Horse Braiding Tip # 4- Perfecting the tail braid

"I can't seem to keep the braid the same thickness the whole way down. Doesn't it make sense that if you're picking up hair while your braiding your way down, that it would continue to get bigger and bigger as you get closer to the end, even if you're only picking up a few hairs at a time? I figured there was some kind of trick that I was never told, but there's no point in me practicing the wrong technique. Any help would be greatly appreciated. " -Joanna

When braiding the tail, you want to strive for an even straight braid running the entire way down the tail bone.

There are a few tricks we use:

First, when starting your braid at the very top of the horse's tail, take thicker chunks of tail for your first three sections. Most people think logically you need to grab tiny pieces of hair to start. Instead grab double or triple the amount of hair you would normally grab from the tail bone to start. Establish the size of braid you want right from the top and run that thickness entire way down. Don't build up thickness into your braid, start it from the beginning.

Here is an example of not quite starting with enough hair at the top of the braid. The braid is pulled over to the left at the beginning, and ends up building as it goes down.

Why do we recommend starting with thicker pieces?

You will be amazed how much easier it is to grip plus it starts your tail braid off strongly.

Another trick we use is moderation!

As you are braiding down, you will notice your braid will start to feel thicker, as this happens grab tinier pieces of hair each cross over. If you feel your braid is starting to get thin, grab thicker pieces.

As a last resort, if you feel your braid is seriously getting too thick, start to drop hairs. We don't always do this, because braiding the tail should be done continuously and in a flow. The true key to keeping a beautiful even tail braid is rhythm. Dropping hairs is done by splitting hairs off your existing pieces, and only adding tiny amounts of hair each cross over.

To learn how to braid a tail, do a pinwheel, learn a wrap around ring, plus many more tips and tricks on tail braiding, check out "One for the Money" an instructional braiding DVD today!

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