Horse-Tail Care Tips

Fall is almost here, and every rider is eagerly looking forward to the joy of riding their horses on clear, crisp days.

While fall brings some of those lovely days that makes the horseman glad to be riding it also brings not-so-lovely days. And winter is coming as well. You can spend all of your allotted riding time getting mud and knots out of your horse's tail if you don't take steps beforehand.

Assemble what you need first. Long strips of cloth. These need to be at least two-and-a-half times as long as your horse's tail. Large toothed mane and tail comb. Shampoo. Water.

Start by combing and picking out the tail until it is completely tangle free. If there is a knot usually the best way to get it free is to pull hairs from the top of the knot. This way you don't pull the hair at the root and hurt the horse. Despite what you may have been told horses do have some feeling at the root of their hair. Once the tail is completely tangle free you are ready for the next step.

Wet the tail thoroughly. Apply shampoo and work it in. Shampoo the hair of the tail from the dock to the very tip of the longest hair. Be sure that the dock is especially well scrubbed so that it is free of even the slightest amount of dirt. Rinse thoroughly, then rinse again. Rinse your horse's tail until the water runs completely clear. Do not use conditioner or detangler.

Make certain the tail is tangle free and allow it to dry. Once the tail is completely dry comb again to make certain there are no tangles. Now smooth your hands down the dock of the tail and gather a handful of hair in each hand. Leave a third length of hair hanging from the middle. Take the two handfuls of hair in one hand-keeping them well separated-and get your long strip of cloth. Fold the cloth in half and then position it so each of the side handfuls of hair has a strip of cloth.

Begin by crossing the first two handfuls over one another. You now have the hair and cloth in opposite hands with the middle bunch untouched. Now cross your handfuls again only this time pass them behind the middle hair. Continue braiding until you reach the end.

Now fold the long braid in half with the tip reaching the end of the horse's dock. If your horse has a tail long enough that the end is still below the hocks wrap the cloth ends once (be sure you do not wrap the dock itself) and fold the braid again.

Pass the cloth though the upper loop and cross it in front of the braid. Now feed the ends of the cloth through the outer braid until you reach two thirds down the braid. Tie these once and work your way back up to just below the dock. Wrap and tie the ends of the cloth.

I keep mentioning that you shouldn't tie the cloth around the dock because, if you should tie the cloth too tight, you could damage the dock causing your horse pain and even endangering its life.

Once you have the tail done up this way though it can stay that way a long time. I like to take down such braids at least once a week and check to make certain every thing is all right. But I have known people to put their horse's tail up in this manner and turn them out on pasture for the winter. When they brought them up in the spring the tails were still braided and tangle free, rather than great knobs of dried mud mixed with sticks and hay. And if you remember your fourth grade history lessons mud, straw and water are what makes bricks.