Jessica Jahiel's HORSE-SENSE Newsletter Archives

Tail care

From: Dan

Dear Jessica, this is the greatest service ever, you're terrific!

My question is about horse tail care. I own two Arabians and a Quarter Horse that I show Western. I've taken them to five shows so far this spring and summer, and I have about twenty more shows planned before the season ends. But I'm worried that they won't have any tails by the end of the season. I keep their tails brushed so that they won't be full of shavings, and I tried putting them in tail braids for a while, but the bugs were making the horses nuts so I took the braids out. They are all losing tail hair, I know because it comes out every day when I brush them. Help! One of the guys at the barn said to keep brushing at least twice a day because it will stimulate tail growth, but I don't have time to brush them twice a day, so how can I keep their tails looking good for another three months of showing?

Thanks, Dan

Hi Dan, thanks! Actually you and your horses are lucky that you don't have more time to brush those tails -- if you'd done it twice a day instead of once, they wouldn't have ANY tails by now.

STOP BRUSHING. NOW. PUT DOWN THE BRUSH AND LISTEN! ;-)

The very best thing you can do if you want long, luxuriant tails on your horses is to LEAVE THE TAILS ALONE. Every time you brush a tail, you get hair in the brush -- not all of that is dead, loose hair! Most of it is being broken off by the brushing, and the more you brush, the more hair you will break, and the thinner that tail will become. People who brush their horses' tails constantly tend to find, after a few months, that they have horses with a few long wisps of hair hanging from the dock... Beware! You don't want to get into the business of using false tail hair for shows; it's costly and time-consuming. Try to keep your horses' tails in good shape, and you won't need to go the artificial-tail route.

There is really only ONE time when you may safely brush a horse's tail, and that is after you have washed the tail thoroughly with warm water and horse shampoo, worked conditioner through the tail, rinsed the tail, dried the tail, and finally sprayed the tail thoroughly with a hair-polish product. THEN you can take a soft brush -- no metal, ever -- and, starting at the very END of the tail, begin brushing out a few hairs at a time, very gently. Work your way up the tail, a little at a time, and if you encounter a tangle, put the brush away and work the tangle out with your fingers. When you finish, your horse's tail will be as full and beautiful as it can be.

When your horse's tail is full of shavings, you can hold the dock parallel to the ground and shake the tail with your other hand. This will cause most of the shavings to fall away, and you can remove the others by hand, one at a time. It's not as quick or as easy as brushing -- but on the other hand, your horse won't lose tail hair in the process.

Good luck with your shows -- and I hope that you and your horses get some time off between shows. That's an ambitious schedule!

Jessica

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