Plaiting for dressage?

laceyfreckle

Well-Known Member
May 27, 2007
9,701
42
48
Essex/Suffolk
I have a dressage competition on sunday.

Last time i did a dressage comp (about a year ago as have been concentrating on other things) i plaited him up in traditional plaits and non plaited but pulled tail. He was all trimmed up at the time with a mane pulled to about 4 inches and tail raked to look pulled so not a problem to do.

This year though i showed him as a native (going back to the working hunter look next year though) so his mane has grown and his tail if full again. His mane is about 8" long or so but not too thick so I 'could' still plait it normally but worry it may look a bit messy. I can plait his tail or leave it loose but bandage it so it's smoother.

Are 'arab' plaits (crest plaits or whatever other name they go by now!) ok for dressage? It would go into one of them no problems.

I have left it a bit late to start pulling it really, due to the amount that needs doing - also because i don't compete much in winter (after this show really) i'd like him to keep his mane etc until the start of next season if possible. Don't want to leave him with mane and tail 'down' as always think it looks better if a effort on presentation is made for dressage.

So what do you think?

I am doing Intro B and Prelim 4 as well if anyone has any pointers for them? Hoping the white boards and judges car don't eat ponies this year!!
 
As long as your overall appearance is neat and tidy you can pretty much do what you want.
My friend never used to plait her native and she used to do affiliated dressage, he had a gorgeous long flowing mane and lots of feather.
 
Last edited:
You don't have to plait as long as he's all neat, if you don't want to shorten the mane up I would suggest not plaiting as it would look less tidy than a neatly leveled off and mane that has been laid over with a damp brush :)

......we must have piccies of you guys all scrubbed up and looking posh!!
 
If he's Native , leave the mane natural and tail full, just clean and untangled. BJ (Fell Pony) competed to a fairly high level in dressage and was always au naturale.
 
If he's Native , leave the mane natural and tail full, just clean and untangled. BJ (Fell Pony) competed to a fairly high level in dressage and was always au naturale.

He is native or part bred anyway, not sure which but he always does better shown as a working hunter pony rather then a native (i showed him last year turned out as a hunter and we got placed a lot better then this year where i turned him out as a native)

This is him turned out as a native (most up to date)


img001.jpg


and as a hunter pony last year

Harveyshowmay9th2010.jpg
 
newrider.com