# Cutting a Gypsy Vanners tail - Sacrilege or Safe to do?



## HollyLolly (Dec 25, 2009)

Hi, I have a Gypsy Vanner, and I got her a year ago. When I got her, her tail was long, matted and brown. I thought about cutting it, but when I told my friend, she said cutting a gypsy vanners tail was an absolute No No! I know it's traditional to keep it long but I don't show her and it's just not practical, especially where I live, where it's quite muddy, particularly this time of year. So for the year I've owned her I've kept it long and thick, and just trimmed the ends.

Do you think it would be ok to cut and thin out her tail? If so how short and how thin? As you can see in her pictures it looks just horrible, and no matter how much I wash and brush it, it stays brown, matted, thick and heavy.


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## Lobelia Overhill (Nov 3, 2009)

I don't see why you can't trim/cut her tail, there's no law against it! Do what works best for you. If you're not showing her it doesn't make any difference how long or short, thick or thin her tail is...


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## jimmy (Aug 26, 2009)

its your horse do what you want ,but they look horrible with their tails cut[in my opinion] i, would persevere at trying to clean it ,brush it out and maybe have to thin it out but i don,t think you,l like the end result of cutting it .your only in the east midlands its not like you have a monsoon season,let us know what you do and whether or not you regret it


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## HollyLolly (Dec 25, 2009)

Ok thanks for the tips, I might just thin it then  Are there any specific trimmers for course, cobby hair? Or should I just stick with ordinary toothed scissors?


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## jimmy (Aug 26, 2009)

i dont know holly i just fetched a 7yr old mare back from eire and from being born to me taking her just before xmas she had never been groomed i washed her tail out ,saturated it in pig oil and kept brushing it through the best i could,i,ve finally got all the knots out as well as a pillow case full of hair,and although the tail is thin it still has all its lentgh and it will grow back right


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

Lobelia Overhill said:


> I don't see why you can't trim/cut her tail, there's no law against it! Do what works best for you. If you're not showing her it doesn't make any difference how long or short, thick or thin her tail is...


Well said.

It is better to keep her clean and comfortable than worry about fashion. 

A neatly banged tail looks great. Far better than a matted messy long tail.


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## jimmy (Aug 26, 2009)

well a neatly banged tail is fashion as obviously its not a natural thing


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## HollyLolly (Dec 25, 2009)

To get the knots out does it have to be specifically pig oil or could it be something like baby oil? Does it look greasy after?


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## PaintsTheWorld (Apr 24, 2009)

*Hello..*

Hello there. Your Vanner is gorgeous. My thoughts would to not cut her tail, if you are trying to get the knots out etc, use Cowboy Magic. I had a mare who had millions of knots and sticks and a big stick in her tail. We were told to cut it but Cowboy Magic works like a charm! Hope this helps


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## HollyLolly (Dec 25, 2009)

Aww thank you  I'll deffinitely look into it, is it expensive?


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## jimmy (Aug 26, 2009)

baby oil will do it holly just keep messing for about 10 15 minutes a day depending how knotted it is ,i think it will come right ,i mean nature gave them the tail to do a job,it won,t cost you much to try i once had a badly knotted tail on a mare took the quick option and cut it god i was sick every time i looked at her


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## thunderhooves (Aug 9, 2009)

I can't believe no one has mentioned it yet! Why don't you wash it well, get the knots out,braid it, and then bag it? As in a tail bag. they are cheap to buy, come in different colors and styles and keep the tail clean! She doesn't look like a gypsy, she's a color rebel in your pic,LOL! She is mostly white*shudders about keeping clean*. Anyway, she is gorgeous, and if i had a gypsy i wouldn't ever cut it except for the occasional trim. Good Luck!


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## rocky pony (Oct 5, 2007)

I agree with the above poster ^
Give it a good bath with shampoo and conditioner, brush it, and braid+bag or at least just braiding it really helps..
For a detangler I very very highly recommend Absorbine Santa Fe. I've tried Show Sheen, Cowboy Magic, Survivor, etc etc, and none of them held a candle to Santa Fe.
The prices vary..for the spray-on I think around here we get it for about $15..? But if you're keeping the tail braided you won't need it much, so it'll last you.

