# Questions about Wrapping Tails????



## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

shaggy said:


> 1.Is there a proper way to wrap it? (Before we just Braided the tail and wrapped vet wrap around it.)
> 
> 2. Does it really help the mane grow out? (the ex trainer told me it did but I've been questioning everything she ever told me for a while now lol)
> 
> 3.How long should I leave it wrapped? 1 week? 2 weeks? Longer than that?


I braid and wrap with GuardTex and I take the tail down once a week to finger comb, then rebraid and re-wrap. Once a month, I shampoo lightly and deep oil condition, then braid and wrap again. IF you can keep a tail bag in the horse's tail, that's a lot less work and less expensive than GuardTex or Vet Wrap. I probably have 20 tail bags in my pastures.....bags work better for me if they're stalled or in a paddock all by themselves. 

Do the same with the mane, put a bunch of braids in, I use rubber bands, and take them down once a week, finger comb them, re-braid. 

I don't think it does anything to grow the mane or tail out especially, it does protect them from breaking because they aren't catching on things or being chewed on by other horses.


----------



## shaggy (Dec 8, 2010)

Dreamcatcher Arabians said:


> I braid and wrap with GuardTex and I take the tail down once a week to finger comb, then rebraid and re-wrap. Once a month, I shampoo lightly and deep oil condition, then braid and wrap again. IF you can keep a tail bag in the horse's tail, that's a lot less work and less expensive than GuardTex or Vet Wrap. I probably have 20 tail bags in my pastures.....bags work better for me if they're stalled or in a paddock all by themselves.
> 
> Do the same with the mane, put a bunch of braids in, I use rubber bands, and take them down once a week, finger comb them, re-braid.
> 
> I don't think it does anything to grow the mane or tail out especially, it does protect them from breaking because they aren't catching on things or being chewed on by other horses.


Thanks for the reply Dreamcatcher! I thought about tail bags too and then I thought Tail bag plus ADD morgan horses = bad idea lol I might still get some tho are tail bags expensive?


----------



## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

shaggy said:


> Thanks for the reply Dreamcatcher! I thought about tail bags too and then I thought Tail bag plus ADD morgan horses = bad idea lol I might still get some tho are tail bags expensive?


No, tail bags are a lot less expensive over time, than vet wrap or Guard Tex, IF you can keep it attached. 

Guard Tex Leg/Tail Wrap White in New Arrivals: Foal Wear & Accessories at Schneider Saddlery

Guard Tex is really sticky and I've never had a tail come down with it. I've had Vet Wrap come undone. 

Dura-Tech® Waterproof/Breathable Tail Bag in Tail Bags / Protection at Schneider Saddlery

These are the bags I use if I don't have the horse out with other horses. They seem to like to pull on 'em and play tag with them and I lost a bag a day when I put them out to pasture in them.


----------



## shaggy (Dec 8, 2010)

Dreamcatcher Arabians said:


> No, tail bags are a lot less expensive over time, than vet wrap or Guard Tex, IF you can keep it attached.
> 
> Guard Tex Leg/Tail Wrap White in New Arrivals: Foal Wear & Accessories at Schneider Saddlery
> 
> ...


Humm prices aren't bad all I might have to order some! Something tells with 24/7 turn out they may not make long tho lol


----------



## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

I keep my tb bagged in summer, I have one that velcros to his cover, but you can get ones that loop through the top of a tail braid and others i guess, but The tail bag he had on was not going anywhere, it had velcro on top and bottom at the top of the tail flap on his cover  It helped a lot, and he is paddocked with another horse and they play around a lot and scratch each other but so far I havent lost it


----------



## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

I wrap every winter for snowballs and mud. I brush and condition (no silicone) the tail, start with the middle of the sheeting strip under the tail (below the bone of course), and braid the sheet in with the sections (2 sections will have sheeting, one will not. Braid all the way down, tie it off at the end, and then bring the ends of the fabric strip up through the top of the braid, folding the tail up (keeping everything below the bone). TIe it up, then wrap the whole thing with Vetwrap. I leave mine in at least a couple months. I live out of town in the winter, so I am not there to redo it all the time, but even my BO leaves her horses in maybe redoing once during the winter. We have never had an issue with it matting, etc. Comes out fine.


----------



## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

I'd remove the burrs from the pasture.


----------



## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

Yup-that too. Cut them down. and next year catch them before they get to that point. My BO was too slow for me a few years ago, so I did it myself after asking a couple of times, I just told her I was dealing with it.


----------



## shaggy (Dec 8, 2010)

natisha said:


> I'd remove the burrs from the pasture.


believe me I've been trying too! once i finally found the plant I started pulling on every time i found them lol unfortunately i not able to cover the whole field.


