Tips for Banding Your Horse’s Mane

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For stock horse exhibitors, banding the mane is a popular way to ensure that your horse is well turned out in the show ring. This grooming method keeps your horse’s mane laying flat and relatively still in halter, showmanship, trail, Western pleasure, riding, and horsemanship classes. Additionally, many equestrians feel that mane banding can amplify your horse’s conformation, helping to make a thick neck appear thinner or a short neck appear longer. Keep reading to learn how you can band your horse’s mane for a professional look in the show ring.

Tools of the Trade

Before you begin the mane banding process, you will need to collect your tools and equipment. To band your horse’s mane, you will need:

You can band your horse in the rubber band color that matches your horse’s mane or one that contrasts it (for instance white bands on a bay horse or black bands on a gray horse). Keep in mind that contrasting bands will accentuate your horse’s neck as well as your banding job, so matching bands are recommended for beginner banders or horses who are not steady in the bridle.

How-To Guide for Banding Your Horse

After you have put together your supplies, it’s time to get started! Banding is easy to perform, however it does take a fair amount of practice to complete a picture-perfect band job. In the beginning, you should allot about 40 minutes to band your horse, but as your skills improve you can become much faster. Many professional banders on the Quarter Horse circuit can band a full mane in a little as 20 minutes!

  1. The first step to banding your horse is to prepare the mane. Pull the mane (or use your preferred shortening method) to a length of about 3-4 inches. For horses with a thick neck, aim for the longer end of the range; horses with slender necks will benefit from slighter shorter manes. Spending time preparing the mane is crucial for a quality banding job.
  2. After you have prepared the mane, use the bucket of water and the stiff brush to dampen the mane and ensure that all the hairs are lying in the same direction. A wet mane helps to organize the hairs and prevent flyaways.
  1. Spray a small section of the mane (about 4 inches) with the mane spray. This will give you grip and make for neater individual bands.
  1. Use your pulling comb (some equestrians prefer to use the hair clip) to section off a small amount of hair, aim for the thickness of a pencil. A thin mane may look better if you use slightly more hair, while a coarse mane may need for you to use less hair in order to lay flat against the neck. Then use the hair clip to secure the rest of the mane out of the way.
  1. With one hand, tightly hold the section of mane against the neck (this is imperative to keep the bands flat). Then, wrap the rubber band around the hair until it is snug, continuing to hold the hair tightly against the neck at all times.
  1. After the band is securely in place, grasp the bottom hairs in the band and pull them outward while rolling them inward, keeping your hands low and against the neck. This will help to tighten the band while moving to the bottom of the horse’s crest. It may take several times to properly position the rubber band against the crest of the neck.
  1. Move on to the next section of hair, continuing to move your stool or grooming tote as you progress down the neck. It is important to keep the band that you are working on directly in front of you so you do not inadvertently pull the band on the diagonal. You are aiming for straight bands that hang flat against the neck.
  1. After you finish banding the mane, step off your stool and take an overview of the finished product. You want to see that the bands are even and uniform with the same amount of hair in each section. The bands should all lie in a line along the bottom of the neck for a polished appearance.
  1. You may find that some sections of hair appear longer than others. You can use your thinning shears to carefully trim the bottom of the mane to make a uniform look. Try not to chop at the mane, but carefully trim for a natural, feathered look.

Banding the Forelock

There are several methods to banding the forelock. The first is to do nothing at all and simply brush out your horse’s forelock. This works well for horses with thin forelocks that hang nicely in place. Alternatively, place a single band in the forelock using the same method as outlined above. 

For horses with thick and unruly forelocks, you can also utilize the multiple-band method for a truly professional look. Use your comb to part the top of your horse’s forelock, in a small section. Using the same approach, keep the forelock tight against the head and tightly wrap your rubber band around the top forelock section. Then, pull to tighten. For the next section, part the hair about half an inch below the previous section, then band this new hair and the previous band together. Try to keep the rubber bands in as straight of a line as possible, work your way down the forelock, adding about a half of an inch at the time. The last band will hold the entire forelock into a band. Many horses use five separate bands to hold the forelock down in a neat band.

The video below shows a hands-on tutorial to help you understand the banding of the mane and forelock.

When done correctly, a properly banded mane is the finishing touch on your show ring turnout. If you need assistance choosing the right products to band your horse or would like to learn more about the banding process, we encourage you to speak to a member of our friendly and highly trained sales staff.

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