How to French Braid Horse Hair

Once you learn how to French braid a horse's tail, you'll be able to French braid on a person's head, a horse's mane, and any other head of hair you come across that needs French braiding! It's a matter of practice, and getting used to holding some hair in your fingers while adding additional hair to the braid with each pass across the center. With each cross across the center, gathering hair from either side, a neat, connected braid is formed that travels down the tail of your horse. The more tightly you hold the already braided section above as you continue to braid below will give you the best, tightest braid in the end. Practice, and enjoy the time with your horse! He will probably fall asleep with relaxation as you braid.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• a mane comb
• horse rubber bands

How to French Braid Horse Hair

1. Start at the base of the horse's tail. Comb out the tail.
2. Starting at the base, you will need three sections of hair, just like for regular braiding. Choose a section at the left top of the tail, the center top of the tail and the right top of the tail.
   
   Getting started will feel messy at first, because some horses have rubbed the tops of their tails a bit, leaving short pieces. Try and grab the longest pieces.
3. Hold the left top piece between your left index finger and thumb. Hold the center piece on top of that, using again your left index finger and thumb. Grab the right top piece with your right hand.
   
   Cross over the right top piece, across the middle piece, clamping the piece with your left index finger and thumb. Grab the middle piece with the remaining fingers of your right hand, and hold tight. Your right index finger and thumb are clamping the place the hair just crossed over from right to left. As soon as you cross each time, you clamp with your fingers to keep the braid tight as you cross.
4. Cross the top left piece across the middle, grabbing the piece with your right hand and pulling tight. Your left hand will still be holding that first crossed over right piece. Clamp the center braided section with your left thumb and forefinger.
5. With the braid clamped, it's the right side's turn again to cross over. For French braiding, you are adding hair to each side before crossing over the middle section.
   
   So you are holding a piece of hair on the right. Add some hair a little lower on the side of the tail, combine it with the piece in your hand, and cross it over the middle piece, using your fingers behind the braided section and your thumb on top of the braided section to hold it tight.
6. Now you've added a chunk of hair over to the left side, so you need to add a bit of hair again on the left to your left side section, and pull the whole section neatly across the middle again, clamping the center section with left thumb and letting right hand hold the incoming hair on the right.
7. Continue all the way down the tail in this manner. Always grab hair to add in to the braid from the very SIDE of the horse's tail. You will be making a kind of braid tunnel, with the rest of the horse's actual tail inside it. You are using the side hair to braid across the tail, and using very little of the bulk of the horse's tail for braiding.
8. When you get to the end of the horse's tail bone, you can finish braiding a regular braid, tie with a rubber band, fold the long section in pieces upwards, and tuck inside the French braided tube you have created on the tail. Secure with another rubber band and a ribbon if you want. There will be some extra hair left over, hanging down below the horse's tail bone, to his hocks.

Tips & Warnings

• The most important thing to remember as you practice, is holding that center piece as soon as you cross over. If you have the center piece clamped between your fingers, you'll be able to gather hair to add on the next side without your braid falling all apart.
• Practice using all your fingers to help hold the various hair strands. Your littler fingers can hold away some of the excess hair and make it easier for you to concentrate on keeping that braid tight.
• The beginning of the braid is always the hardest part because the hair is usually uneven. Keep going no matter what the braid looks like, and you'll begin to get the rhythm of it. As you do it more and more, your braids will become tighter and neater.