# Mane for Western Showing



## GotaDunQH (Feb 13, 2011)

eeo11horse said:


> If you're showing in western pleasure/ halter/ horsemanship but don't want to band your horse's mane how would you fix it for a show?


If you are doing those 3 classes (especially showmanship)....you DEFINITELY need to band....sorry. Banding has become a tradition at small and big shows, just as braiding is a tradition for hunt seat.


----------



## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

What kind of showing are you doing? Local? Breed? 

I did those same exact classes in my towns horse club so there was no need to pull my horses mane and band it. I made sure it was even brushed it out REALLY well and cowboy magic-ed the hell out of it. Very simple.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## GotaDunQH (Feb 13, 2011)

^ I never pull a mane that I'm banding....nothing worse than skimpy bands with "real estate" between each band. Band....then trim to the length you want. Maybe it's just me, but even at the smaller shows, "look the part" is my motto....LOL. It's shows you take pride in you and your horse, and that says something to judges...even at smaller local shows. Now, if I was doing timed event, cow events or reining....I would not band. But the classes she mentioned are a little more formal.

1. WP-a sloppy mane shows movement from the horse and is distracting.
2. Halter-nothing shows off a neck better than a shorter banded mane. It can make a bad neck look good!
3. SMS-a formal class where GROOMING and attention to detail IS judged.


----------



## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

I 100% agree that when in Rome you should as the Romans, to the very best of your ability. Just because I didn't go out an buy a $1,000 outfit, had my saddle dripping and silver and chopped of my horses long mane doesn't mean I didn't take pride in my horses appearance. She was clipped, there wasn't a spec of dirt on her four white legs, I bought a fresh pair of jeans and cleaned the hell out of my 20 year old barrel saddle. Would I show up to APHA worlds like that? No. But it was the best I could do for the level I was doing it at. 

OP, I didn't do it and I got grand champion at one show and reserve at the other. There was a third show in the series I couldn't make, but at the end of the year I got reverse champion end of the year award. This was against people way more "showy" then me. This show was like a practice for them. They had the pleasure horse, saddle, outfit... The whole nine. At the end of the day it's the riding skill and out relationship that won us those ribbons. Not our banded mane. Not our cheap show halter. Not our $10,000 tack set.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## GotaDunQH (Feb 13, 2011)

^ lol, who said anything about $1k outfits and $10k saddles??? OP, do what you think is best. The question was asked and I answered it.


----------



## oh vair oh (Mar 27, 2012)

The thing about banding is, you don't have to have a lot of money to do it.
I think bands are like $3 most so it's not a classist thing to band.
Just like you can have a cheap hat shaped to the fashion of the pen, or you can have a cheap shirt tailored, starched, and pressed to look sharp. 
It just shows you took the extra effort to look presentable. 
But I doubt banded/unbanded at the local level is going to make a huge difference in placings. One time I was super behind schedule for a local breed show and didn't have time to band. So we cut the mane real tight, put some hair spray and a slinky on it, and showed with it. I asked the judge later and she said she didn't even notice. *shrug*


----------



## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

Generally you would band for those classes. I usually band and then use the razor scissors to get the right length. I've noticed a lot of roached manes lately as well, I'm guessing that's becoming a fad. I've also noticed people keeping their mains longer these days, even in the bigger breed shows (not just the reiners) but even the long manes are banded.

If you are showing local level then you can get away w/out banding but don't be surprised if the rest of the class is banded. The purpose of a show is to show off your horse... banding, clean tack, and a nice outfit is all part of the pageant....


----------



## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Some judges will notice, some won't, all things being equal in a class, sometimes it's a deciding factor in overall presentation to the judge. After the performance part, judges start looking for overall presentation, if your horse looks like you take pride in ownership and you went the extra mile to show him to the judge, it certainly won't hurt.


----------



## Cynical25 (Mar 7, 2013)

farmpony84 said:


> If you are showing local level then you can get away w/out banding but don't be surprised if the rest of the class is banded. The purpose of a show is to show off your horse... *banding, clean tack, and a nice outfit is all part of the pageant*....


Agreed! If your focus is stock breed WP/HMS/Halter, banding is part of the expected turnout. Personally, I even banded for schooling shows, as I always want myself and my horses to be presented in the best possible light. It's a sign of respect, not only toward the judges & show management, but toward my horse and myself.


----------



## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

I agree--even though I'm not a Western shower, I think you should band. It doesn't take much time, and is pretty simple to do and have look good. I think properly presenting your horse and yourself is a matter of respect to a judge, regardless of your discipline or the level you are showing.


----------



## eeo11horse (Jun 22, 2012)

This may be a really dumb question but I've never banded so...do you have to pull their mane to band it? Or can it be left long and banded? 

When I showed Buddy I was in ranch, halter, and western pleasure (even though he wasn't really a WP horse it was really more for fun) and I left it long and just brushed it really well and put conditioner in it simply because I didn't want his mane pulled. Now I'm going to be taking our 2 year old to local shows and showing him in halter. He has amazing mane- thick, long, kinda wavy- absolutely beautiful! We're not going to want to pull it but I want him to look really good. In the next couple of years we'll see about showing him in pleasure classes.


----------



## oh vair oh (Mar 27, 2012)

Just band it long.



















Or just leave it long and slicked down. I know plenty of performance halter horses who have the long mane unbanded and do just fine.


----------



## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

oh vair oh said:


> Just band it long.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Love the first picture.


----------



## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

I was going to suggest that last banding job that Overo (oh vair oh, dang you girl!) posted. It looks so neat and smart.


----------



## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

I never knew you could band a long mane! Good to know! I'll probably do it myself over the summer now.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## aqharyder (Jan 25, 2009)

I band the day of the show. I go to the stable early, or venue if we're away, and band as this is my bonding time with my horse. I kind of get a sense of how she is feeling, and it helps me to relax. Plus, I do really like the way it looks.


----------



## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

Quick question.. How far apart do you make the bands?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

I use a braiding comb which makes 3 sections, depending on the thickness of the mane, you can band one section each, or combine 2 sections into one band, never had a mane thick enough to band all three sections together. I might this year though, my granddaughter is showing leadline, and using a horse that has long, rather thick mane, no way am I pulling nothing. It will be banded long, like the pictures that Oh Vair Oh (overo, geez) posted.


----------



## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

Her mane is on the thinner side, so I think I'll go with smaller sections?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Do a few with the 2 sections, about 1/2 a dozen, see how it looks. Then repeat with the 1 sections on same amount, you choose. Different textures of manes look different.


----------

