The Fishtail Braid

So far I have been having a blast trying out all these different styles of braids on my horses. I have been fairly successful in my results and have walked away with several more braids to practice before the show season. I was searching through my book Braiding Manes and Tails: A Visual Guide to 30 Basic Braids by Charni Lewis when I spotted the Fishtail Braid. Now I don't know about you but I have never been good at braiding my own hair, and while I have always admired the Fishtail Braid, I have never been able to reenact its beauty with my own hair. The chance to do the braid on my horse seemed far more promising though, so I packed up my braiding gear and headed out to the barn.

Materials for this braid are:

• Detangler Spray
• Brush
• Bands or yarn that matches the hair color
• A stool
• Braiding Manes and Tails: A Visual Guide to 30 Basic Braids by Charni Lewis
• Water (optional)

(Materials)

Once again I can not stress enough to only use the detangling spray on the bottom half of the tail and not where you are braiding. This will keep the hair from being too slick and slipping out of your hands. Instead use water to make the hair you are braiding more manageable and easy to grip. 

(Brushed out and detangled tail)

Now to the braiding aspect, "At the top of the tail separate two small sections of hair from the left (A) and right (B)  sides, then cross the left piece over the right. Hold these pieces in your left hand. Separate another small section from the right side (C)  of the tail, cross it over (A) and add it to (B)," (Lewis 145).

(Step 1 of the braid)

"Hold these two pieces in your right hand. Separate another small section (D) from the left side and add it to (A)," (Lewis 145).

(Beginnings of the fishtail braid)

Continue to braid in this manner of pulling strands from each side until you are 3/4 of the way down the tailbone, (Lewis 145).

(Continuation of adding small strands from each side and crossing over)

To get to this point I had to re-do the braid several times as Presto (horse being braided) did not want to cooperate. He was constantly raising and moving his tail which made it very difficult to keep the braid tight to the tailbone. Even though the braid is supposed to go 3/4 of the way down the tail bone I stopped at about 1/2 of the way down the tailbone. I had to stop there or risk having to re-do the braid again because of Prestos constant swishing. To finish the braid you just need to Fishtail Braid the remaining strands in your hand, do not take more hair from the sides. You should end up with a braid like the one pictured below.

(Finished Fishtail Braid)

(End of the braid)

Braid Review: Personally I am not a fan of this braid. Regardless of Prestos moodiness the braid was quit difficult to keep tight and in the end bulged in the center. I could not find a purpose for this braid as it is far to informal for a show and far to much work to just for a casual ride. This braid also seems like it would be very easy for the horse to shake out so I don't see much of a purpose for it. This braid I think would be a good introductory braid for a beginner tail braider as it was not too complex; it does require a bit of time and lots of patience though.

This reading and experiment impacted my hobby very little I felt. I have not tested how the braid held after a riding lesson, but I can't imagine it would hold up well. I feel like this braid can be beneficial to practice my ability to keep a braid tight so it could be useful in that aspect. Overall I am not a fan of this braid but maybe it is just me, feel free to let me know what you think in the comments!

Throughout this IRP what experiment have you tried that you were not a fan of and what do you feel you could have done better?

Citation: 

Lewis, Charni. Braiding Manes and Tails: A Visual Guide to 30 Basic Braids. Massachusetts: Storey Publishing, 2007. Print.