# Tail extensions



## howrsegirl123 (Feb 19, 2012)

What weight tail extension would you put on this horse? He's a QH, shown mostly at open shows and some AQHA in HUS and eq.


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## howrsegirl123 (Feb 19, 2012)

Bumping


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## howrsegirl123 (Feb 19, 2012)

Anyone?


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## ducky123 (May 27, 2014)

How do tail extentions help win ribbons? It's not like they are hard to spot.


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## howrsegirl123 (Feb 19, 2012)

ducky123 said:


> How do tail extentions help win ribbons? It's not like they are hard to spot.


Maybe they don't, but it helps with overall appearance and presentation.


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

I think her tail looks great as it is. Maybe spray some color on the bleached parts & you'd be good to go.


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## howrsegirl123 (Feb 19, 2012)

natisha said:


> I think her tail looks great as it is. Maybe spray some color on the bleached parts & you'd be good to go.


I have a can of black spray specifically for this :lol:


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## Bedhead (Aug 4, 2013)

Yeah I really don't see the point in extensions for him- his tail is almost to the ground, and QH people don't like super long tails on their show horses, right? So you have the length, and his tail doesn't look completely whimpy. I'm also leaning towards "paint it black" and leave it as is; maybe trim it so it has a flat edge rather than the uneven "natural" growth? (I am going based off of what I saw at one show that was AHA/AQHA in the same facility, so forgive me if I'm totally off base here!)


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

I'd go with about 1/2 lb or maybe 3/4 lb extension. I don't really care for the extensions that are too heavy and fake looking. I'd use some Garnier Olia hair color in Black and just comb it onto the faded hairs to make it more consistent. Then I'd clip a sample and send it to one of the tail makers. Then, with the tail in, I'd trim (bang) the bottom to just about even with his fetlocks.


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## MyBayQHFilly (May 13, 2014)

howrsegirl123 said:


> What weight tail extension would you put on this horse? He's a QH, shown mostly at open shows and some AQHA in HUS and eq.


None. His tail is fine the way it is.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

To be competitive and all things being equal, yes an extension will make a difference. Sorry Au Natural folks, it is what happens in the show ring, it's called presentation and it matters.


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## 40232 (Jan 10, 2013)

From your other posts, it sounds like you want to do the AQHA circuit in the future. You really should use a fake tail for your horse to be up to the standard of the breed circuit showing. There may not be a difference between your horse's movement and someone else's, but I believe a tail can make the whole look appear totally different.


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## howrsegirl123 (Feb 19, 2012)

KylieHuitema said:


> From your other posts, it sounds like you want to do the AQHA circuit in the future. You really should use a fake tail for your horse to be up to the standard of the breed circuit showing. There may not be a difference between your horse's movement and someone else's, but I believe a tail can make the whole look appear totally different.


Yes, I do want a fake tail for him. I'm wondering what size I should get.


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## howrsegirl123 (Feb 19, 2012)

waresbear said:


> To be competitive and all things being equal, yes an extension will make a difference. Sorry Au Natural folks, it is what happens in the show ring, it's called presentation and it matters.


I agree


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## 40232 (Jan 10, 2013)

Do you have any friends with fake tails? If you could get a hold of a 1/2 lb and 3/4 lb, then you could hold them up and just see which looks better. I feel like the smaller would look better just because your horse doesn't have a terrible tail.


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## ducky123 (May 27, 2014)

waresbear said:


> To be competitive and all things being equal, yes an extension will make a difference. Sorry Au Natural folks, it is what happens in the show ring, it's called presentation and it matters.


I agree!! My question is how does the tail extension make that difference? Do the judges look at tail length or do the extensions do more than add hair? Is the horse's tail calmer with an extension? Does the extension make for some sort of better flow (or hang down straighter?) at some gait? Is it purely a cosmetic effect like hoof polish (I wouldn't enter the arena for a class without polished hooves) or is there more?


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## 40232 (Jan 10, 2013)

ducky123 said:


> I agree!! My question is how does the tail extension make that difference? Do the judges look at tail length or do the extensions do more than add hair? Is the horse's tail calmer with an extension? Does the extension make for some sort of better flow (or hang down straighter?) at some gait? Is it purely a cosmetic effect like hoof polish (I wouldn't enter the arena for a class without polished hooves) or is there more?


In my opinion, it's purely a cosmetic effect. Also, it seems like the fake tails make the tails hang a lot more, reducing movement of the tail. I show arabians, so I don't totally know, but I have plenty of stock horse friends!


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

Start a new fad...no fake tails. It is horrible the way they wrap around the hind legs. A good judge would not mark you down because of it.


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## howrsegirl123 (Feb 19, 2012)

I actually love the look of them.


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## Cynical25 (Mar 7, 2013)

KylieHuitema said:


> Do you have any friends with fake tails? If you could get a hold of a 1/2 lb and 3/4 lb, then you could hold them up and just see which looks better. I feel like the smaller would look better just because your horse doesn't have a terrible tail.


Yes, can you borrow a few to "try on" and see what looks best? Personally, I don't like the excessively thick tails and would go for 1/2 lb on yours, but my AQHA breed show friends use 1lb tails on ALL horses for all rail classes, regardless of the natural tail.


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

While I've never actually purchased a tail extension, it looks like your horse has good length but just needs a little more "body" at the bottom, so I wouldn't go with too large of an extension. But a little "oomph" will help with your presentation.



greentree said:


> Start a new fad...no fake tails. It is horrible the way they wrap around the hind legs. A good judge would not mark you down because of it.


I guess I don't see what's so horrible about it?

Whether a horse has a natural long full tail from good genetics, or from a tail extension, it is going to move on the hind legs the same. I doubt the horse really cares. 

You will get marked down in "appearance" if the judge is trying to compare your horse to an equally matched competitor. If both horses perform the exact same, the one that is more "put together" will come out on top. Showing is a JUDGED event. 



ducky123 said:


> How do tail extentions help win ribbons? It's not like they are hard to spot.


Tail extentions help with the overall presentation of the horse. With an event like Showmanship (for example) you are judged on the appearance of the horse b/c that reflects your grooming skills as the handler. So yes, they absolutely help with ribbons. Not all horses are genetically blessed to have a long, full tail. 

Hard to spot? Yes I will agree there are some poorly done fake tails out there. But if you have a GOOD extension, it looks exactly like the real thing and you can't even tell it's fake.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

My horse has a decent tail, the right length, but I just wanted a bit more fullness to complete the picture. I use a 1/2 pound switch, looks full without being garish IMO.


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## howrsegirl123 (Feb 19, 2012)

waresbear said:


> My horse has a decent tail, the right length, but I just wanted a bit more fullness to complete the picture. I use a 1/2 pound switch, looks full without being garish IMO.
> View attachment 650482


That looks nice, something like I would like.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

I would go with a 1/2 lb. She doesn't need much and I would make sure it had the brown strands mixed in.


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## howrsegirl123 (Feb 19, 2012)

I spray the brown strands with black 'spray paint' before I show anyway so I would just get a black tail


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## howrsegirl123 (Feb 19, 2012)

Update: I got a 1/2 lb tail and it's perfect. Thanks for everyone's advice.


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