# Pulling tail



## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

I have never pulled a horse's tail or mane and I was wanting to pull my husband's horse's tail.It's a pretty thick tail and super thick at top. We were wanting to pull it for next month's show that way she looks put together and not a giant puff ball. Also her body hair is curly/wavy...is there a way to fix that?I don't know if it's just her winter coat or what but she looks like she has finger waves throughout it:shock:


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## vivache (Jun 14, 2009)

You don't pull tails. It's a scissors thing. Just condition it really well and it won't puff.

Pulling a mane is a pain in the butt, and it may be hard to get your desired length when you first start out.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

well I saw on youtube someone pulling tails for shows...but I was a bit confused.


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## ThealovesLondon (Apr 23, 2010)

_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## eventerdrew (Mar 13, 2009)

You can pull tails... a lot of big eventers do it. 

but I personally just cut. haha


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

I also saw horses at the show with pulled tails..it was obvious that they were pulled. 
My husband's horse's tail is reallllllllllllly thick. She's a mustang and every mustang I've met at massive,heavy tails. It just kinda hangs there like a wet towel and we were wanting it to be kinda of flow-y and thinner....most people like thick tails. My horse has a thin tail and I prefer it soo much more...well besides being short.


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## ThealovesLondon (Apr 23, 2010)

I am also very curious about pulling tails. I've seen a few horses with pulled tails and I think it looks really sharp. Can it be pulled instead of braided? Sorry I don't know much in terms of how to go about it but I'm quite curious.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

Vivache you certainly do pull tails! sissors looks bl**dy awful!! and yes i can very easily tell who has pulled a tail correctly and who has tried to get the same look with sissors.

This tail had been pulled (but hasnt yet been bandaged to lay it down):









This tail has been sissored or clipped (and very badly!):









Gidget give me 5 mins and I'll explain how to pull a tail!


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## vivache (Jun 14, 2009)

I've heard it's possible, but more of a hassle than pulling a mane.

And I wasn't saying to bang it straight. Up and down.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

Thanks Faye!


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## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

vivache - not just possible. Every horse in the showring in the UK (except M&M's and traditionals) will have a pulled tail. no one plaits tails, that is more hassle then it is worth.
If you pull the tail well at the beggining of the show season you only occassionaly need to give it a 5 min tidy up throughout the rest of the season.

Gidget
Right to pull a tail you are essentialy doing the same as you are on the mane, you select a chunk of hair, back comb and pull! On the mane you want to take hair from underneath and pull so that the mane is level

However for the tail you need to litteraly do it a few hairs at a time and if your horse is a sensitive soul then you need to do it over the course of a few days.


Before you set to work look at the shape of your horses quarters and watch how he carries his tail. This will enable you to judge correctly how far down the dock you are going to need to pull in order to achieve the desired effect. 
Wear a pair of thin* rubber gloves* when tail pulling as it will help you get a better grip on the hair and give some protection against blisters. Surgical gloves are ideal. a pair of pliers also comes in handy for those short hairs you just cant grip

Start at the sides of the dock, lift the top hairs, taking hair from underneath and equally on both sides pull downwards taking small amounts each time so you don't leave bald patches. Stop at regular intervals, stand back and see which areas need more attention, remember you can always take more off you cant stick it back on again. You will probably also have to remove hair from the top of the tail to reduce the thickness and allow the hair to lie flat. 
Applying a tail bandage for short periods will help flatten the hair and train the shape of the tail.

Remember the most important thing is that you pull very small amounts at a time, stop if the dock bleeds and continue the next day. Never attempt to pull a tail in one day


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

Thanks! and is there a way to thin the end a bit or do I do just the dock?And I do the sides too,right?


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## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

If you do the sides of the dock and go down about 3/4 of the way you will naturaly take out some of the longer hairs which will thin the bottom of the tail. Dont panic when you are pulling out realy long hairs!

Post pictures on here as you are doing it (so at the end of each session take a photo) and i'll tell you where you need to concentrate the next day.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

thank you,thank you!
I have to get pics of my horses feet tonight as I didn't have time as I thought I would last night...maybe I can start tonight.

not the best picture but here is her tail


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## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

I'd start by pulling to level with the red line (once you've done that and got me a photo I might tell you to go a bit lower!) and I'd chop the bottom off her tail so that it is level with the purple line


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

Oh I banged it yesterday and washed it!

I will do thawt...now my husband is scared for me to do it >.< hahaha...anyways..I will convience him and do it.


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## vivache (Jun 14, 2009)

I get it now. I asked my old trainer how to trim tails. She said 'you can pull tails, but it's a huge hassle and takes days.'

