How to bang your horse’s tail
These police horses’ tails are all banged.
There are plenty of reasons why tails can look chopped up and untidy….luckily it’s a very easy fix! Bang that tail for a tidy look.
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- Tails can get stepped on, chewed on, caught on fences, or just plain grow out weird. Banging your horse’s tail is one way to create a nice line across the bottom of your horse’s tail.
- This is appropriate for most disciplines, but some disciplines, like the hunters, prefer a natural tail.
- The line created by a banged tail serves to tidy the tail and highlight the action of the hind legs. It also will make a thinner tail look fuller at the bottom.
What a lovely banged tail!
Banging your horse’s tail is easy!
- The theory is to cut the bottom of the tail straight across so that it hangs evenly and crisply. The length will be determined by a few factors, such as how short you cut it, how much tail your horse can grow, and what his discipline is.
- For most show horses, a tail that falls between the fetlock and hock is pretty standard. Tails that fall below the fetlocks can often be stepped on.
You can prop the tail out a bit to mimic your horse’s tail in action! Use a whip or a rolled-up polo wrap.
Start with a clean, dry, and combed-out tail.
- You want to bang the tail according to how your horse carries it when he works. Many horses hold their tail out a little bit as they work, plan for this as you bang the tail.
- The easiest way to do this is with a whip or polo wrap under the tail bone so that it pokes out just a bit, or a lot, as if he was working. If your horse is afraid of whips, please find something else to use. Like another person’s set of hands to help you. Or a sport boot or a rolled up towel under the tail.
Gather the tail in one hand and slide your hand down the length of the tail.
- Try and stay as vertical as possible.
- Stop with your hand at about the desired length or longer. Then you can stand up, keeping a tight grip on the tail end.
- Then you just use your super sharp scissors to cut straight across! For thicker tails, use well oiled and clean clippers, otherwise, you are sawing with the scissors. Ta-dah!
You may want to also how to groom the top of the tail, either by clipping, pulling, or scissors. Refer to the article here for pulling a tail or this article for tidying up the tail top with scissors here!
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Thank you!