34 SIDELINES FEBRUARY 2012
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
Ladies of the Night
By Laura Danowski
Their day begins in the wee hours of darkest night,
working the same clients that some of these girls have
had for years. The regulars know the drill and stand still
for their session. Once in awhile an inexperienced patron
might need a refresher on manners and what’s expected
during their 60 minute experience together.
There are no smoke flled rooms or mind numbing music
where these ladies work. And thank heavens above, no
pointy toed shoes with 4” heels – that would make climbing
the ladder a challenge. And micro-mini skirts that cover
virtually nothing are defnitely not part of their dress code –
the mosquitoes would love that!
Who are these ladies of the night? They are stylists to
the stars, or as braider Wanda Buss describes her job, “I’m
an equine beautician.”
What leads someone to voluntarily select braiding
manes and tails as a career? The answers are as simple or
complex as the person twisting hair and tying knots. Wanda
started her career as a professional dressage groom and
made the switch to braiding 16 years ago. When asked
to describe “braiding” as a career to someone who has no
horse experience, Wanda replied, “Most people think the
whole horse show thing is insane anyway and really can’t
grasp the magnitude or international demand of the sport.
I explain the braiding is part of fox hunting tradition and
leave it at that.”
For the sake of discussion, $80 covers the braiding of
a mane and tail. If a braider averages 10 horses a night
during the weekends, some might view them as “monetarily
indulged.” Truth be told, braiders have to pay all of their
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Bridget Kennedy says one of braiding’s great rewards is
having “her” horse win Best Turned Out
Wanda Buss
admits a pet peeve is when young people tell her
how exhausted they are
Photo by Laura Danowski
travel expenses – hotel, fuel, food and the unexpected. Nothing
is ever charged back to a client. They also purchase their own
health insurance and fund their IRAs. And on top of that, many of
the braiders also own horses!
The consensus among braiders: the worst part of the job is the
odd hours not lending themselves to a normal social life, but all
agree not having to wait in lines at the bank or grocery store is a
plus.
“One of hardest parts of braiding for season is the horses aren’t
all on the show grounds. We spend more time going from [private]
barn to barn or back to the show as needed verses when we travel
other circuits around the country and the horses are all on the
show grounds,” Wanda explained.
For Bridget Kennedy, one of the most rewarding aspects is,
“Having people openly appreciate your work or when your
horse wins “Best Turned Out” is really nice!” Bridget hails from
Pipersville, Pennsylvania and has been braiding full time for 11
years. She is an avid tennis player and would like to play more
golf.
Veronica Harris from Indiantown, Florida agrees that having the
trainers and owners compliment her work is a great reward and
happily continues, “Where else can you spend all day with horses
and like minded people, learn and exchange ideas, ride and still
make enough money to support yourself?”
Veronica also supports and maintains her family’s farm. “My
plan is to lease it when I get too old to care for it and live off of that
and whatever I can manage to invest,” she said.
When asked to comment on major changes in the show
industry, Wanda, who lives in Wellington and has been braiding
for 16 years said, “People are keeping the horses they can ride
themselves and not nearly as many for the professionals to train
and show.”
So what’s in a braider’s pack back that facilitates survival,
allowing them to reproduce gorgeous manes and tails day and
night? Bridget emphatically says, “My IPOD and Off! Bug Spray!”
The other ladies listed portable healthy snacks and of course
water, but Veronica includes Advil, Band-Aids and Thermacare
Heat Wraps for winter.