To Pull or Not to Pull

silky

At least once every year, I get the itch to pull Nibbles’ mane. There are a few considerations for me:

• How easy is it to maintain?
• How does it look every day?
• How does it look braided?
• How hard is it to braid?

Those aren’t necessarily in order which is sort of the hard part. Longtime readers will know I started riding on Arabs (before moving on to an OTTB’s and others) so I’m used to long manes and running braids. But I was also showing on the Arab circuit back then and really didn’t know much different.

But now, considering I want to show USDF, I’m tempted to polish my button braiding skills and pull that sucker.

couple years ago…are you kidding me

How easy is it to maintain?

Long manes are sort of a pain in the butt in that they get dirty and tangled (see post-mud-roll photo above). Nibbles isn’t took bad about this but witches knots are super annoying. They try my patience to pull them apart slowly rather than take a pair of scissors to them. I can afford pretty sparse boarding amenities at this point so it’s been several years since I’ve boarded at a barn with an indoor washrack that had heated water. This means, in the fall/winter, the long mane gets a brushed and detangled and that’s it. It can get pretty gross.

Pulled manes have a whole different set of needs. They don’t get near as icky as long manes but you have to keep pulling them or at least touching them up. I haven’t had a horse with a pulled mane in like 9 years so maybe I don’t appreciate how annoying it is to have to keep up with but it sounds awfully good compared to the long mane right now.

How does it look every day?

Long manes are something I think you either love or hate… unless you’re me and you can see the case for both. Ha! Pulled manes look very tidy and sporty which I love. It’s annoying when they flip and they also look really junky too long.

How does it look braided?

This is the one where pulled manes get a solid point in my book. I love the look of button braids. I love the different styles of braids for pulled manes.

hearteyes

For long manes, I don’t mind running braids…done really well. There’s nothing sloppier looking to me than a loose or poorly braided running braid. Frankly, I don’t really like long manes done any other way. Personal preference but I just don’t.

nice and tidy braid on miss nibs

How hard is it to braid?

This is the one that gives me the most heartburn. I’m really good at running braids. I can french braid anything, standing or squirming, tall or short. I love braiding. Therefore, with a long mane, I know I can whip up a nice looking braid without much trouble or even time.

It’s been almost a decade since I had to do anything but a running braid (where did time go omg). While I dream of a pulled mane, what if I can’t braid the dang thing? What if my button braids look like crap? What if it comes show time and I can’t get them right and we look like crap going down the centerline and the judge laughs us out? Oh wait, that’s not really a thing? Oh, well… but what if we look sloppy? I don’t like sloppy.

can you imagine this with a pulled mane?

What do you think? Pull it or keep it long? What advice do you have or what factor am I not considering?