# Tail Bag or Just Braid?



## Wallaby (Jul 13, 2008)

Firstly, I would avoid using Showsheen in the future if your goal is hair growth.  Showsheen [and other silicone-based detanglers - ie, most spray detanglers, Cowboy Magic, etc] ends up coating the hair strands with silicone, which makes the hair shiny and easily detangled.
BUT.
That coating also inhibits the hair's natural ability to take in moisture, and, if the hair dries out too much, can encourage the hair to break.

I've had good luck using natural oils [argan, coconut, even olive oil!] to detangle and moisturize my gelding's mane and tail. The both look so much nicer now that they are super hydrated! 

I've never removed a tail bag due to wet weather. I've removed a tail bag during wet weather and found a wet tail, but it's never been a problem for me.
However, I have heard of tails getting wet and getting moldy in tail bags. I haven't had that experience yet [hopefully never will]. 
I make sure to take the bag off, un-braid the hair, remoisturize, wash it if it's super dirty, brush it, then leave it down while I work my horse. I try to do that on a weekly/bi-weekly basis. 
Bagging a tail isn't a "bag it and forget it"-type situation! 


I've never used a lycra bag, so I can't really help you with the intricacies of that one. I've always made my own braid-in bags out of cotton-y material - the bag itself is made up of 3 separate bags. I divide the hair into three even sections, braid each section, slip each section into it's own section of the tail bag, tie the bag into the base of the braids, then braid the sections together and tie them together at the end.


I've never had one of my bags catch on anything, but I have had non-braid-in bags get caught. Thankfully the damage was always minimal!!

A bag will help the tail stay cleaner, but it's also more fraught with "danger." The best way to know if it'll work out is just to try it, unfortunately!


You can just braid the mane and not use mane bags. Mane braids also need to be taken out quite often to avoid hair damage.

Hair care can get a little taxing!


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## Mernst (Dec 19, 2015)

So would you suggest just simply braiding it and leaving it without the bag? I could always use the bag when she goes to shows. I will definitely use coconut oil from now on.


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## ThePaintGirl (Aug 14, 2012)

In addition to what Wallaby said, I like to braid and tail bag because my horse's tail reaches the ground. I know my trainer likes to braid and vetwrap his horses' tails


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

i like the braid in lycra bags ans they dry fast and even when its wet it drys fast and dries the tail too. the vet wrap method works well and im thinking of doing it again IF i show this year though its not likly (1 hour 20 min drive 1 way from the show grounds, i would need to pick up the trailer, drive an hour, pick her up drive and hour 45 for a 10 min class turn around and repeat. no thank you lol).


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

Like you said there are risks either way. I've seen horses rip out chunks of nice loose tail too.

The mane probably doesn't need to be bagged. That sounds like overkill unless you have a Friesian or something and want "the look".

No you don't need to take it out, just keep in mind it may be wet and rebraid accordingly.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

One thing I wanted to mention..

I never worried about wet, not even with my grey horse, though I noticed a blue tinge on his tail that went away quickly. However my new mare has a white white tail and her tail bag is green and for whatever reason I just have this gut feeling it will run. Hasn't yet but I washed it carefully on it's own lol. Just something to keep in mind with the light colors.


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

If I'm putting my horse's tail up, I definitely prefer vet wrap over a tail bag. It lasts a lot longer and keeps the hair up higher off the ground.

For the mane I just do a running braid. I've never had my horse rub it and it can stay up for weeks at a time (it doesn't look nearly as neat by then but is still doing its job!) I've seen mane bags in pictures but never known anyone to actually use them.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

you can leave a running braid in?! i thought it would pull! I just use maintenance braids with fabric covered hair ties (not the horse ones). her mane can stay up for weeks and be fine.


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## Aurora1999 (Dec 4, 2015)

:runninghorse2: nice


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