# Banging Tails



## SullysRider (Feb 11, 2012)

This may sound a bit dumb...but...
Is it acceptable to bang your horse's tail if you show hunter/jumper and jumper classes? I am still relatively new to English and I know we did all the time in WP and it was acceptable but I'm not sure if it's frowned upon in the jumping world.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

If the tail is full & long, banging it looks great & is acceptable in all disciplines as far as I know.


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## dreamsunwind (Jan 15, 2012)

What exactly is banging and what is its purpose? I googled it but I'm still confused haha!


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## Allison Finch (Oct 21, 2009)

It's funny. When I was a kid showing western, the tails were short and banging was so NOT considered proper. It was only for English horses.

How things have changed, LOL!!


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## SullysRider (Feb 11, 2012)

Allison Finch said:


> It's funny. When I was a kid showing western, the tails were short and banging was so NOT considered proper. It was only for English horses.
> 
> How things have changed, LOL!!


Oh horse show trends lol Now its all about banged tails with extensions in and a banded mane! So I'm assuming since it's an "English thing" it would be ok to bang my geldings tail?


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Yes, actually the 1st time I saw a banged tail was on an English horse, ages ago. Dreamsunwind, a banged tail is where it is cut off straight at the bottom and the purpose is style.


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## Allison Finch (Oct 21, 2009)

I ride dressage/jumpers/event. Banging is OK in all of those. I can't give input on hunters, at all. Sorry.

Banging is cutting the tail level with the ground. It is squared off.

In eventing, the banged tail will often be around hock length










Western, it will be ground length (if they can find a fake tail that long).










Dressage will be between the two, or long.


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## dreamsunwind (Jan 15, 2012)

waresbear said:


> Yes, actually the 1st time I saw a banged tail was on an English horse, ages ago. Dreamsunwind, a banged tail is where it is cut off straight at the bottom and the purpose is style.


Thank you, this is the page I looked at, and I was confused about the hair that is shortened around the dock, is that also common?
How to Bang a Horse Tail - HorseChannel.com


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

dreamsunwind said:


> What exactly is banging and what is its purpose? I googled it but I'm still confused haha!


You googled banging ? :shock:
Not what I got when I googled banging tail,
Oh lordy lordy, you guys gonna drive me to drinking.


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## dreamsunwind (Jan 15, 2012)

Joe4d said:


> You googled banging ? :shock:
> Not what I got when I googled banging tail,
> Oh lordy lordy, you guys gonna drive me to drinking.


Um, awkward haha I googled HORSE TAIL BANGING!


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## Allison Finch (Oct 21, 2009)

Pulling the dock is common in eventing and dressage. NOT in hunters. It makes it impossible to braid the tail, which is important in hunters.


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## dreamsunwind (Jan 15, 2012)

Allison Finch said:


> Pulling the dock is common in eventing and dressage. NOT in hunters. It makes it impossible to braid the tail, which is important in hunters.


Ahhh, thank you! When you say hunters, do you mean hunter-jumper or hunt(seat?) like engllish pleasure? I'm sorry all I ever do is ask questions haha, I just love learning and the people around me don't have this kind of knowledge!


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

Allison Finch said:


> Pulling the dock is common in eventing and dressage. NOT in hunters. It makes it impossible to braid the tail, which is important in hunters.


In the UK all show horses have pulled tails.
The point of a pulled tail and plaiting it does the same, is to show off the horses quarters.

I *hate* the length of tail on US show horses. It hides their back legs so makes me very suspicious that they have poor hocks!

A horse out hunting with that length of tail would soon be carrying a lot of extra weight if fox hunting in the UK.


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## Missy May (Feb 18, 2012)

I wish I had the problem of hiding my mare's legs w a long tail! Appy tail, its a struggle .


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## yourcolorfuladdiction (Feb 19, 2012)

So I just want to note that there is a BIG difference between pulling and clipping a tail at the dock. It's not uncommon (especially with fuzzy pony tails) to pull some of the hairs at the top to make it thinner and easier to braid for hunter/jumpers, but using clippers at the top of the tail the way described in the link is strictly a dressage and eventing type tail style.

As for banging, banging tails is more common in the Jumper, Eventing, and Dressage ring; although you'll see some banged tails in the hunter ring it is more common to see "natural" tails (or natural looking fake tails lol). The hunter/jumper tail tends to be long, about fetlock length or a little longer, and the best way to trim off the excess would be to cut into the hair at many different angles until you chop off the excess hair. So that the end of the hair doesn't look completely banged or scraggly.

Now if you are going to JUST to Show Jumpers (which the hunter/jumper look is just fine for) the standard look is a tail banged above the fetlock, and a lot of them are doing the clipping down the sides to help shape and accent the hindquarters of the horse.

You do, however, want to make sure your tail size is equal to your tail length. A thicker tail should be longer whereas a thinner tail should be shorter (to help it appear thicker and make your horse look more balanced).


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