# tails...to brush or not to brush



## appylover31803 (Sep 18, 2007)

I brush my horse's tails sometimes.
My one gelding's tail is wrapped in Vetwrap. It'll get brushed in a month.
My other gelding and mare will get their tails brushed when I feel like just grooming them (of if they have stuff in their tail)
I always use conditioner.


----------



## minihorse927 (Aug 11, 2008)

I brush tails only when they are going to show, get nasty dirty, or in the winter time, once a week. I try to not brush everyday as the tail grows thicker and longer if left unbrushed. If it gets really long I will braid it and bag it up or vet rap it.


----------



## Kirsti Arndt (Jun 23, 2008)

i groom top to bottom each time i ride,sonny has a huge thick mane and tail-burrs are just nasty this year-those of you in Illinois know what i mean. I groomed yesterday and today so full of the burrs it took two of us and baby oil to get them out-He is outside during the day.
Hello appy!


----------



## free_sprtd (Oct 18, 2007)

this is a good question actually, because today I was just wondering the same thing. I wish I could brush my geldings tail often, but it gets so tangled so often, that I can only brush it after I wash it and deep condition it. I don't know how to fix this  over the summer, it was nice and I kept it decent, but in the winter, it's so nasty! im going to go out there tomorrow and wash it because he has dingleberrys. Ive never wrapped or bagged..... is it ok to do in the winter? any ideas? his tail is down to the ground, i have to trim it occasionally. I wash with mane and tail shampoo and condition with cowboy magic. tomorrow im taking out my aussie shampoo lol to see if that helps.


----------



## appylover31803 (Sep 18, 2007)

I love my Aussie Shampoo! Never used it on the horses though.

I am going to vet wrap (i didn't have luck with tail bags) Gem's and Vega's tail.. mostly likely tomorrow. Montana's tail is already up.
I'm going to only do it in the winter because it can be quite gross out and I wont have to worry about it getting all muddy.
I learnt this from AKPaintlover.
What I do is I put MTG (or any other conditioner) I just put it at the dock of the tail. Then I seperate into 3 sections (I get any tangles out with my fingers). Then I put the tail into a loose braid and secure it with a band at the bottom. Then I loop it through the tail (like where I started the braid) 1-2 times, depending on the tail length. Then I take the vet wrap, and starting where I started the braid, I loop some vet wrap in there (kind of hard to explain) and then I wrap the entire tail, working my way down, and then back up. I stop before it reaches the dock.
I'll take a video of it tomorrow, cause i'm unsure my directions make any sense! lol


----------



## minihorse927 (Aug 11, 2008)

lol, this tail definitely needs to start being wrapped up, I never noticed how long it had gotten after I put MTG on it for a month staight. I never brushed it neither.


----------



## minihorse927 (Aug 11, 2008)

free_sprtd said:


> this is a good question actually, because today I was just wondering the same thing. I wish I could brush my geldings tail often, but it gets so tangled so often, that I can only brush it after I wash it and deep condition it. I don't know how to fix this  over the summer, it was nice and I kept it decent, but in the winter, it's so nasty! im going to go out there tomorrow and wash it because he has dingleberrys. Ive never wrapped or bagged..... is it ok to do in the winter? any ideas? his tail is down to the ground, i have to trim it occasionally. I wash with mane and tail shampoo and condition with cowboy magic. tomorrow im taking out my aussie shampoo lol to see if that helps.


I like MTG as a detangler and helping it to grow, braiding it, and tail bags or vet wrapping it. I am actually gonna wrap one of mine tonight (see above tail) and I will try to take pics as I go and post them here in a series.


----------



## prbygenny (Aug 2, 2008)

I brush mine everyday that I am out at the barn (4-5 times a week). His tail also hits the ground so I trim every so often. But when I say brush I mostly brush at the top and the bottom, in the middle I do a really lite detangle brushing. We get tons of burs this time of year also so I use my fingers to get them out. I love my boys tail it is so thick and long everyone is always so jealous about it.


----------



## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

I usually brush every time I groom.  If it doesn't need to be fully brushed I leave it (if there aren't any knots).


----------



## free_sprtd (Oct 18, 2007)

I'll take pics tomorrow of thunder's tail. THis tail only gets brushed maybe 1 every couple months because even a week after washing it....it's all tangled. he's got weird hair....thick and corse never soft.

OH and thanks appy and mini! ill have to try something. ill take some before and after pics lol. do you wash out the conditioner? or leave it in? how often do you change and rewrap?


