How to Groom a Horse Tail for Beauty and Fullness

Are you dissatisfied with your horse's tail; is it not full or long enough? Do you need tail extensions for shows? Put an end to this frustration by using proper professional grooming technique.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Throw the brush away! It takes about 7 years from a tail hair to grow from the root to the fetlocks. Brushing will pull out hairs faster than they grow back.

2. 
   Grooming a horse's tail by hand

   Gently massage the tailbone in a milking fashion. This relaxes your horse and stimulates blood flow to the tail bone, which increases hair growth. Remove any burrs, hay or straw from the tail and spray with leave in conditioner.

3. Starting at the top of the hair, separate each hair ideally or two or three at a time (see photo). Work knots out gently with your fingers. Don't pull on the hair, but instead just gently detangle and separate. Grooming your horse's tail in this fashion will take longer than brushing; be patient with your horse.

Tips & Warnings

• For an extra fluffy, full look, shampoo your horse's tail the day before a show and groom by hand after it has dried (use conditioner).
• Before a show, you can protect your horse's tail with a homemade tail protector (see article how to protect your horse's tail).
• Never become impatient or pull on the hair; make this part of your grooming routine an exercise in calmness and patience for you and your horse.

Resources

• Find more tips on horse grooming here.