My discipline isn't allowed to touch tails or manes. The longer and fuller, the better.
http://www.thepalmerhouse.net/ReferenceSires/PridesGenerator.jpg


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

Thick tails can be nice but his horses tail I find kinda gross...I trimmed her mane yesterday. It's not super thick which is nice but if he tail knotted up it would be horrible to try and get knots our and it we used all my shampoo yesterday....takes a lot to wash her.


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## vivache (Jun 14, 2009)

Is it just really dry? In that case, I'd just soak it in MTG and conditioner of your choice. That'll make it more flowy and less tangled. And I'd do that before you pulled it, etc. (Not so that the hair is slippery, but so you can get an idea of what you've really got)


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

Her tail is extremely dirty in that picture. It feels silky and easy to comb through but I was just saying that thick tails can be a pain especially if it tangles. Her tail is just thick!..it might be slighty dry but we do put leave in condioner spray in it. Smells like baby powder.


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## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

vivache said:


> I get it now. I asked my old trainer how to trim tails. She said 'you can pull tails, but it's a huge hassle and takes days.'


Takes me 3 days to pull a tail from scratch. After that I tidy it up once a month (takes 5 mins). I show once a week in show season! it is far far easier to pull a tail and be done with it then to have to worry about plaiting the tail on the day of the show.

I can plait tails but I find it such a faff, it is an unneeded hassle on the day of the show when I have far more important thing to be doing with my time!

Plaiting tails also doesnt give the same shape and doesnt make the horses bum look as good.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

I showed my husband what to do with the tail and he was all "that's it?" lol. He wants to research it more...He changed his mind a lot.

Do you only pull thick tails? My horse's tail is thin but not appy thin and is a bit short and I'm working on growing it out.


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## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

I pull every tail as I show! If the tail is thin then steer clear of pulling the long hairs out!


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## RedTree (Jan 20, 2010)

doesn't tail pulling hurt the horse though?


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

Tail pulling is a some what discipline specific thing. Most disciplines do not pull tells.


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## lacyloo (Jul 1, 2008)

I would leave the tail alone. Its very pretty- I love the natural look.


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## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

Alwaysbehind, it may be more of a country thing.
In the UK showing it is expected that the horses tail is pulled, working hunter pulled tails are expected. I've also seen the vast majority of showjumpers with pulled tails, a good number of dressage competitors and a lot of eventers with pulled tails.

RedTree- pulling tails doesnt hurt any more then pulling a mane would. Reeco stands and falls asleep when I do his tail.


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## ScharmLily (Nov 23, 2009)

Personally, I love thick tails. Some horses are more sensitive to pulling than others-- like my mare. I don't think she'd appreciate it very much if I pulled any of her hairs, so I guess she's lucky that I like the thick look  Plus, I just can't imagine purposely pulling out her beautiful hair. She rubbed out quite a bit this summer when she had an allergic reaction and it was terrible finding chunks of hair in her stall where she had rubbed them out!


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

I agree, Faye, I think it is a country thing. 

You do not find pulled tails in our hunter shows over here. You do not have a comparable hunter type shows over there.

Dressage and eventers do pull tails at times (or so I am told).

Breed show people are adding tails by the pound, they most certainly do not pull to make it have less volume. They might pull some near the top to make the butt look bigger, but not any quantity.


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## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

YOu only normaly pull to make the top look neater and tidier, to make the bum look rounder and more developed and to give a look of refinement. The Ideal tail for the show ring over here is one that is gloriously thick at the bottom but pulled within an inch of its life at the top!
Reeco has the Ideal tail for this! he has a welsh cob tail so I can happily pull the top to my hearts desire and the ottom is still massively thick!

Neat and tidy but with a "waist" on it.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

well he is doing western pleasure for showing annnd I saw quite a bit with nice tails and they were super flowy like. You could tell they were pulled at the top as well. I just want to make it tidier for him as it kinda sticks out everywhere and she already has a big rump on her..she's on the chubby side....
I will just gel my horse's tail as she doesn't really have a thick tail and I don't want to ruin it especially since my clip job was disasterous!...i ran out of time...i thought it wouldn't take 12 hours!..i finished it the next day.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

I am guessing they were not pulled at the top. I am guessing they were relatively fine tails with a fake tail added in, so the bottom looked far more full than the top did.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

oh...

btw..where do you find tail extensions?


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

Many places. Google it.


