Fitting Horses for Show and Sale 353 



red. Place thumb on top of this, and draw the red yarn 

 sHghtly to the right, and then throw over to the left, clear 

 over the neck. Then draw the yellow toward the oper- 

 ator, crossing the red yarn, and continue as before. 

 Special care must be exercised to keep the strands of the 

 mane of approximately the same size as the strands of 

 the yarn. Fresh mane should l)e taken each time as 

 the main strand is drawn in from the left and the plait 

 is kept close in beside the top of the mane until well 

 down toward the withers, where it should be gradually 

 sloped down from the top, giving it a graceful curve. 

 Hairs must be kept out of the yarn, as the beauty of the 

 Aberdeen plait depends largely on the skill with which 

 it is put in. Artificial roses may be used in this plait 

 and it may be further decorated by the use of ribbon 

 streamers. It is not customary to use the latter except 

 in the larger shows, and when showing for championship, 

 or other shows of similar nature. (See Plate XV.) 



The French tie, or as it is sometimes termed, mud tie, 

 is a quick and easy way of tying the tail in muddy weather, 

 and is often resorted to in sale horses. The tail is first 

 combed out with a mane comb. The operator then 

 catches hold at the end of the tail bone, and separates 

 the long hair into three portions. The center portion 

 is pushed forward, and the operator draws the portion 

 in the right hand across that in the left, and proceeds with 

 an ordinary three braid underhand. After braiding a 

 few inches, he rolls the greater portion up on the tail 

 bone, and wraps the end of the strands around the tail 

 twice, then braids again and tucks the ends through the 

 tail. This gives a neat secure tie. This may be further 

 decorated by the use of yarn and roses and be made into 

 an attractive tie. 



