Kasino's mane was becoming a little bit crazy.  The top stuck up.  The middle fell one way one day and the other the next day.  The bottom seemed to have a huge cowlick that made it stand straight up and then over to the side...which side depended on the day.  I was posting pictures every week or so on Facebook and I thought his unruly mane was making his neck look rather mediocre.

I started by simply tying him to the stall wall as I had already done many times.  I put several rubber bands around my pinkie, the same as if I was going to band a horse for a show.  But I wasn't going to be banding Kasino.  I also got the comb and a small hairclip.  I decided to tame all the mane to his right side.

Just in case he was going to be fussy, I started with the middle of his mane.  I used the clip to keep away the hair that was to my right (toward his head).  His mane was very thin, so the braids I made were very tiny!  I closed off each braid after only a couple of inches and made sure the wrap the rubber band several times so it would be tight, ensuring it would stay in for days. 

The foal handling and other time I had spent with Kasino were definitely paying off.  He stood tied to the wall just like a show horse would.  He never moved as I exited the stall to get more rubber bands or another clip.

After going all the way down toward his withers, I returned to the middle of the mane and worked up.  If horses ARE going to fuss over having their mane handled, it's usually near the poll.  My foal did nothing - in fact by the end he was seriously considering taking a nap!  He stayed tied while I returned my tools to the braid box and then took his picture.

In a week or so I will remove whatever bands are left in his mane simply because it was so thin I do not want to lose all of his hair.  I am sure it will lay down for a few days and then I may have to repeat the process.  But since he is such a joy, I will not mind :-)

Kasino Kasanova

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