It all started innocently enough. Australian Jan Heine moved to Ireland to breed showjumpers and is also a professional photographer on the European showjumping circuit.

But she still calls Australia home and is a regular on a couple of Australian horse forums. She often posts some great photos too, including one of some very unusual plaits!

That sent other forum members scurrying to see if THEY could do something similar...and being clever and creative as horse people often are, had great success.

The plaits are easy enough to do and look pretty cool! They work best on a mane that's not too short (you need enough hair to do loops) and one that isn't too thick, otherwise things start to bunch up a bit.

If you can do regular rosette-tyoe plaits, then these will be a breeze, so get your plaiting gear together and have a go!

Our thanks to Elisa Surinow for allowing us to use her photos of her stunning palomino, Monsview Kings Warrior (Nemo to his friends).




© Horsewyse Magazine



1. Start with a clean, brushed mane. It's also a good idea to have your horse's head at chest neight as if he's eating at ground level, the base of your plaits will be too loose.




2. Divide the mane into equal sections. It's best to do this before you start and not as you go, as it takes the guesswork out and you end up with a neater, even finish.





3. Plait all the way down to the end of the mane, double up at the bottom remaining strands and sew into place. Sewing is better than rubber bands, which can be too bulky for this type of plait.




4. Starting at the poll or withers, make a loop of one plait at its base, and sew into place, leaving the end free. Then take that end across to the base of the next plait, make a loop and sew into place etc. Work your way up (or down) the horse's neck until finished. You can apply a light coating of hair spray if your horse will tolerate it.





5. The finished result! It looks neat, business-like...and different! Now go dazzle your friends and Pony Club acquaintances, be among the first to adopt this new trend in plaits (and tell them you learned it at Horsewyse!)