Should I braid my horses mane if I'm entered in a novice show?

i would deff braid if others do. usually for braiding it honestly depends on how long the horse's neck is ( obviously a horse with a longer neck will have more braids and make sure the braids are consistent in size and are not falling out). i usually go by the rule of taking sections only a tiny bit larger than my thumb and braiding that then moving to the next section and so on until the entire neck is done. i have had experience with meeting a very prestigious show judge that handles both IHSA and USEF who also does anything from locally rated up to AA and she said that although it is not necessary to braid it is always better because it shows you took time to prepare and you really care about the show/put extra effort in and although they cannot deduct points for not being braided they CAN give additional points for presentation so say you have a great round and so does the girl next to you but you have a braided horse and have nice shiny boots and properly fitting clothes while her horse is not braided and her boots are dusty..well congrats you probably just won the class haha(: i really hope this helps!