If you still want to cut it, just be very careful not to cut it too short because you'll REALLY regret it, and it'll take a long time to grow back. Keep in mind that she will carry her tail higher when she's moving.
To cut it, if you happen to have clippers that's the best way to get through a thick tail. If not, just slowly work through it with the heaviest normal scissors you have, and just take your time so that you can be sure to even it out.
Place your hand loosely around the entire tail at the very base, then slide your hand straight down. Get a tight grip around the tail right above the area that you want to cut, then bring it up to eye-level and cut as straight as possible. Sometimes I wind up touching it up a bit after the initial cut, and it's likely you'll have to do that too with such a thick tail.


Good luck =) she's a very pretty girl!


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## rocky pony (Oct 5, 2007)

Oh and a note I must add- I don't know how flies are where you live but whether you cut the tail short or braid/bag it, keep in mind that her personal fly swatter is being taken away so she may need extra protection if flies are bad!
=)


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

Most people that bang a tail do not bang them what I am guessing you are calling short, rocky.
I neatly trimmed tail will still work just fine for a fly swatter.


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## xeventer17 (Jan 26, 2009)

rockyxpony said:


> Oh and a note I must add- I don't know how flies are where you live but whether you cut the tail short or braid/bag it, keep in mind that her personal fly swatter is being taken away so she may need extra protection if flies are bad!
> =)


That's what I was gonna mention. I personally wouldn't cut it because it is her personal protection from flies. But if you're going to, make sure you do something else for her to keep the flies away.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

Here is a photo of a banged tail

 LINKY 

This horse will have no problem swishing flies.

Why does everyone think trimming dead ends means nothing to swish flies with?


*photo is something I found using google


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

rockyxpony said:


> Oh and a note I must add- I don't know how flies are where you live but whether you cut the tail short or braid/bag it, keep in mind that her personal fly swatter is being taken away so she may need extra protection if flies are bad!
> =)


Trimming a tail is not going to alter the fly protection.

OP - yes wash the tail. We have several palominos. Tail washing is pretty much a weekly thing. When the tail touches the ground, we'll trim a couple of inches so that the poor horse doesn't step on it backing out of the trailer and do far worse damage than the trim does.

Tail bags are ok but I have yet to find one that will stand up to the torture my husbands "A" horse puts it through. I usually just wash, braid and tie it up with twine string.


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## rocky pony (Oct 5, 2007)

I bang my horses' tails so..I know what it is and how you do it..so..not sure what was being implied there..
It sounded to me like she was describing that she wanted to cut the tail short. She definitely described it as "cutting", not "trimming".
So on with the point, I've seen horses with tails banged at about the level of the hocks and it looked fine, but that's a situation where it wouldn't serve so well as a fly swatter.

But whether she bangs it or layers it or whatever she's considering doing, if it's cut short it's not going to be good for swatting flies. That's the point..


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## rider4life (Jan 7, 2010)

I've used just plain old baby oil, and it works great. Cheap, too! That's a lot of tail to go through. Good luck, she's lovely!!


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

For heaven's sake people, it's HAIR. It'll grow back!

Even if she wants to cut it to hock length, the horse will be FINE.

For all y'all having the vapors about her not being able to swat flies, may I remind you it's WINTER in the UK, just like it is here in the US?

I know that one of the selling points of GVs are their over abundance of hair, but unless the horse is some high-falutin' expensive show nag who'll be on view by the Queen of England, what the heck _difference_ does it make?

Tempest in a teapot, for cryin' out loud.

OP, if you want to cut your horse's tail instead of spending hours trying to get the danged thing clean and burr free, go ahead. The sun won't fall out of the sky, and your horse isn't going to drop over dead from having a shorter tail than the 'approved' length.


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

WD-40 is also great for getting knots out.

But I agree - It's up to you if you want to chop it. Often damaged tails will grow back healthier when chopped short - My friend chopped her appies puny little tail up to his hocks and it has grown back in beautifully.