----------



## JustImagine (Dec 2, 2012)

I braid my pony's tail, roll it up, and vet wrap it. Works like a charm =]
Just make sure that you start your braid about a fist below the tail bone, and keep it wrapped a fist's length below the tail bone as well. If it's wrapped too close to the tail bone, it can kill the tail.


----------



## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

a lady I know used to use old pillow cases to use as tail bags. I dont know how she did it, She sewed and copied a tail bag. This way if tehy got destroyed or came off she was not out a lot of money. She and her hubby trained and showed horses so there was a lot of tail wrapping.


----------



## madeline97 (Jun 27, 2012)

Are you trying to grow their tails out or just keep them clean?
Either way, I found that tail bags don't last to long with nosy herd partners on turnout However, one thing that worked for me was to braid the tail (after I used MTG on the dock and rubbed baby oil throughout the tail hairs) and then fold it up like you were going to vet wrap it. Then I slipped a sock over it (I used an old soccer sock) and ran braiding yarn through both the sock and the braid several times to keep the sock in place. Then, I ran a few times around the little "bundle" with electrical tape, and that thing didn't move an inch! Just make sure you braid loose near the dock, and don't bag it if it's wet! I would keep them on for about a week, and then take them out before a workout, apply more MTG (stuff works WONDERS...) and baby oil (kept it soft and stopped it from breaking), ride, and then when we were done her tail was dry so I'd bag it up again and hit the road! Using the socks were nice because it was very cheap and easy, and kept the tail as clean and tangle free as when I had put it up, although I did get a few weird looks from nosy barn mates 

Good luck with the burs though, those things are sooooo annoying, especially on polo wraps!!

EDIT: I don't pull the sock over the dock, I stop a good three or four inches away from it, as does my braid!!


----------



## shaggy (Dec 8, 2010)

thanks for all the great replies guys! I havent done anything as of yet. Just juggling ideas around. 
JustImagine- Thats the way Shaggy tail got wrapped before and I def know to stay clear of them tail bone!

Stevenson- I love the pillow case idea because I know to sew! 

Madeline97- I just want to cut down on the burrs and if they happen to grow will that would be awesome! I might try that sock idea!


----------



## badger101 (Jan 3, 2013)

I know what you mean about alot of burrs and stuff but the horses tail is their fly swatter, I would suggest not to because burrs and other stuff in theirtail is alot better then them having fly bites all over them!

hope its helps!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## phoenmoon (Jan 6, 2013)

Be careful with vet wrap. If it gets to hot outside it will melt into the tail


----------



## Blue Smoke (Dec 22, 2012)

I use tube socks if I'm not putting up for a show. I buy a pack of them for 5 bucks, its usually 12 single socks or if I'm lucky find a bonus pack, and compared to a lycra tail sock, these are considerably less expensive. I cut the top of the sock (the part that has vertical lines in it) into 4 even pieces down to where the lines meet the "foot" area. Then proceed to wrap the braided tail just like with a lycra tail sock, tied below the tailbone, with 2 ties through the braided tail and tied around. Then I take sock off at least once a week to pick and recondition or wash as needed. I like to use the Extreme products detangler or cowboy magic. 

I will also let the tail down for a few days here and there if the weather is nice or everything is frozen good.


----------



## Livvy1123 (Jan 14, 2013)

Its a wrap makes good braided tail bags. I like tail bags better then using vet wrap any day


----------



## shaggy (Dec 8, 2010)

badger101 said:


> I know what you mean about alot of burrs and stuff but the horses tail is their fly swatter, I would suggest not to because burrs and other stuff in theirtail is alot better then them having fly bites all over them!
> 
> hope its helps!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Thanks and Yeah I always leave enough of the tail down so they con swatt bugs


----------



## shaggy (Dec 8, 2010)

phoenmoon said:


> Be careful with vet wrap. If it gets to hot outside it will melt into the tail


Eww that doesnt good! Good thing its freezing here! lol


----------



## shaggy (Dec 8, 2010)

Blue Smoke said:


> I use tube socks if I'm not putting up for a show. I buy a pack of them for 5 bucks, its usually 12 single socks or if I'm lucky find a bonus pack, and compared to a lycra tail sock, these are considerably less expensive. I cut the top of the sock (the part that has vertical lines in it) into 4 even pieces down to where the lines meet the "foot" area. Then proceed to wrap the braided tail just like with a lycra tail sock, tied below the tailbone, with 2 ties through the braided tail and tied around. Then I take sock off at least once a week to pick and recondition or wash as needed. I like to use the Extreme products detangler or cowboy magic.
> 
> I will also let the tail down for a few days here and there if the weather is nice or everything is frozen good.


