How to Train Your Horse's Mane to Lie Flat on One Sid
horse's neck. A grooming spray can help work out any tangles and prevent breakage which can make a mane look frizzy. Once the mane is smooth, dampen it slightly (a sponge or spray bottle works well). Divide the mane into sections about 1 to 2 inches wide all the way up the neck.
Braid each section and secure with a strong thread or elastic. You might want to pick up a package of small braiding elastics at your local tack shop. Don't braid the tuft of mane at the withers. It doesn't matter if the braids look nice. They don’t even need to be particularly even in width or length; you just need them to hold all of the mane on the side you choose. The weight of the braids over a short time will encourage the mane to lay on one side.
After a week's time, pull the braids out, comb out the mane, and re-braid if necessary. Some thin manes will lay flat after a week, others can take a few weeks. If the braids start to fall out, start again, smoothing and braiding the mane. If your horse has a particularly thick, untamable mane, the process can take much longer. It can come ‘undone’, so you might have to repeat the process every so often.
This is the only time you will want to leave braids in your horse's mane. Don’t leave the braids in and not take them out occasionally for grooming, or leave your horse out with show braids after the show is over. If braids are left in for a long time the hair will break and tangle, leaving your horse with a frizzy uneven mane. This won’t look nice and will make extra work for you, untangling the snarls.
