Do you bang a driving horse’s tail? 
It’s really personal preference, but yes, I keep tails banged about mid cannon. I think banged tails look really sharp. I also typically keep the dock pulled/trimmed, but we only do eventing and driving so we don’t have to braid tails to show. 
We also bang off the tails, but do them at fetlock length. They all lift their tails when in work, so they end up about mid-cannon length.
I am not a hair puller, horses just hate it. The only time I tried the pulled dock thing, they were ANGRY, and all started rubbing badly when the hairs regrew. I will keep the dock hairs as long as possible, on our tails. Probably left over from doing Western Halter and Showmanship so many years, but makes a nice smooth flow for the whole length. I keep the tail bones oiled with mineral oil, to prevent dry skin, any NEED to rub tails.
Another plus for the driving, is longer dock hair is easier to lay smoothly in the crupper. Stays where you place it as you smooth it up and away from the leather while harnessing, fastening the crupper buckles. We are real fussy about that, horses get crabby with poky hairs in the dock area. Under tail area, naked skin of tailbone and cruppers, are all kept very clean to prevent rubbing sores.
We might braid now and again, when daughter is in a riding class, so tail would need the hair to braid then.
I just like longer hairs on the tail dock. Again, smoother hair flow to me, for the full tail look. Short hairs at the dock area were always a sign (as kids) that there was a previous problem with horse and tail. We don’t have Kelly’s pony’s super tail thickness, so that could be a factor in your choices.
I am not a huge tail fusser, not doing the braiding tail bags, daily sprays and conditioners. Our horses have nice tails, we just leave them alone.
A natural tail can be attractive, just want it clean and combed out smooth. We did that with two Arab crosses, before banged tails got popular. Very nice look, flowing white tails. Again, fetlock length when standing, but carried higher in motion as Arabs do.
I don’t want any tails dragging on the ground on animals I own. They were cool on the movie cowboys, loved it. But one clamped tail with brush caught in or under it?? Cures you of flowing, ground dragging tails forever!!
I bang Poppy’s tail, about fetlock or a hair shorter. I use the sissors at the edges of her dock to shorten the hairs so they don’t get caught in the crouper. You would never see it but it is there.
I trim my horse’s tails so they so not drag the ground. All of my Arabs tend to have long tails and will drag a couple of inches if left untrimmed. But as Arabs will raise their tails when trotting a bunch, I leave them as long as possible–perhaps pastern long.
Never mess with the dock area myself.
What does “bang” mean?
I’m sure I don’t do it because mine all just have their tails trimmed to have them neat and they’re not plaited either.
I think plaited = braided there.
bang= cut off straight across, like a person who has “bangs” as opposed to being pulled or thinned out to create a more natural appearance…
Docks and Bangs
It’s interesting that this would come up, as my trainer was talking about shaving the side of my pony’s tail to sleek it up in appearance. Typically, I have been a user of hair gel–human grade–the low budget version of the stuff used to get spikes and surf look.
I have banged tails in an idle fashion: meaning I have snipped an inch or so at the end to square it up some in the hope some extremely prudent judge’s eye would see some effort there. I think the only time it would make a real difference would be if you are so close in points to any other team . In that case, a dirty tack buckle could make as much difference.
only reason I ask
The only reason I ask is because my gelding has a long and luxurious and FULL tail so he could use a little trim at the very bottom so as not to step on it but otherwise, unless he is a little freaked out, he does not carry it necessarily high and out of the way (ala Arabian). I saw some pictures with horses in carriages banged but I don’t recall if it was for breed shows or pleasure shows.
I bang my two QH tails, one of which I trail ride often. Smoke, my Percheron driving mare I do not, she has a docked tail. If I am showing it is either braided or in a hunt braid, I believe that is what it is called.
[QUOTE=Blue Band
Braiding or Plaiting, same meaning, can be confusing. They all involve methods of crossing the hairs to contain it. However I might easily get confused if someone just said they had “braided or plaited” their horse. I would most likely think they had just contained the hair on a long braided tail, like girls used to wear their hair in. Dorothy look in the Wizard of Oz movie. Plain braiding like that keeps the hair out of the way, no snarls when undone, clean. Really common locally, where so many have tails done up in bags all the time. Too many other kinds of braiding to choose from, often used very non-traditionally, for any special one to jump into my head.