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## highlander (Oct 26, 2008)

I've pulled both of our horses in the last week, manes and tails. Its mainly because I dislike using scirrors on either of them and I don't know if I'll be showing this year so thought if i started now i'll be closer to keeping them tidy for shows. both of mine just went to sleep and ate their hay. my 3yr olds is a law unto itself as he is a lighter built horse with a huge man and tail. It helps with the mud as well as being in scotland it currently seems to be everywere!


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## MightyEventer (Sep 28, 2010)

I personally clip my horses tail, and it looks fine, not perfect but certainly not like the picture of the clipped tail on the first page, My horses tail looks like the first picture that was pulled-if your not good at using clippers than just pull the tail


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## DressageIsToDance (Jun 10, 2010)

The tail is more sensitive than the mane. I just can't bring myself to do that to my girl.

I *carefully* trim with the scissors. It looks just fine. I'll see if I can get a picture tomorrow. I just did it not to long ago.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

DressageIsToDance said:


> The tail is more sensitive than the mane. I just can't bring myself to do that to my girl.
> 
> I *carefully* trim with the scissors. It looks just fine. I'll see if I can get a picture tomorrow. I just did it not to long ago.


 
I would like to see. I might just trim it although she doesn't mind me yanking on it.


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## DressageIsToDance (Jun 10, 2010)

You could trim it and wrap it with Vetrap to help it lay down. Not to tight, mind you, and not for days on end. I plan on doing Amber's before her shows for 1-2 days. Should produce a fairly pulled look.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

do you chop a lot of a little? where should I start on her tail?


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## DressageIsToDance (Jun 10, 2010)

It's hard to explain. I wanted to do a "minimal" trim, so it had the effect of a pulled tail, but just a smidge fuller.

Basically all I did was lift the tail, trim the "underhairs" so they looked even and smooth when the tail was in a "working position", and then on top at the very top of her dock, I insured nothing stuck out to the side or stuck up. It will be easier for you to see what I did with pictures, LOL.


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## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

DressageIsToDance said:


> The tail is more sensitive than the mane. I just can't bring myself to do that to my girl.
> 
> I *carefully* trim with the scissors. It looks just fine. I'll see if I can get a picture tomorrow. I just did it not to long ago.


The tail has no more nerves in it then the mane. My young lad (at 3.5years old) will happpily fall asleep whilst I pull his tail.

My oldies I can pull thier tails whilst they arre loose in their stables.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

faye said:


> The tail has no more nerves in it then the mane. My young lad (at 3.5years old) will happpily fall asleep whilst I pull his tail.
> 
> My oldies I can pull thier tails whilst they arre loose in their stables.


 
Yea,my horse didn't seem to mind at all...I think she was falling asleep for a bit!My horse is VERY sensitive. She likes being clipped more than brushed.I have to brush her with VERY soft brushes as the regular ones she doesn't like so I know she would let me know if it hurt her to pull her tail is where I am getting at.

I might do the pulling thing but I might do the trimming thing but I won't go hay wire on it


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## candandy49 (Jan 16, 2011)

My QH mare has a wonderful full tail, but not bushy or unruly. She can really grow a long tail. I have always just banged, cut it straight across at the bottom end midway between her cannon bone. She would get short hairs at the tail head of her dock. If didn't clean her udder and between her teats often enough she tended to rub her rear end. For those I did either clip or use scissors to remove just those hairs enough to just keep them from sticking up. The reason it is necessary to not wrap a tail to tightly is that it is possible to cut the blood circulation to the tail dock and cause a major problem. I did comb her tail frequently using a spray mane and tail conditioner/detangler.


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## Buckcherry (Nov 18, 2010)

Have never heard of people pulling their horses tails.. learns something new every day.. 
Can't say I really like how it looks either.....I prefer natural tail but I do pull my horses mane..


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

Gidget, has the mare always been curly or is it a new thing? A curly coat is one of the first signs of Cushings.
I love her thick long tail.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

natisha said:


> Gidget, has the mare always been curly or is it a new thing? A curly coat is one of the first signs of Cushings.
> I love her thick long tail.


 
It's not super curly. We just got her and it curls when she is wet but most of it's straight. She hasn't has a winter turnout this year as the guy said he didn't put one on this year and just let her get fuzzy.


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

Gidget said:


> It's not super curly. We just got her and it curls when she is wet but most of it's straight. She hasn't has a winter turnout this year as the guy said he didn't put one on this year and just let her get fuzzy.


Oh, good. I have a mare who gets curly leg hairs in winter like your husbands mare.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

Yea,I think she is perfectly healthy. 

btw,is that a dorset sheep?