----------



## Kirsti Arndt (Jun 23, 2008)

your horses are stalled? i thought you couldnt wrap and leave them if stalled? please educate me on this-soooo wish i could post the pics of Sonnys tail for the show-Donna did an English 1/2 braid with a scoopy tied up bow/loop thing-took forever. we did it right before the show as she said he'd rub if off overnight?


----------



## free_sprtd (Oct 18, 2007)

Thunder is stalled from about 4pm-8am as long as the weather is nice....if it's crappy outside he stays in his stall and only gets turned out for a few in the arena or if i come visit and take him out, but he's got a run in his stall, so he can go outside too.


----------



## minihorse927 (Aug 11, 2008)

you can wrap/bag a tail in a stall IF there is nothing to catch the tail on. My stalls are free of any protruding objects and if she would find something to catch it on, then it is so loosely braided it will fall right out. The only thing any of mine could ever catch it on would be the water bucket, and since I have mine fairly low to the ground, that would take some talent.

The MTG is applied once a week and left in. I try to keep mine locked up only at night or in nasty weather, I have a few that would rather stay inside than go out into the cold wind right now, but I make them go out there anyway. We have to many coyotes, bears, and supposedly a panther in this area for them to be outside at night as they are minis. The only one I dare turn out at night is the mustang.


----------



## appylover31803 (Sep 18, 2007)

I don't wash the MTG out and if I use a conditioner, it's the spray, leave in kind.
I will re-do this about once a month, though it depends on what it looks like. I believe the longest I've left Vega's in was almost 2 months.
My guys are out during the day and inside at night (because it's cold) There is really nothing they can get it caught on.
I also use anywhere from half to a whole roll of vet wrap (depending on the thickness and length of the tail, or how much vet wrap I have left on the roll)

You can also use the vet wrap in the spring/summer, but just make sure you add some string at the bottom of it so they can use that as a tail.

Here is Vega's tail with the string attached. (this was taken in the March or April of 08)









This is her tail in June 08









Just for reference, this was her tail in Sept of 07


----------



## Siggav (Nov 21, 2008)

I don't think I ever managed to brush the tail on my horse when I had him. It was very tangled and really thick with coarse hair. I cut it so it ended around 6 inches before hitting the ground but that was it. 

A friend of mine brushed her horses tail a lot and it just got thinner and thinner so she ended up stopping.


----------



## Siggav (Nov 21, 2008)

Ok I managed to dig up a photo. It's not my horse but my uncle's horse but they had pretty much identical tails that were kept the same way (i.e nothing much done to them)


----------



## free_sprtd (Oct 18, 2007)

]I don't have aproblem with thunder's tail growing....i actually had to trim it today lol.. but I have a problem with it getting nasty! Here's my first attempt at wrapping it...

*BEFORE*



















*AFTER (CLEAN ON THE INSIDE LOL)*


----------



## PG'sGal4ever (Sep 25, 2008)

My horses tails are usually 90% of the time in a tail bag , taken down every week and I pick it out with my hands and put more detangler in it and then some Mtg and up it goes again.


----------



## kickshaw (May 7, 2008)

all of the show horses i know have their tails up. 

i personally never brush with a brush...i pick the entire thing out with my fingers.


----------



## lizzie_magic (Sep 18, 2008)

I pretty much never brush his tail, I might occasionaly do it before a show but not usually.


----------



## twogeldings (Aug 11, 2008)

I give my geldings tail a quick once-over when I groom him before riding. I also check for any tangles/knots/debris that may be caught in there. I ALWAYS add a bit of Cowboy Magic and always brush out his mane. 

I usually do a full half an hour to hour tail grooming every now and then after baths in the summer and only occasionally in the winter. Before shows it would also be fully brushed as well ^^


----------



## Painted Ride (Jun 30, 2008)

my mares tail gets washed once a month and it is maintained in a braid in a tailbag. i bursh her tail out every 2 days. i take her tail out or the braid when i excersise her. when it is braided i also keep leave in conditioner on it. by keeping her tail like this i have no knots!!!! all i have to do is simply brush; her tail is really healthy and has grown thus far.....


----------



## doniakay (Oct 21, 2008)

that is everyday in the summer when i groom...but now its gets dark sooner and im lucky if i get my stalls done daily.


----------



## kershkova (Jun 25, 2008)

I brush Out Law`s tail every time I go to the barn like 2- 3 times a week. His tail is shortish and a little thin so I might wrap it.


----------



## SallyBaby (Nov 30, 2008)

I brush Sally's tail whenever I see her. In the summer I use conditionner/detangler stuff and it works great!


