May 2003

Braiding Secrets

The lowdown on how to braid your horse like a professional.

Perfectly matched, lined braids beautifully accentuate your horse's neck.

At the moment, braiding is a controversial subject in the hunter ring. Some prominent trainers would like to see the practice minimized or stopped, claiming it's expensive and unnecessary. While we're not going to debate this issue, we do know that you can learn to do it yourself and save some money. You may even come to like it.

Ruthann Smith has braided over 12,000 horses in her 27 years as a professional braider. Naturally, the more you braid the better you get, but a few lessons can't hurt, since braiding, like riding, requires understanding the basics before graduating to the upper levels. …