neat, professional-looking mane braids! I’m giving you my five best tips to fix messy mane braids.

HINT: Practice only improves your braids if you are using good techniques to create your braids. First, learn the expert braid techniques used by the pros, then practice those techniques until you are comfortable using them. The point is, practice alone won’t improve your braids.

Tip 1: Use a Proven Braiding Down Technique

The technique you use to braid down the mane matters. A good braiding technique creates a tighter braid core as shown in the above picture on the left.

When a less desirable technique is used, the braids end up looser like the photo on the right. And this is before you even start tying down any braids. The problem with the looser braids becomes evident when you pull the braids up and start to tie them down. Because when braids are tied down, they expand (or explode) which causes them to appear sloppy.

In contrast, when you tie down neat braids they’ll look nicely finished and impressive!

The secret to neatly braiding down a mane is to cross each hair section over the front of the braid and direct it across the braid not downward. Pulling up on the new outside section after each crossover also helps tighten and neaten the braid. These are small changes you can make in your technique that have a big impact on your braid quality.

I demonstrate this proven technique to neatly braid down the mane in a video titled, “5 Tips for Neater Braids“, inside my free Resource Library. Click here to sign up for instant access to the Resource Library so you learn this braiding technique in a couple minutes.

Tip 2: Wet Hair Stretches

Did you know that wet hair can stretch one-fifth its length?

Use this fact to your advantage by wetting the mane before you braid it. I often see riders at shows braiding dry manes. Braiding a dry mane never creates as neat of finished braids as braiding it wet does. Since the hair stretches when wet, if you wet the mane before you braid it, you’ll create tighter, neater looking braids. Especially when you pair this with the braiding down technique I shared in Tip 1.

HINT: When I say to braid the mane wet, I mean soaking wet, not just damp. If you hose your horse off after schooling, soak the mane with the hose and then braid your horse when you get back the to barn. And don’t wash or condition the mane because it will be harder to grip and braid. If you have a sensitive horse or one that hates a spray bottle or dripping water on the neck, try using the a micro mist spray bottle. It puts out a very fine mist that works better with sensitive horses.

Tip 3: Work in Sections and Use a Section Size Guide

To achieve neater braids, work in sections when braiding down the mane. Wetting and braiding down the mane as you go. For example, first wet down about six inches of the mane. Next, braid down a few braids. Then wet the next section of mane and continue to wet the mane and braid one section of the mane at at time.

It’s also important to take the right size section for each braid consistently across the neck. Because taking inconsistent or too large of hair sections are two causes of messy braids. Good hair section size guidelines to follow are:

• two fingers width for hunter braids
• four fingers with for dressage braids
• thick or coarse manes may require a smaller hair section for each braid to be neat

Once you choose a section size for your braids, stick with it so that your braids are consistent across the entire mane. You can also use a mane comb with a rubber band at one end stretched to the width of your section size.

Hint: A properly prepared mane makes it easier to create even braid sections and identical-looking braids.

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Tip 4: Too Much Tying Tension Distorts Mane Braids

When you have braided down the mane and pull the yarn pieces up into the crest, you’re ready to tie your braids down. If you are creating hunter braids, there are a couple of things you want to avoid when tying your braids down: They include:

• When starting to tie the braid, don’t tie a knot under the braid. This will make your bumps too big. Flat bumps are much more flattering to your horse’s neck.
• If you’re holding the braid while trying to tie it down that is a red flag. This also results in less flattering braids and bigger bumps. Psst…there’s a better and faster tie-down technique you need to learn that I teach in my Mane Braiding Workshop). It’s a game changer!
• When you tie the first knot on top of the braid, don’t pull too hard on the yarn pieces. Instead, think you want to just snug the braid down to the neck. To beautifully tie down braids, you need much less tying tension that you might think.
• Tie in the center of each braid. If you pull too hard when tying down braids, the knot will slip up higher on the braid. Then the knot will end up in the top third of the braid instead of the center. This allows the portion of the braid below the knot to become crooked (see how the braids twist to the side in the photo above). When you tie your knot in the center of the braid, the portion of the braid below the knot will lay straighter (see the photo below). Braids tied in the center are sturdier and look good all day.

Tip 5: Don’t Skip Mane Prep

I didn’t start with this tip because I probably would have lost some riders right off the bat.

But, it’s true!

Mane preparation makes any mane easier to braid and helps you do it neatly and quickly.

It’s just that simple.

Often, when riders struggle with braiding their horse’s mane they will ask me what they are doing wrong. As soon as I evaluate the mane, I can see that the mane is way too thick, blunt, and/or long to braid well. The first thing I teach them is how to properly pull the mane to the right thickness for that horse. (If the mane is thin, I never pull it. See my note in the next paragraph.) Next, I show them how to taper (super important) and shorten their horse’s mane so it braids beautifully.

Some horses only need their manes shortened to a good length (without pulling). I have an ace technique for that you can find in the resource library.

Other horses have thicker manes that need to be thinned a bit. Don’t worry, I have an painless mane pulling technique you can use that works like a charm.

The key is to prepare each mane for braiding based on the mane type (thin, average or thick/coarse). All my workshop participants learn how to prepare and evaluation a mane based on the mane type.

The pay off for good mane preparation is that it allows for the most braiding ease and top notch results.

Conclusion: Five Best Tips to Fix Messy Mane Braids

Let’s review what you learned in this post. Here are the five best tips to fix messy mane braids:

• Tip 1: Learn a proven braiding down technique, so the core of your braids are neater
• Tip 2: Wet hair stretches so wet the mane before you braid so the braids go in tighter
• Tip 3: Work in sections wetting and braiding the mane as you go using a consistent section size
• Tip 4: Too much tension distorts mane braids – learn the proper braid tying tension for super results
• Tip 5: Don’t skip mane prep, it makes a mane easier to braid neatly and quickly

I hope that you’ll use these expert tips to create neater braids today! Because you don’t have to settle for messy braids or feel frustrated with mane braiding. Anyone can learn how to beautifully braid a mane for a hunter or dressage competition given the right knowledge. Or even learn to braid a horse’s mane just for fun as part of grooming and expanding their horsemanship.

Want to learn how to create top notch hunter or dressage mane braids with greater ease?

Click here to learn how you can now.

Happy Braiding!