How to Custom Braid Horse Hair
The history of horsehair art dates to the mid-1800s, when prisoners with time to work on long projects adopted the time-consuming art. Prisons in Montana, Arizona, Wyoming and Washington State were commonly associated with horsehair arts during that time period. The quality of a horsehair piece is reflected in the artist's attention to details, such as the colors of hair used and embellishments. Often, horsehair art is made in memory of a dearly departed horse.
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Instructions
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1
Take hair from underside of a freshly washed and conditioned tail by grabbing a small handful and tying it off with a ribbon or piece of rope.Cut the hair close to the dock. Lay the clump of hair on a newspaper.
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Use only the longest hairs for braiding and hitching. You will need to remove some of the shorter hairs by combing the hair backward with a wide-tooth comb.
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3
Tie the top of the clump of hair with a noose knot.
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Hold the horsehair at the tied end and gently wash the hair with shampoo. Do not condition. Rinse the hair thoroughly with water and lay it out to dry.
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Grasp the dry hair at the tied end and gently comb through before beginning your braid.
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Tie the horse hair at one end and separate it into three strands to braid a simple wristband.
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Crisscross the strands to form a braid. Fold the left strand over the center and then the right strand over the center, continuing in this pattern, so all three strands get used in turns.
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Tie the strands together at the end of the braid. To attach the two ends, use some loose horse hair and knot it twice over.
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Finish off your new piece of horsehair artwork with beading or other embellishments.
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Tips & Warnings
Only take hair from your horse or a horse you have permission to use. Taking hair without the horse owner's permission is theft.
Cut from the underside of the tail only, so the missing hair is not noticeable.
