Do you own a horse? And you are really confused about some matters. Yes among them one of the most crucial matters is taking care of the horse’s tail. Horse tail is something that really defines the overall look of the horse. So importantly you will obviously have to take care of the tail because a horse itself can take care of it. Being a part of your family horses are animals that needs a lot of care. So it is our responsibility to take care of that. But there are some specific ways and we hardly have proper ideas about that. So let’s discuss about some tips that will help you to maintain healthy horse tails.
Tips for Healthy Horse Tails:
Healthy Hair comes from Inside: No matter how much conditioners and you use on the horse coat but you should that it never works. Horse’s coat will only improve with proper nutrition. Healthy hair comes from protein, amino acids and vitamins. So concentrate on their diets.
Don’t Brush Everyday: You know very well that horses love to be brushed but the fact is that don’t make a routine of brushing their tail every day. May be it will look nice if you brush everyday but it will gradually get thinner. And you should know that a long strand takes over a year to re-grow again.
Determine why your Horse is rubbing the Tail: Horses actually rub their tail for various reasons. Some of the common reasons are parasites and insects. Insects and parasites will cause itching on the skin and will result in a reaction. Again horses rub their tails to response to the irritations caused by sheath and anus area. If you notice such reactions, immediately consult with a vet.
Keep Clean and Moisturized: If the horse’s skin is dirty and dry they will start rubbing their tail in response of the itching. Use recommended shampoos and conditioners to clean them thoroughly. So this will help to keep your horse’s skin clean and moisturized.
Keeps the tail shining: It’s also necessary to keep the tail shining apart from keeping it clean. This really looks very nice and makes them attractive. You can use Cowboy magic Detangler and Shine to get long lasting results.
Never wrap the top: Never wrap the top of horse tail. These wraps normally irritate the horse. And this will result in rubbing the tails all the time to get relief from the irritation.
Be Cautious about the Wraps: Horses always move their tails at flies and if you have a fence all around your house. It may be possible that your horse catches up the wrap in the fence post and panics. Be careful as the resulting damage could be severe.
An alternative to wrapping is Knotting: Knotting is actually putting several figure eight knots in long sections of hair below the end of the tail bone. The knots actually stay in place and that resists tangling and keeps the tail off the ground.
Trim the Sides rather than Plucking: To tidy up the appearance of the top of the horse tail, trim the sides rather than plucking.
Stand beside when grooming: When you are grooming your horse tail, stand beside them as a safety precaution. This is a part of the horse handling skills. Even if your has never kicked you, still you should go with this rule to prevent accident.
Use Proper Grooming Tools: Don’t use human hair brushes and it will break the hair and pull it out. Use only dandy brushes and wide toothed comb to solve the purpose.
Brush the Dock with Dandy Brush: Dandy brush helps to loosen and remove dirt from the tail. Brushing the dock and the upper part of the tail also increases the blood flow resulting in good growth of hair.
Treat Promptly in case of Sores and Hotspots: They may develop sores and hotspots on the dock region due to rubbing. So you have to treat them promptly. Talk with your vet about the instant treatment so that it cures up within a very short time.
Give a Bubble Bath: This is a very handy trick to clean your horse’s tail. Put a small amount of shampoo in a bucket of water. Hold the bucket with one hand and rinse the tail with the other hand.
Put a Slipknot to dry quickly: When your horse’s tail is wet and you want to dry them soon keeping it off the ground, the best way is to put up a slip knot.
Know the processes to put up the tail: The best three ways to put up your horse’s long tail is wrapping, bagging and ragging. Wrapping is a process of looping the tail several times and then hold it with a self sticking bandage. Bagging is just almost similar to wrapping but the tail is out in a bag specially made for that purpose. Ragging is a little complex and means braiding three strips of sheet and braiding the entire tail by wrapping each section with the other in a strip of sheet.
Regular Care is needed in case of wrapping, braiding and ragging: You will have to still take care of the tail even it is wrapped, bagged or ragged. You will have to straighten the hair with fingers rather than a brush or a comb. To remove the kinks, wash it and moisturize the hair.
Using Gel or Hairspray: Some people uses Gel or hairspray to smooth down the hairs but you will have to wash it thoroughly once you are finished. These products are drying and may cause itching.
Banging: Banging is a term used popularly and traditionally which is referred to trimming the bottom of the horse tail. It makes the tail thick. For better results, trim the tail when it is wet.
Take your Time: So as you are giving a lot of time for your horse tail, the result should be very fruitful. Due to busy it may happen that you can’t give proper time for all these things regularly but for sure when you are giving that should a quality one.
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