I heard of using tube socks before! I still havent done anything with his tail cause its nasty and wet here lol


----------



## blueyedsparks (Jan 14, 2013)

*Working on it*

Well, I'm in the same boat as you! I bought MTG last week and braided his tail, and tomorrow I'm off to get vet wrap and some tube socks to continue this experiment! I also have him on horseshine and such...


----------



## shaggy (Dec 8, 2010)

blueyedsparks said:


> Well, I'm in the same boat as you! I bought MTG last week and braided his tail, and tomorrow I'm off to get vet wrap and some tube socks to continue this experiment! I also have him on horseshine and such...


Haha your ahead of me! I still havent done anything with my horses tail yet lol


----------



## Legend (Nov 15, 2011)

I shampoo and condition the tail, wait for it to dry, apply abit of coconut oil to the tail then braid it very loosely, starting underneath the dock, and leaving out any of the shorter hairs. When I get to the end I rubber band it (I do the rubber band loose, as over time it seems as if it starts breaking the hairs off if its to tight) then I grab the end of the tail, and folding it up I bring it _through_ the very top of the braid (right where you started the braid under his dock) a few times, until its in a small 5-6 inch long bundle of hair. I then take about a foot of vet wrap through the same hole that you looped the braid through previously, leaving the vet wrap hanging down. Then I wrap the vet rap on the roll around the looped-up braid. The foot long section of vet wrap should be wrapped in with the hair and you should still have about 6+ inches when stretched hanging down. Double the excess vet wrap up towards the top, and continue wrapping. Stretch the part that you double up to the top so you have at least 3 or 4 inches hanging out of the top. When you wrap up to the top, cut the vet wrap so that there is about 5 inches left unwrapped and tie the ends together  It seems to work, and stay in through the daily pasture zoomies... Sorry, thats a very confusing explanation... haha.


----------



## shaggy (Dec 8, 2010)

*I finally did it!*

so I finally wrapped Shaggy's tail! i used vet wrap because I forgot about getting a sock or pillow case until I opened this thread lol I just braided it loosely and stuck it through above the braid and wrapped it loosely. Im gonna leave it for the week and take it back down next friday! Heres a pic for fun!


----------



## shaggy (Dec 8, 2010)

Legend said:


> I shampoo and condition the tail, wait for it to dry, apply abit of coconut oil to the tail then braid it very loosely, starting underneath the dock, and leaving out any of the shorter hairs. When I get to the end I rubber band it (I do the rubber band loose, as over time it seems as if it starts breaking the hairs off if its to tight) then I grab the end of the tail, and folding it up I bring it _through_ the very top of the braid (right where you started the braid under his dock) a few times, until its in a small 5-6 inch long bundle of hair. I then take about a foot of vet wrap through the same hole that you looped the braid through previously, leaving the vet wrap hanging down. Then I wrap the vet rap on the roll around the looped-up braid. The foot long section of vet wrap should be wrapped in with the hair and you should still have about 6+ inches when stretched hanging down. Double the excess vet wrap up towards the top, and continue wrapping. Stretch the part that you double up to the top so you have at least 3 or 4 inches hanging out of the top. When you wrap up to the top, cut the vet wrap so that there is about 5 inches left unwrapped and tie the ends together  It seems to work, and stay in through the daily pasture zoomies... Sorry, thats a very confusing explanation... haha.


lol thanks for response! Im defiantly going to wash his tail good when it warms up


----------



## TheRoundPen (Mar 15, 2012)

Is the vet wrap tucked through the tail too? I know I tried just wrapping it around the braid with no luck, haha. It looks nice! I've had my horses tails wrapped since November, changing them every two weeks or so. I love leave-in conditioner!


----------



## Boo Walker (Jul 25, 2012)

I use tube socks also (not in fly season though)


----------



## Kato (Apr 20, 2011)

I use tube socks and I will sew a few strands of bailing twine on the toes of the socks so they can still swish flies.


----------



## shaggy (Dec 8, 2010)

TheRoundPen said:


> Is the vet wrap tucked through the tail too? I know I tried just wrapping it around the braid with no luck, haha. It looks nice! I've had my horses tails wrapped since November, changing them every two weeks or so. I love leave-in conditioner!


Nah its not tucked in just wrapped around. Thanks even tho it didnt make it two days it was completely hanging off today when i went out thier so i had to rewrap it lol Leave in conditioner is a great idea! Is there a brand you could recommend?


----------



## TheRoundPen (Mar 15, 2012)

shaggy said:


> Nah its not tucked in just wrapped around. Thanks even tho it didnt make it two days it was completely hanging off today when i went out thier so i had to rewrap it lol Leave in conditioner is a great idea! Is there a brand you could recommend?


I personally use a garnier fructis leave in.. I'm not sure the exact name.. I will have to get that later.


----------

