The idea of Order: Braiding…
Sounds like *fun*…?
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Greetings, Fellow Small Predators!
In honor of my week spent showing and thwarting Death while lunging my Red Dragon in a warm up arena with 32 hunters (note she is decidedly a dressage beast, you know, the ones that go in the ring ALONE 🤣), here is a comic on everyone’s favorite activity: Braiding!
It really is a PITA, or at least it is the first 47,000 times you do it. After that you’re good to go…
Braiding is one of those gross tasks that isn’t really that difficult in theory but in practice is actually just another form of masochism. As I am one of those lucky souls who has braided enough to actually be good at it I thought I’d list some of the highlights (low lights?):
1. Pony manes.
2. Manes 2 feet long.
3. Yarn breaking.
4. Braids too loose — they fall out.
5. Braids too tight – horse tries to kills you.
6. Braids too long (they look sloppy).
7. Braids too thick (they look sloppy).
8. Blunt cut manes (OMFG kill me now).
9. Not having the right yarn type/color/length.
10. Horses who rub their braids ALL out.
11. Horses who will not stand still.
12. Broken latch hooks that get stuck going through the mane.
13. That person who tries to convince you that rubber band braids are acceptable. 😉
14. Running out of Quik braid.
Morgane Schmidt is, among many things, an equestrian who still hasn’t quite decided what she wants to be when she grows up. Author of Life with Horses Is Never Orderly, she knows all about the madness that comes with the equine territory, having owned and competed horses in eventing and dressage for years. A lifelong fan of the classic equestrian cartoons penned by internationally renowned artist Norman Thelwell, she began her own comic series in 2011, sharing deftly funny reflections on life with horses on Horse Nation as well as her personal website. A native Floridian, she spent a decade in Reno, NV, where she was able to confirm her suspicion that snow is utterly worthless (she has since regained her sense and moved back to the Florida swamp). Though she has run the gamut of equestrian disciplines, her favorite is dressage. She has completed her USDF bronze and silver medals and is currently working on her gold. Generally speaking, her life is largely ruled by Woody, a 14.2 hand beastly quarter horse, Willie, a now beastly 12-year-old Dutch gelding, and Milona DG, a 6 year old KWPN chestnut mare (you can make your own inferences there…). Visit her website at www.theideaoforder.com.
