Does your horse have too much tail?

 

Well, the first thing to do is be really thankful that you don’t have the opposite problem. Although, caring for a wicked thick tail is pretty intense. Here are my musings on how to start to manage the tangles and windknots.

 

This lovely Friesian cross has a typical tail – thick and long! Don’t trim the top of a super thick tail, it will make the dock extra skinny looking and the bottom of the tail even wider looking.

 

• Find some products that work for you. Very thick tails are very often brittle, coarse, and super wavy. A good conditioner and detangler are a must for you. Make sure you have loads of time to rinse it all out.

• Work with the tail every day. I’d rather spend a few extra minutes with the tail every day than a huge chunk of time at once.

 

• While shampooing, be sure to get all of the soap out and use a good conditioner, too.

 

• I prefer to apply a detangler when tails are semi-dry, then allow them to dry totally. Then you can start to pick apart the tail with your fingers, and working in sections, untangle and brush (if you like.)

 

 

• For daily detangling, I like a spray in detangler, so that you can fan the tail out, spritz, continue grooming and then attack the tail. The spray makes application easier.

• The more conditioned the tail, the easier it will be to manage. Make sure that your horse’s diet is up to par, too.

• I do not suggest banging a super thick tail, often times this makes the bottom even fatter and wider. Some natural layers on the bottom make it appear less wide and fat. However, doing some random trimming will tidy things up if the tail is extra long.

• I would also be very careful about how much trimming I did around the top of the tail, otherwise, you have the chance to make a really skinny tail up top with a crazy wild bottom. Sort of the mullet of horse hair do’s?

 

So – what are your ideas about super thick tails?