I LOOOVE sheep. I use to have a suffolk and a dorset


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

Gidget said:


> Yea,I think she is perfectly healthy.
> 
> btw,is that a dorset sheep?
> 
> I LOOOVE sheep. I use to have a suffolk and a dorset


Thanks. I don't know what he is. I saw him at a County Fair last July, he was about to go 'on the truck'.:shock: So he came home with me instead. He was 119# when I got him, he's a tad more now:wink: His name is Lambo. He's very smart & hangs out with my other sheep named Sheepins.


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## Strange (Jan 11, 2009)

The woman I work for actually really doesn't like pulled tails. She prefers them trimmed with scissors, and they look nothing like the picture you posted, faye. They look quite good, actually. Her step-daughter has pulled tails before, mostly when she was working at barns in England, but she prefers to use scissors as well, simply because she's been almost kicked multiple times and it's easier to not have to worry about that. 

Either way, if you do either well and without over-doing it I think pulling or using scissors looks fine. *shrug* The key is knowing how to do it correctly.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

natisha said:


> Thanks. I don't know what he is. I saw him at a County Fair last July, he was about to go 'on the truck'.:shock: So he came home with me instead. He was 119# when I got him, he's a tad more now:wink: His name is Lambo. He's very smart & hangs out with my other sheep named Sheepins.


 
HE IS SOOO CUTE!

I had one named Bob and the other was Buster.


I think it's gross when ppl eat lamb...bleck


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

Gidget said:


> HE IS SOOO CUTE!
> 
> I had one named Bob and the other was Buster.


 Thanks, I'll never be without a sheep again.


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## DressageIsToDance (Jun 10, 2010)

I'm late with these pictures. The quality is not great because they were taken with my phone. But they are good enough to give you an idea of what I did.

Basically all I did was shape it up and clip all the stray wisps. It's fuller than a true pulled tail, but I prefer it so. It is a little "puffy" but if I conditioned it and wrapped it, it would lay flatter. I just don't feel the need when I won't be showing until spring/summer, lol!


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## CessBee (Dec 6, 2008)

I so much perfer a well plaited tail to a pulled one, but would take a properlly pulled tail over a clipped one any day. I love plaiting my mares tail, takes me about 10 minutes to get it done and looking smart.


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## sdellin (Jul 14, 2010)

Gosh, if my horse had a thick tail I would not touch it! Just condition it really well before the show.


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## DressageIsToDance (Jun 10, 2010)

CessBee said:


> I so much perfer a well plaited tail to a pulled one, but would take a properlly pulled tail over a clipped one any day. I love plaiting my mares tail, takes me about 10 minutes to get it done and looking smart.


The only problem with this is, plaited tails are not appropriate for many disciplines...


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## Bits and Spurs (Jan 28, 2011)

*Mane and Tail grooming*

It is the dead of winter and coold here, so I don't really do much with Remington's tail or mane, but so when it finally does warm up, what is the best product out that will help me groom them without pulling too much. He has a long tail, mane and forelock already and I'd like to keep as much as possible.


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## notfartofall (Sep 8, 2011)

i always plait daisys tail because we d hunter classes and they must be plaited, but for eventing when i worked in the event yard i always pull the tail one woman used clippers and it looked awful!! :s


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

notfartofall said:


> i always plait daisys tail because we d hunter classes and they must be plaited, but for eventing when i worked in the event yard i always pull the tail one woman used clippers and it looked awful!! :s


 
Yea,I decided not to pull her tail..I have seen a horse that had a pulled tail..well years later and I guess it never grew back the same.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

btw,this thread is super old.


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## CessBee (Dec 6, 2008)

DressageIsToDance said:


> The only problem with this is, plaited tails are not appropriate for many disciplines...


I know it is an old thread, but I just want to ask what diciplines it isn't appropriate for?

Here in NZ you can plait for any and all english disciplines, show jumping, dressage, showing, etc its just a matter of preference.

I am not versed in the turnout for western events, but here as far as I have seen we have rodeo events, none of the showmanship or halter, we have inhand shows, but these are generally english based, and if its western the horses are shown rather naturally, natural well groomed tail and mane etc.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

I think it's mostly for english disciplines.

Western they leave there tails down naturally and sometimes had extensions.


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## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

God only knows what was done to that horses tail! Pride has had his tail pulled every show season for the last 20 years. I don't pull over winter because I don't show over winter and he always has a big thick, perfectly normal tail each spring (which then takes me 3 weeks to pull properly).

Reeco had a pulled tail 3 months ago, then he went into training and now you can't tell it has been done and I am going to have to start again!


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

so who knows what happened to that horse!..I mean it looks normal but it's really short up top ...maybe he rubs.


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## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

Possibly or someone has left a tail bandage on too tight and i has damaged the dock.


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