Braiding Manes and Tails

Give your horse a gorgeous look! Charni Lewis provides step-by-step instructions for 30 mane and tail braids for both casual outings and specialized events of all riding styles. Full-color photographs and detailed illustrations bring every twist and turn to life, while also clearly demonstrating proper hand positioning. Get inspired and experiment with a Scalloped mane braid or a Four-Strand Weave for the tail. Not only will your horse look great, the time you spend braiding will help develop that special bond between you and your horse. 

Charni Lewis is a trainer and instructor at Flintridge Riding Club in Pasadena, California. She is the author of Braiding Manes and Tails and has choreographed, produced, and performed in riding exhibitions all over the world. Lewis lives in Altadena, California.

Show Off Your Horse's Good Looks.

Braiding is the final touch that gives your horse a polished, well-turned-out appearance. When it's not show day, braiding can preserve a long mane or full tail, or provide a fun, calming activity for horse and rider. Learn the details that can help you master 30 braids suiting every discipline, including hunter, dressage, saddle-seat, Western, and draft.

Getting Started
* Braiding Tools
* Preparing the Horse
* Detangling the Hair
* Safety While Braiding

Pulling a Mane
* Using a Pulling Comb
* Alternative Methods for Shortening a Mane

Basic Braiding Components
* Three-Strand Braid
* French Braid
* Dutch Braid
* Finishing the Braid
* Tying a Braiding or Square Knot

Maintenance Braids
* Training the Mane to One Side
* Maintaining a Long Mane
* Preserving a Long Tail
* Mud Knot

English Hunter Braids
* Hunter Braids for the Mane and Forelock
* French-Braided Tail with Wrap Finish
* French-Braided Tail with Pinwheel Finish
* Dutch-Braided Tail with Loop Finish

Eventing Knots
* Mane Knots
* Forelock Knots

Dressage Braids
* Banded Mane and Forelock Loops
* Mane and Forelock Buns
* Taped Mane Loops
* French-Braided Mane
* Dutch-Braided Mane
* Diamond-Braided Mane
* Dutch-Braided Tail
* French-Braided Tail

Western Mane Banding
* Mane and Forelock Banding

Draft Horse Braids
* Mane Roll
* Four-Strand Forelock Braid
* Tail Bun

Saddlebred & Tennessee Walking Horse Braids
* Three-Ribbon Mane and Forelock Braids

Fun Braids
* Scalloped Braids
* Fishtail Braid
* Four-Strand Square Braid
* Four-Strand Weave Braid

Index