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## rocky pony (Oct 5, 2007)

That was a bit of an over-reaction, Speed Racer...
We're all just trying to be helpful. I was simply reminding her about the fly part for the long term. Eventually fly season will come. If she is keeping her mare's tail short through that time, she will need to keep that in mind. It's just a reminder. I keep my horse's tail bagged, and when I first started I hadn't even thought of it, so I (as well as my horse) would have benefited from a reminder about that.
=)


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Not really, Rocky.

People are giving her all sorts of advice she didn't ask for about cleaning, braiding and bagging, as well as the 'ZOMG don't EVAH cut her tail!' histrionics.

It's _JUST HAIR_. Even if it's hock length, the horse will still have enough to swat flies with come the hot summer months. If she doesn't, they make fly sheets.

This isn't a show horse, nor does it appear that the OP want to spend hours fussing with her animal's tail. If y'all want to do that to your animals, that's fine. 

I've banged and not banged, braided and not braided, and bagged and not bagged over the last 31 years of owning horses. Unless the animal is part of a show string, what difference does it make whether or not the tail is cut?


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

rockyxpony said:


> That was a bit of an over-reaction, Speed Racer...
> We're all just trying to be helpful. I was simply reminding her about the fly part for the long term. Eventually fly season will come. If she is keeping her mare's tail short through that time, she will need to keep that in mind. It's just a reminder. I keep my horse's tail bagged, and when I first started I hadn't even thought of it, so I (as well as my horse) would have benefited from a reminder about that.
> =)


I disagree rocky. You are the one who got all upset about fly protection.

Bagging a tail does not offer much for fly protection. A loose tail can flow and cover much more area.


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## jimmy (Aug 26, 2009)

Speed Racer said:


> Not really, Rocky.
> 
> People are giving her all sorts of advice she didn't ask for about cleaning, braiding and bagging, as well as the 'ZOMG don't EVAH cut her tail!' histrionics.
> 
> ...


the op asked what people thought and what there opinions were theres only you making a federal case out of it


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

jimmy said:


> theres only you making a federal case out of it


By making a statement that's it's just hair and will grow back?


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## HollyLolly (Dec 25, 2009)

Uh oh, I've started world war III! Thank you all so much for your help. Lucky's deffinitely no show horse, I bought her for £400 from a rescue centre! I just want her to look neater and not have that massive thick matted mess on her bum, it can't be comfy to have to carry! I can't do a lot with her tail at the moment because of all the frost and snow, I just want to do something when it gets a teensy bit warmer. I'm gonna do it before we get flies, but to be honest where I am, flies aren't too much of a problem, just a quick squirt of spray keeps em at bay. 

Again thank you all for your help, I'm taking all your information into consideration!


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## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

She's your horse, you do what you want. I think it would be heart breaking if you were to cut her tail but realistically, it's a health issue to.

You should give her a good wash, untangle it by hand, throw some showsheen in there to help keep the knots and things from getting caught in it and you should be fine. Keep on top of it tho. If you have problems now, it's because you didn't maintain enough until now so it turned into a disaster.

I had a breed of horse that grows more mane and tail than you knew what to do with AND it was insanely curly. If you take care of it, you shouldnt have issues.


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## rocky pony (Oct 5, 2007)

Oh my goodness! Speed Racer and mls, you need to calm down and take the time to carefully read things..
Clearly there's some kind of misunderstanding here and things are being taken WAY out of context. I was simply giving her a friendly reminder. Nobody freaked out until you all came.

Nobody is shoving their opinions down her throat, no one is freaking out. Nobody is making a scene about flies.
She may not have known that she could braid or bag the tail, so it's good to tell her in case she wants to preserve it. You'll notice that I also gave advice about cutting the tail if she wants to do that. It's her decision, but it's nice to make her aware of her options.
For my horse, I keep it pretty short and braid it, so I have to do a little extra for fly protection. Again, since I advised her to bag the tail I felt it would be a good idea to give her a reminder about flies. Never said a thing about not cutting it or not bagging it for that reason. I was one person advising her to do so! I don't know where you all get that kind of idea.

