Now thirty, Laura’s show preparation expertise has become an essential part of her full-time gig. “I professionally plait
TRAINING TIPS
for anything from Ag shows to Royals,
Plaiting perfection
for Horse of the Year and anything in between,” she says. Along the way, she was lucky enough to groom for renowned show hack rider Mark Kenzig, which really refined her technique. So, what is a good plait versus a bad plait,
Plaiting: the struggle is real! We asked show prep expert LAURA CHAMPION for her top tips.
F
and how can we all improve on ours?
A perfect plait Chances are you’re going to braid your
irst getting into showing horses
stuck into perfecting the art. “All the kids
when she was just twelve years
would have their ponies tied up around
old, eagle-eyed attention to
the stables, and one by one I would go
horse’s mane the day before the show, so the plaits have to withstand being covered with a hood, being knocked about by the horse, and travel to the venue.
detail and tons of repetition has enabled
round and practise plaiting them up,”
Laura Champion to make her mark on
she recalls. That practise made perfect
Laura’s number one tip is tension.
the show horse scene.
and Laura became so skilled that her
“My favourite motto is if your hands
friends started paying her to plait their
aren’t hurting, you’re not doing it tight
After her trainer had given her two mane
ponies for competitions. “I got maybe
enough!” she grins. The initial plait has
plaiting demonstrations, Laura was told
ten bucks and a ride on their horse, and
to be so snug and firm that by the time
the job was now up to her, so she got
it was great!” she laughs.
you sew it in, it’s not going anywhere.
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