To make a banana stem horse called mah kahn kluay (fig.) in Thai, first a banana stem is selected and its leaf is peeled away, leaving only the tip for decoration, like a horsetail. Then the head of the horse is made from another piece of banana stem of about 20 centimeters long.

The head is slightly cut on both sides of the top, to create two ears, and attached to the opposite side of the ‘horsetail’, pierced with a small piece of bamboo to keep it in place. Then a string, usually made from banana stem fibres, is attached near the tail and the head or –as here– at the head and neck.