Goodness. Perhaps if you were a bit nicer people you wouldn't be expecting everyone else to be as rude as you are all the time. Until today I've never said a thing on this forum with malice behind it.
So I won't be returning to this particular thread as I always try to avoid such negative energy.


To the OP, I sincerely apologize for all of this. It seems that anything on earth can be turned into a big dramatic scene here..=/
Good luck with your girl! She's very pretty. No matter what you do I'm sure she'll still look great =)


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## HollyLolly (Dec 25, 2009)

Aaw thank you! And don't worry I don't mind a bit of banter hehe, I think as soon as the weather is warmer I'll wash it, put oil in, brush it through, thin it a little, then braid it up, they sound like the best ways according to all your advice. Speed racer is right though, I'm not worried about flies in the slightest at this time of year, the only thing I am concerned about is, how long is it acceptable to keep it braided? I'm worried she'll want to rub it is I keep it up too long :S

By the way, please don't be at each others' throats cos of a question, I really do appreciate all of your advice, tips and opinions!


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## thunderhooves (Aug 9, 2009)

wow, $400? i want one! A gypsy for $400? wow, I can't get over that, even if she isn't registered I'd be ecstatic! Anyway, good luck!


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## jagman6201 (Mar 13, 2009)

You have to remember Thunderhooves; GV's aren't all that and them some in the UK like they are in the US - not nearly the demand and adoration! Though, they are stunning horses. 

Personally I wouldn't cut or thin the tail, just as that's one of the main features of the GV's look. But, that's just me - I really wouldn't want a GV just for that reason though, haha! I would do what we do at our school; wash, finger-pick, dry, braid and put up in a tail sock (literally, a sock - I would never pay for a tail bag!) and every couple weeks or so repeat. In the summer when there are flies we just leave some wispy hair out of the sock and make sure to have lots of fly prevention; fly spray, stickies, etc. 

But! It's all up to you - what ever you choose she'll be beautiful!


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

Personally, I will only plait, not braid, and I only leave it in for a night at most. I know I get uncomfortable when I have a pony tail/plait in my hair for any longer than a day - Even if it is loose! If I want to keep my show horses tail nice, I use a tail BAG - It has a different meaning over here. It attaches to a rug, which is the only drawback, but it lets the tail hang loose naturally, but keeps it clean.

Like this:


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## roro (Aug 14, 2009)

Your horse would probably be more comfortable without a muddy mass of hair dragging behind her. Sanitation comes before beauty. You don't have to cut it too short, most people cut a horse's tail to the point above the fetlock joint. You can thin the end to make it look more natural. Also, you can reduce the thickness by cutting a tail at the dock. It's a little difficult to explain, but my horse has this dock cut with fetlock joint length: 









You can see at the top of his dock there are short hairs, that is where I cut them to make his tail thinner (this was taken when it was grown out, not freshly clipped). You can also see at the bottom of his tail is thinned a bit and not cut in a straight line for a more natural appearance. Cutting a tail is much easier than combing and spraying a Rapunzel tail everyday.


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

Yeah, it's just a tail - it'll grow back. I agree with Roro


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## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

She is adorable! Cute as she can be. 

As for the tail: I have used Cowboy Magic and it worked like a charm. My horse's tail has never really been badly matted but a few of the Arabian's that are boarded at our stable had badly matted tails/manes. Our barn owner took pity on them (you'd think their owners would do this) and slathered mane and tail with Cowboy Magic and brushed and brushed til the witch's knots were gone! Wow Wee I was impressed. 

My gelding's tail is not to the ground but my husband's gelding's is almost there. I am going to trim it several inches so it isn't nasty and I won't let Red's get to the ground either. I don't like to see messy or pooped on tails and my boy is probably the messiest horse in the county!

I say trim it to a length you are happy with!


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## HollyLolly (Dec 25, 2009)

Aww thank you for all your compliments  She's not registered but I think it just makes her more unique and for £400, I really can't complain! Here in England they're not super sought after, and there's quite a few crosses Etc, but still, I love 'em!

I can't wait till the weather is warmer so I can put these tips into practice!


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