Baling Twine "Tail"

In a post a while ago, I talked about how my favorite way to put up Desi's super long tail was braided and wrapped with a cohesive bandage (vetrap). I can only do this during the winter as it leaves absolutely no tail for bug-swatting. The last couple years, I've had to leave Desi's tail natural during the summer and end up losing all the hair he grew during the winter. This year his tail has grown to a record length (I'll post more about how I managed to accomplish this later) and I can't stand to lose it. In the past I considered purchasing a ratty old fake tail and using it as a fly swatter, but $30 for a tail was a little more than I wanted to spend.

I'd heard of people using baling twine as a fly swatter but when I tried it, I didn't like how bulky the twine ended up being. I also couldn't find a good way to attach it and Desi didn't enjoy whipping himself with twine. I tried a bunch of other materials trying to find a good horsehair substitute. Yarn was too soft and didn't really swish onto his sides. Fabric strips were also too light and didn't break off easily when they caught on an object. All this time and the perfect material was right in front of my face. I was at a show a couple weeks ago and noticed a Saddlebred in the warm up pen who had it's tail in a sock with shredded baling twine sticking out the bottom. Duh! The thick twine is annoying but when separated into its individual strands/fibers, it is very similar to the texture of actual horsehair. A simple way to make a baling twine "tail" would be to cut a few lengths, tie a loop at the top, pull apart the strings, and braid it into the tail or tie it to the top of a tail bag. But being me, I wanted a slightly more purposeful looking version. The following is a tutorial of how I made Desi's current baling twine "tail".

What you need:

• Baling Twine
• Candle (optional)
• Super Glue (optional)

That's it! If you have this stuff laying around already, this project won't cost you a penny - and you're recycling some bailing twine that would otherwise end up in the garbage.

Step 1:

Cut three 10" segments of baling twine and about 5 longer ones (think 3-5 feet). Pull a small strand of cord out of one of the longer segments to use later.

Step 2:

Braid the 10" pieces together and melt the ends with a candle. Pinch the ends together into a tear drop shape and wrap the bottom inch with a piece of "cord" you separated earlier. Tie off the cord and melt the ends again.

Step 3:

Take your bigger sections of twine and fold them in half at the center. Pass them all through the braided tear drop and rest the centers near the wrapped portion. Bring down the strands so that they cover the "tail" of the tear drop and pinch them together. Use the rest of your cord to wrap tightly around this section. You can finish the wrap by super gluing the cord to the wrap or melting it on.

Step 4:

One by one, separate the baling twine strands into their individual fibers (or at least just smaller pieces). Trim to desired length now or wait until you put it on the horse and trim just above the fetlocks. 

To Attach:

Braid the horse's tail and pass it through the twine loop. Bring the end of the horse's tail up through the top of the braid and back down so that it is folded in thirds with the baling twine "tail" hanging from the bottom. Wrap the folded braid in a cohesive wrap (vetrap) and leave the twine hanging out the bottom. 

Alternatively, you can tie the loop through the top strings of a tail bag or loop it through a plain braid.