I have found it better to ask straight out, “What kind of braid do you mean?” on the tail question. Then we are both saying the same things.
Hunt tails are done with a French Braid, a style which picks up hair as you go along the length, to make the braiding continuous. Top of tail is then covered and contained within the French Braid. This braid is three stranded most of the time, centered down the tailbone. French Braid usually stops near the end of tailbone. Then braid end is done up, out of the way on the current style, loop, pinwheel. This leaves the loose, lower tail hair free and flowing.
I would expect a horse “Braided for the Hunt” to have both tail and mane plaited up. Short, neat, bound-up, plaits done on the forlock and neck. They are going to stay in place with hard riding, sweaty horses, thru the brush or trees of a day Hunting.
Hunter braids, or braided in the Hunter Style, the horse appears neat and workmanlike, sleek with no untidy mane flapping to snag in your reins.
Neck braids we see now are done with yarn, thread, tape, in breed styles like Hackney and Cleveland Bay braids. A traditional Judge, often can recognise the braid style on the horse presented. Newer styles of plaiting the braids come along now and again, done for certain reasons, can be attractive.
Draft tail braiding is totally different than Hunter, both in containment of the hair and look when finished.
Breeds of drafts may have traditional, breed plaiting styles to do up their braids on a horse. Manes on a draft neck are done to emphasize the muscular build, often rolling hair along the crest. Some folks use all the hair of mane, others leave some mane hair loose under the rolled mane. If you know braids, I am told there are mare and stallion braid styles.
Traditional use of a braid or style of “doing up” a horse for an activity, is almost cast in stone. Using it wrongly, can be a shock to the viewer! Done right, in the right activity for the style, you look terrific. Prepared and ready to play the game.
The lattice look on long manes, separating strands hanging down for an openwork look, is often called braiding. There are running French Braids done on the long mane ends on one side of the neck, giving a Middle Ages look to a horse. It does contain the flying ends, keeping mane flat. Both rather new in ridden showing, probably only seen in the last 30 years. Were QUITE the shock to Dressage judges when first viewed back then.
I don’t care for these methods much, seeing both the Lattice and braided ends method, flop in a lump, when horse moves at speed or with animation. Also holds in a lot of heat, with thick hair covering the neck side. To me, I just don’t think it is attractive, flopping in a big lump on the horse neck. Other folks think the styles are neat and nice.
Mud Tails or Mud Knots are also braided tails. Done to prevent tail hair getting dirty while horse is used. The tail hair is totally contained, nothing hanging down. Prevents any wet hair from tangling in legs, collecting dirt if they might be going thru water or mud. Some folks are good enough they can do the whole tail with just knotting. Others do a combination of braiding, knots, may even put some yarn in to tie hair up securely. Some folks even wrap the tail after knotting it up, to cover it and prevent dirt or possible knots coming undone.
This is one of those fun topics, where we are each sure we are correct in our terms for the method. I find the names and way they are used is based mostly on whom we learned about the braiding from. We name it as we learn it, have great difficulty later in re-learning the braid name or braiding style by another name.
Thomas, we call it banged, when the tail bottom is totally flat across. Maybe if you think of Military horses, all with the same trim in tail style.
A fringe might be the same as our hair bangs.
Which type of braids would you use if your neck strap is quite wide? I guess the hunter braids would be rather uncomfortable if the neck strap covers a few of them?
We’ve routinely put a full collar over flat braids, probably wouldn’t do it with buttons. Pony never seems to mind, even though I worried about it at first. If it were an issue, I’d just leave the section of mane under the collar or breastcollar neckstrap (if it’s wide) unbraided and band it so it lays flat underneath the collar.
great pics
Thanks Kelli Great Pics. so now that everybody sees a banged tail… is it more common in dressage than in pleasure driving events?
Tails are always “banged” here.
I didn’t know that till this posting. I’d thought “banging” meant something real fancy.
Now I know it just means trimmed straight, I can confidently say that tails are banged
I love this site. Two countries divided by a common language :lol:
