# Braiding and Bagging a Tail in the Winter?



## Thrill Ride (Feb 18, 2013)

I have heard of people just normal braiding a horse's tail then putting it in a tail bag and that it will help a a tail grow thicker? Then you take it out ever month or so and finger come it then braid and bag it again. 

Opinion?


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## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

It helps keep it from breaking, which may help it stay thicker. Some horses just genetically have very little mane or tail, and there's nothing you can do about it (many Appaloosas and TB's fall into that category). Some horses have hugely thick tails just from genetics (look at Fresians and Gypsy Vanners).

The braid and bag won't fight genetics  but it does help. My horse's tail is already starting to drag on the ground!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

I do this with my horse's tail year round, but mostly to keep it white and to keep him from stepping on it.

I know some people who will do something similar, but with vetrap that they leave in pretty much all winter. It takes a little bit more skill, though. When I tried it, no matter how tight I put the vetrap, it always slid off within a day or two 

ETA- Just be sure not to braid or wrap on the tail bone as this can cause them to lose circulation there.


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## SEAmom (Jan 8, 2011)

I do similar year round, but I vet wrap instead of tail bag. It helps protect the tail, assuming it isn't done incorrectly, but it won't beat thin/short tail genetics.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## lecairde (Dec 20, 2013)

At my barn we put their tails up in the winter. We put some conditioner in their tails, braid them, and then tuck them up and vetwrap them. It keeps their tails in really good condition all winter. It won't make it any thicker (that's all genetics) but it does help keep it healthy longer.


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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

Yup-I do the vet wrap and leave it in pretty much all winter. I have not done it yet, but will in the next couple of weeks, and, since I am pretty much an absentee owner, it will stay in until probably March or April. I condition, brush, and braid in a looonnnnggg piece cloth I tear off an old sheet. I put the middle of the strip at the top of the braid (which is always just below the tail bone, braid it in as I go, and then use the ends of the sheet to tie it up….sort of like you do on a smaller version when you plait a mane. Then I wrap it with Vetwrap-again-make sure everything is below the bone. Sometime I put some duck tape on the vet wrap to make sure it stays. Then when you take it out, do not panic, as you will comb out a lot of hair the first time-it is just all the hair you would have been combing out all winter anyways. It real helps it get nice and long and protects it. If you ride your horse, I would recommend lunging them first to get them used to being hit between the legs with the taped up tail…..just a thought. Some of my geldings do not like it.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

This is my favorite tail wrapping video, I always put my guys up like this, and it really helps grow a tail.






Remember, white vetwrap for light tails, and don't do pregnant mares with red, you will give yourself many heart attacks, ask me how I know.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Remember, white vetwrap for light tails, and don't do pregnant mares with red, you will give yourself many heart attacks, ask me how I know.[/QUOTE]

I use brightly colored vet wrap on all but one of my tails because I have only 1 white tail, but the one color I refuse to use for any reason is red. I totally get the no red on pregnant mares. :lol: Guardtex is actually my favorite wrap but it's a lot more expensive than vet wrap. I also like to put a few hay strings in when I'm wrapping, let the ends hang free so that the horse can swish flies if he needs to. We also keep our tails up year round.


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## SEAmom (Jan 8, 2011)

I have always used colored vet wrap on all tails, light and dark, including many show horses without any problems. Actually I strictly avoid white.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

I also have quit using tail bags. Every single one of my horses knows how to take them off and they litter the pasture with them. USELESS.


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

Golden Horse said:


> This is my favorite tail wrapping video, I always put my guys up like this, and it really helps grow a tail.
> 
> How To Put Up A Tail - YouTube
> 
> Remember, white vetwrap for light tails, and don't do pregnant mares with red, you will give yourself many heart attacks, ask me how I know.


Well that answers why mine kept falling off- I never looped it up through the top of the braid (pretty obvious now that I think about it...)

I only have blue vetrap at the moment. I think I'll risk the color rubbing off since show season is still months off and give it another try!


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## Thrill Ride (Feb 18, 2013)

Thanks for the ideas! I would totally go do it right now but it is -10 degrees right now...


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## pixelsandponies (Apr 6, 2013)

Golden Horse said:


> This is my favorite tail wrapping video, I always put my guys up like this, and it really helps grow a tail.
> 
> How To Put Up A Tail - YouTube


Great video, thanks for posting! In the past I have attempted to use tail bags, but they always fell out.


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## TimWhit91 (Feb 3, 2012)

I use a braid in tsil wrap. Each section of hair goes in a section of the tail wrap, then it is braided and tiied. It looks great, I re do it every month with leave in conditioner
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

For winter, I did not want to cut my 2 mare's tails. (They drag the ground collecting mud and getting frozen ice chucks on the bottom that whack their legs)

so...I knotted their tails twice and put hair tie in them. It brought their tail up about a foot, its loose and won't cause any problems. And I didn't have to trim their tails! Yay!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## tlvmiller (Oct 13, 2011)

I watched the video went out the next day and so far his tail is still wrapped.This is the first time it has stayed in for more than a day. THANKS


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

Here we go, Mr G's tail Oct 2010










then in spring 2011 after being wrapped all winter


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

Just don't touch the tail. Don't bag it, don't brush it, don't touch it. It will grow longer and thicker on its own.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

gypsygirl said:


> Just don't touch the tail. Don't bag it, don't brush it, don't touch it. It will grow longer and thicker on its own.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_



That depends on all sorts of things, I prefer to be proactive!


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## Sharpie (May 24, 2009)

gypsygirl said:


> Just don't touch the tail. Don't bag it, don't brush it, don't touch it. It will grow longer and thicker on its own.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Sort of... my guy's tail grows longer by leaving it be, but then he steps on it and pulls chunks out if I don't do something to protect it.


