Quick Tip #4

Rather than pulling a thin mane to shorten it, try using an old clipper blade or thinning shears. If you must use scissors, try cutting at an upward angle to give it a natural look.

Quick Tip #3

To reduce static in your horse's tail for show or in the summer, try rubbing it with a dryer sheet.

Quick Tip #2

Old, empty tuna cans make great bridle hooks. Their curved shape mimics more expensive hangers and will keep the bridle from becoming creased and cracked over a nail.

Quick Tip #1

If you don't live near a tack store (or just like to save a little money), hair care products purchased from the ethnic hair section work well on manes and tails. Olive oil moisturizers are a great tail conditioner!

Bags, Wraps, and Braids

Note – This is not an article for or against putting a horse’s tail up, rather it is intended as a resource for those who do to explore other methods. I have found that some horses do quite well with a tail bag while others grow better when left alone. The decision to bag (or not to) should be made on a case by case basis based on the individual horse and its living situation. Thank you for respecting that.

Here I’ll be discussing some common ways you’ll see a horses tail put up. Most commonly the tail is bagged with the style of bag and material being the variable factor. However there are some other methods which have also be used with success. A couple I’ve made up and decided not to use for one reason or another but for someone else they might prove to be a viable alternative depending on the horse and living situation. For most of the bags listed, the horse’s fly swatting abilities are greatly reduced. In addition, many horses don’t like being slapped with a bag when they try to swish flies. Some will even try to rid themselves of the nuisance by rubbing their tails and breaking off the hairs you are trying to protect. Different horses may prefer certain styles so if your horse seems irritated with their current situation, try another. You may also be able to modify the bag for fly swatting by sewing fringe onto the bag to act as a pseudo-tail.

Lycra Tail Bag

 Standard Tail Bag

Lycra Bag - This is by far the type I see most commonly and would recommend to someone new to tail upkeep because of its price and ease of use. The tail is first braided then inserted into the bag and secured. The lightweight material is gentle on the hair and allows excess moisture to escape.  

Cotton Bag - A similar idea is a cheaper bag made of cotton type fabrics which still allow air circulation but are not as gentle on the hair as lycra. Still a good option though.

Nylon Bag - The idea behind this material choice is that it is usually waterproof which prevents the tail from getting urine, manure, or mud on it. In addition, the bag is very sturdy and durable. The downfall though is that dirt, manure, and urine can become trapped which makes it possible for bacteria to thrive if they are not changed and cleaned often.

3-Tube Braid Bag

 Braid

This is quite simply a long braid which starts below the tail bone and is secured at the end with a braiding band. I like this option because of simplicity and the horses tend not to mind as much when they swat themselves with it. Another option is to leave the last six inches unbraided so that the horse has even better swishing power. The downfall of this type is that the tail hair is exposed to the elements and the braid can become caught on a nail/fence which may rip the hair out.

3-tube braid bag

Lycra Bag – The tail is separated into three sections which are put into lycra tubes. The tubes containing the hair are then braided and secured. It looks like a colorful standard braid with the added benefit of protecting the tail from sun and dirt. The only con is that they can be tricky to put on the first time, especially if your horse’s tail is thick.

Fleece Bag –A variation which is made of polar fleece. Pretty much the same as the lycra version but in my opinion they are harder to put on and are unnecessarily heavy. Some people love them though, so it is up to personal preference. 

Tail Sock/Pouch

Vet Wrapped Tail (photo from horsechannel.com)

Sock

Very 

similar to a tail bag except smaller. Great for skimpy tails since less fabric is lighter and causes less damage to an already small tail. But it can be used on any horse. You can purchase one from a tack store/website but really it is just an old sock with the top few inches cut so that it can be tied on.

Vet Wrap

During the winter, this is my favorite method to use on Desi. The hair is braided then folded back onto itself and wrapped in a flexible bandage (only the braided section is wrapped below the dock – wrapping any higher can be dangerous as even a loosely wrapped bandage can cut off circulation). I use a product like 3M Vet wrap but you could try a cotton tail bandage if you wanted to be able to wash it and re-use it. As long as the tail is completely clean and dry before putting it up, it can be left like this for a week or more. I use duct tape around the end to prevent unraveling if I intend to leave it on for more than a couple days.

Multiple Braids

This is essentially the same as the regular braid but instead of one thick braid, you would divide the tail into sections and make multiple braids. Drawbacks are the same as with the regular braid (with the addition of possibly looking a little silly), however the horse will better be able to swish flies and if the braid becomes caught on something, only part of the tail is affected.

Christmas Saddle Pad

I'm a bit of a Christmas freak. I decorate my house, car, tack locker etc. So it should come as no surprise that I also decorate my horse. Last year I received 2 burgundy saddle pads from a friend. I really only needed one so the other one sat in it's box for months unused until November when I found a good use for it.

A Christmas Saddle Pad!

I measured the amount of trim I would need and went to the fabric store. While they had what I needed with the other trims, I found that I could save a little money by buying 2 white boas that were less expensive.

I had to hand stitch the trim onto the pad, which was a time-consuming pain. But in the end I think the result was worth it!

I left the section where the girth goes un-stitched so that I could do my girth under it.

Good luck! I have to say I might try this for other holidays...

Sparkle Gel

So if you do gaming, parades, schooling shows, or just like to add a little sparkle to your horse, then you've probably bought this at some point or another...

The stuff is pretty cool I'll admit but the $10 price tag seemed a little steep to me... So I figured out how to make my own! It is incredibly easy and allows you to make any color you want to match a particular show set.
The things I used to make it were:

• Glitter in your choice of color (I found the finer glitter works best but any glitter will do)
• Clear hair gel
• plastic ziplock bag
• stir stick
• Empty container

This was the only clear gel my local store carried, you can find a much bigger and less expensive container somewhere like Walmart... shop around if you're looking to save some money.

 Put the clear hair gel into the plastic bag, add glitter and mix! I found that it was easiest to use the gel if put into a squeeze container I bought at the drugstore for about $1. To do so, I squeezed the glitter gel into the bottom of the bag and cut off one of the corners which allowed me to squirt the mixture directly into my container, no messy spoons or funnels needed!