----------



## suenosderosas (Nov 30, 2007)

My show horses' tails stay up in bags, so they get brushed and sprayed liberally with Healthy Hair Care (or pink stuff, as I call it) about every 2-3 weeks. 

The broodmares get their's brushed whenever I feel like it/when I remember. :lol:


----------



## RusticWildFire (Jul 6, 2008)

I brush my horses tails just about every time I groom them. The tail is one of my favorite things to brush! lol


----------



## TwendeHaraka (Oct 5, 2008)

I hate brushing Twende's tail. My mom likes to do it, so when she comes out, she'll brush it out sometimes... His tail is just so thick and so LONG...it almost touches the ground and is just so, so thick that I don't have enough time or patience to brush it all the way out.


----------



## Connemara93 (Nov 7, 2008)

I used to fully comb it out every time I rode, but i started to notice that it was thinning out a fair bit - and she used to have a beautiful lush tail.

Now I only do it occassionally, and when I do, I do it the "proper" way, by taking each lock at a time and using a body brush to detangle it all. Takes a lot more time than a comb or stiffer brush, but it's worth it!


----------



## emmasacha (Oct 26, 2008)

Hiya,
I brush my horses tail through every time I ride. So pretty much every day in the summer and once or twice a week in the winter. I use spray in detangler and I go through the tail with my fingers I don't get knots out with a brush. Only when I've gone through the whole thing with my fingers will I use a soft human brush to neaten it up.


----------



## minihorse927 (Aug 11, 2008)

free_sprtd said:


> I'll take pics tomorrow of thunder's tail. THis tail only gets brushed maybe 1 every couple months because even a week after washing it....it's all tangled. he's got weird hair....thick and corse never soft.
> 
> OH and thanks appy and mini! ill have to try something. ill take some before and after pics lol. do you wash out the conditioner? NO I USE MTG AND IT IS NOT TO BE WASHED OUT or leave it in? how often do you change and rewrap? DEPENDS ON THE HORSE, IF THEY ALREADY HAVE A LONG THICK TAIL, THEN EVERY 3 TO 4 WEEKS, IF THEY HAVE NO TAIL LIKE MY ROAN AND I WANT IT TO GROW, THEN ONCE EVERY WEEK I WILL ADD MORE MTG AND REWRAP IT.[/quote]
> 
> yeah I never noticed this post before, sorry!


----------



## jazzyrider (Sep 16, 2007)

until recently i used to do my guys every day. never noticed a problem but my new mare has the most beautiful, long, thick mane and tail and im very paranoid about anything happening to it to ive started backing off on how much i brush it. ive just been plaiting her mane and tail after putting some conditioner through it and then i leave it be. its still growing well and isnt thinning out so im happy with that


----------



## danastark (Jul 17, 2008)

I mostly leave my guys' tails alone unless we're showing or they are really tangled and dirty. My draft colt's tail is huge, big, kind of dreadlock curls and when I do brush it, it takes forever and is massive! It would take too long to do every time I ride so I just neaten up the top and trim the bottom when it drags on the ground. The appy has a nice medium length tail with lots of hair and usually I'll neaten it up too. I try not to brush the paint's tail much as it is thin and I don't want to break off too much hair. When I do brush them, I massage lots of conditioner in and do it piece by piece with a human hairbrush. I've never been one for braiding their tail, afraid it'll get caught on something!


----------



## pleasurehorse11 (Dec 1, 2008)

I only brush my horses tail after she gets all muddy or crap in it or right after I bathe her and before a show , I do this mostly because i'm lazy and her tail is WAY TOO thick to rassle with everyday , but i do spray healthy hair care in her mane and tail and all over her body every day! lol that stuff is awsome! I don't bag mine because it's too much of a hassle if i'm going to put a fake tail in anyway.


----------



## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

Only before a ride unless we are having a random everyone gets groomed day.
We ride every day to 2-3 times a week though


----------



## tyrena (Dec 7, 2008)

Thanks for the good advise. I'm getting two young ladies next weekend and they are full of burs.... I'll remember, yalls advise.


----------



## toosexy4myspotz (Oct 7, 2007)

I groom my guy from head to toe everyday. I put laser sheen on his tail and mane once a week and it never gets tangled up.


----------



## dbadaro (Dec 8, 2008)

i lightly brush mine every time i ride (mostly just pick it out) and thoroughly brush it every two weeks or so. my horse has a thick tail so i try to keep it from getting tangled.


----------



## handytsabre (Dec 6, 2008)

brush it probably once or twice a week. Depends on what it looks like. :]


----------

