# His Half-Black Tail



## AtokaGhosthorse (Oct 17, 2016)

Going to err on the side of caution and say no.


There's a lot of ways to lighten a 'dirty' or yellowed flaxen or platinum/blond tail. But you're talking about a tail that's half black (Guessing at the roots down to halfway, where it then lightens).


A. Horse hair and human hair are different. You could end up burning the horse hair to a crisp.



B. Horses have very sensitive skin. A product that would lighten a true black tail to blond or white is going to be harsh and it's going to eat their skin up.



C. You could end up yellowing the rest of the tail so it looks like it's pee stained.


D. Why would want to do this? Just love your horse for who he or she is and accept that some things can't be changed to suit your notion of aesthetics.


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

Why? There's really no valid reason on why you should bleach the tail...I say no.

It makes your horse's tail unique. Why change it?


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## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

Groomers goop is what you need to clean that tail.


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## AtokaGhosthorse (Oct 17, 2016)

4horses said:


> Groomers goop is what you need to clean that tail.



They aren't wanting to CLEAN it. They want the black turned blond. 



Also forgot to mention - Horse hair grows stupidly fast. You'd not just risk burning the hair and skin not just the once, but every couple or three weeks just to keep the roots maintained.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

So... If you show.... It's illegal to dye the tail...


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

My paint horse has a "Tye-dyed" tail....
Brown, white and a few black hairs all marvelously mixed together.
It is the most eye-catching and beautiful tail when he is doing anything from swatting flies, to walking with it arched to galloping with it streaming behind him it is exquisite to see... 

Please truly consider what glory your horse will lose when you take away his uniqueness and ability to command that second look as he uses his tail expressing himself.

Now my gray horse has a all white tail....
Full length and thick, it can turn "yellow" with filth, but it also tells a story of life and attitude when he swishes it, snaps it, or runs like the wind with it streaming behind him...
I wouldn't change his tail for anything either....each is a badge of honor for each animal to display.
Each is a special individual marker of my beloved boys...
:runninghorse2:....
_jmo..._


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## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

Bleach doesnt work on horse hair the same way. It turn it a gross orange instead of blonde.


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## AtokaGhosthorse (Oct 17, 2016)

You know... Ombre colored anything is 'the thing' to have now...


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## Walkamile (Dec 29, 2008)

Nothing to add as it has all been said, but now I HAVE to see a picture of this tail!


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## seabiscuit91 (Mar 30, 2017)

farmpony84 said:


> So... If you show.... It's illegal to dye the tail...


Really?

It's not in Aus, it's very normal to dye black tails black here as they sunbleach etc. Definitely not bleaching that is cruel and would burn. But all show riders here will generally dye tails black with 5 minute dye on the ends of the tail for shows.


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## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

It's illegal to change markings, so that might include dying the tail if it's normally a different color, like a white tail black.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

seabiscuit91 said:


> Really?
> 
> It's not in Aus, it's very normal to dye black tails black here as they sunbleach etc. Definitely not bleaching that is cruel and would burn. But all show riders here will generally dye tails black with 5 minute dye on the ends of the tail for shows.


It may not be for every type of show? I know for color shows and I think also for breed shows it is here though. Not sure about hunter/jumpers and dressage? I would have to look at the rules.


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## kinniclaire36 (Dec 20, 2018)

His tail is blonde at the top and black at the bottom. It is in the profile picture. He is the Palomino. I have also wondered if just making the blonde parts of his tail like REALLY clean... Would that change the judging "score" versus the all blonde tail?


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## Boo Walker (Jul 25, 2012)

In a show you are judged on your riding and how your horse moves. You won't get extra points for having a totally platinum blonde tail. But you may lose some points for a dingy yellow pee stained tail. Visually what matters is how fit your horse is and how he's groomed. You may also lose points for having a scraggly tail that has short broken off hairs from trying to bleach it. If it's a breed show you will be disqualified for altering the horses' distinctive markings. Trust me, those judges have seen everything.
It's about the horse - you are riding a horse not a color. If having what you consider to be the perfect palomino is that important, get a new horse.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

I agree. If you truly have a palomino then there are all sorts of variations. You'll be docked (or disqualified) more for altering the appearance or having an ill kempt horse than having a horse that is clean and well presented. One of my QH pallys has a solid black core to his tail. Makes it look like a transplant from a Fjord. He has sooty which also puts black spots in random places and dunfactor1 meaning he has primitive markings (mask, line, shoulder barring, stripes and darker legs and bony prominences) but does not have dun dilution. Makes for a very non traditional looking pally. He may not place in halter because the judge prefers to see a more traditional presentation colorwise but that would just say don't show halter. It won't effect performance classes.


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## SwissMiss (Aug 1, 2014)

@QtrBel, I am intrigued by the description of your "special" pally. Sounds lovely - and different!


To the OP, my palomino mare has a red core on her tail. And the older she gets, the more red her tail gets too. And no, it's not dirt. After washing it's a beautiful, glistening red... But that's just the way she is...


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Seeing it is winter some of the dun factor is more pronounced. In the summer it is the sooty that stands out. I'll see about getting good pictures this weekend if the weather permits. I may have a few already on another thread. Several of the pallys we had had/have had had that to some extent. The related bay does as well. I just never knew what to call it or test for.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

I think the good face pictures are on another device. Here are a few that were in a recent album.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

For the above the white strip on the back right and spot on left hock are white but no pink skin. The dark is not all shadow that is the cinnamon color. The face is truly that darker to lighter and the alternating dark to light along the body is also not all shadow the darker is again the cinnamon. I lost the rest of the attachments so here they are. They aren't all the same horse but they are all related. I need to find good tail pictures too. Brushed out and pulling back the top layer carefully instead of just spreading it lets you see that it is the core better. The top pic of these three the tail is that cinnamon color and not dirt. He seems to be the odd man out with the darker sooty on that one hip. The peachy is in person more cinnamon colored and the hocks are not dirty either they are that dark. He just doesn't have the darker cinnamon spread over the rest of the leg like a couple of the others.


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## SwissMiss (Aug 1, 2014)

Thank you for sharing!


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

I sometimes get jealous of the "solid" golden pallys with the white manes and tails. The closest I have come to that are the ones sooty really covers the entire coat. You have a beautiful one in your avatar @*SwissMiss*


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## SwissMiss (Aug 1, 2014)

Thank you @QtrBel. Funny, I always liked the sooty ones (aka less solid ones) better :wink: And while my horse's mane is very light, her tail is pretty red/dark.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Here is the sootiest of the sooty. He is dad or grandad to several. Interesting thing is his mane and tail are the creamiest of cream - no black at all.


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## SwissMiss (Aug 1, 2014)

Beautiful!


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

seabiscuit91 said:


> Really?
> 
> It's not in Aus, it's very normal to dye black tails black here as they sunbleach etc. Definitely not bleaching that is cruel and would burn. But all show riders here will generally dye tails black with 5 minute dye on the ends of the tail for shows.


It's illegal to change the natural color of the tail here, so I couldn't die a white tail chestnut for instance. It's ok to "enhance" the natural color, we do it all the time. So black stays black, we use various products to keep white tails white. 

But for bleaching the color out to change the color, no.


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