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## 2BigReds (Oct 7, 2011)

Sharpie said:


> Sort of... my guy's tail grows longer by leaving it be, but then he steps on it and pulls chunks out if I don't do something to protect it.


If he grows it long and thick anyway, bang it once it gets past a certain length so he won't pull it out. That's what I do with Sock otherwise he'll step on it and tear it up when backing up quickly. Makes it look thicker too! Depends on what you want to do with him though, I guess. 

I have been considering "crocheting" up chunks of his tail then wrapping... Apparently it helps keep hairs from breaking off and allowing them the chance to grow longer. There's a link someone here posted on another thread that showed the process, but basically you single row crochet small lengths of the tail until it's completely done up, douse it in conditioner and wrap it. The conditioner helps the loops stay and the hair moisturized. I think they said let it out and redo it once a week, and rinse, rest then redo once a month. Sounds good in theory, might be worth a shot!


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

2BigReds said:


> If he grows it long and thick anyway, bang it once it gets past a certain length so he won't pull it out. That's what I do with Sock otherwise he'll step on it and tear it up when backing up quickly. Makes it look thicker too! Depends on what you want to do with him though, I guess.
> 
> I have been considering "crocheting" up chunks of his tail then wrapping... Apparently it helps keep hairs from breaking off and allowing them the chance to grow longer. There's a link someone here posted on another thread that showed the process, but basically you single row crochet small lengths of the tail until it's completely done up, douse it in conditioner and wrap it. The conditioner helps the loops stay and the hair moisturized. I think they said let it out and redo it once a week, and rinse, rest then redo once a month. Sounds good in theory, might be worth a shot!


 Sounds time consuming even if you are fast.


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

Well after getting help on the forum i have managed to keep negra's on. i braide below the tail bone and use a tail bag. her tail has grown 6 in in less than 3 months


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## 2BigReds (Oct 7, 2011)

Yogiwick said:


> Sounds time consuming even if you are fast.


Were we going for fast, too? Did I miss something? :shock: Really that's the reason I haven't started the process, though... It may never happen at this rate. :lol:


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

2BigReds said:


> Were we going for fast, too? Did I miss something? :shock: Really that's the reason I haven't started the process, though... It may never happen at this rate. :lol:


 Well I crochet, no expert by any stretch, but I would not want to do my horses entire tail. I'm also not sure how you would close, because if you knot it as normal you'll never get it undone and you obviously can't leave it undone, maybe loop something else in there?


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## 2BigReds (Oct 7, 2011)

Yogiwick said:


> Well I crochet, no expert by any stretch, but I would not want to do my horses entire tail. I'm also not sure how you would close, because if you knot it as normal you'll never get it undone and you obviously can't leave it undone, maybe loop something else in there?


You pull the end through to close, from what the site said. Shoot I wish I could remember the link, or at least the thread it was in. :? I've rarely had a problem getting the ends undone when the cord/material is thick enough. You're supposed to use a somewhat thick shock of hair to do these I guess.


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## Aesthetic (Aug 7, 2012)

So I want to use a vet bag to help my mares tail grow back. Her colt basically almost ate it to the nub. Is there anyway I can get a tail bag to stay on her poor little tail?


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

braiding the tail dose not take long. to braid my mare's mane and tail its 5 min. i can get her tail done in 3 and leave it in for almost 2 weeks.i leave all hair above the bag out (the bag is under the tail bone) so there is still plenty of hair to swat things (like my farrier XD)


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

2BigReds said:


> You pull the end through to close, from what the site said. Shoot I wish I could remember the link, or at least the thread it was in. :? I've rarely had a problem getting the ends undone when the cord/material is thick enough. You're supposed to use a somewhat thick shock of hair to do these I guess.


 Shrug. Let me know if you do it. It would be interesting to see.


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

I tried to leave my mare's tail to grow on its own... Did not work well. She has a thing about not letting it grow below her hocks lol (it used to touch the ground but then appy next to her got jealous and did something about it). Its grown 6 in in 2 months! I don't have to brush it now ether as the braid keeps it nice. I can get away with a bag because my mare leaves it alone.


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## Andromeda74 (Oct 18, 2016)

So is it still ok to use a tail wrap like in the previous video when your horses are constantly going thru the forest? Will it snag on branches or tear out? I've never done it before but my white horse has a perma brown stained tail and I'm looking for a solution to keep it clean. I'm still trying every product and potion out there to remove the stains but once they're out, I want to keep it clean. I'm thinking that particular wrapping method will work.

Also, what can you do about long manes with the same issues? Constantly tangle and dirty.


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## planta (Aug 23, 2015)

I am wrapping tails for winter in such wraps. They are made of fleece, easy to use and wash.

That's how she (and her tail) looked in day she arrived:






At the spring started to touch the ground:


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## Sparkle (Dec 12, 2016)

Dreamcatcher Arabians said:


> I also have quit using tail bags. Every single one of my horses knows how to take them off and they litter the pasture with them. USELESS.


Have you tried tailtuxedos.com? I've bought 4 from them and have had so much luck even with my destructive horse.


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## Sparkle (Dec 12, 2016)

Andromeda74 said:


> So is it still ok to use a tail wrap like in the previous video when your horses are constantly going thru the forest? Will it snag on branches or tear out? I've never done it before but my white horse has a perma brown stained tail and I'm looking for a solution to keep it clean. I'm still trying every product and potion out there to remove the stains but once they're out, I want to keep it clean. I'm thinking that particular wrapping method will work.
> 
> Also, what can you do about long manes with the same issues? Constantly tangle and dirty.


I'd get a fleece three tuber braid-in tail bag and make sure the braids are tight!


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