How do I get a white tail WHITE?

[ABookworm]

I’m currently working on bringing my mare’s tail back from a year of “well you’re a pasture and pleasure pet so your tail can be whatever color it wants”.

Ketchup worked to brighten it but didn’t really improve the color.

So far daily washing with shampoo and dawn dish soap (blue), followed by a deep conditioner have brought the color back to its normal off white shade. I’ll first wash with the shampoo, rinse, then the dawn to ensure that the dawn is only “focusing” on the stained parts. I make sure the conditioner is 110% rinsed from the tail then spray it heavily with Healthy Haircare Hair Moisturizer. This has helped keep my mares tail from getting too dirty between washes.

I alternate between the purple shampoo and conditioner from Sally’s (whichever one is on sale), VO5 Strawberry, and Mane 'N Tail original. The purple shampoo and dawn both will get left in for around 5 minutes while I either wash her body or start cleaning my tack.

My trainer loves using a bleach and water mixture in the tail right before shows but my girl already has a ratty looking tail so I don’t want to risk drying it out.

[JeanM]

@hunterjumper98

Three words: Wisk Laundry Detergent.

That stuff works wonders, and I’m not kidding. As the owner of white and black pinto, I swear by this stuff. Apply a small amount to the tail, work it in from roots to tips, let it sit for a minute or two, and rinse well. Follow up with a good conditioner if you don’t have to braid for shows. You will have a sparkling white tail in a matter of minutes with no hard scrubbing, fear of a purple tail, or human sacrifices needed.

Trust me, I have tried every single purple shampoo known to man and nothing comes close to how well this works.

As for the tail rubbing, check for pinworms or sweat trapped under the tail. Both can make them itchy. You can try to use some Equiderma Lotion on the tail head as well to help ease any kind of irritation.

Wisk is no longer being made! they’ve replaced it with “Persil” – has anyone tried this product on a tail? Was there something special about Wisk that made it more effective &/or safer on a horse tail?

[demidq]

1. prevention. In the fall I wash my mare`s tail, condition it well and put it into one of those 3 tube tail bags that you braid. I double it up and hold together with electrical tape. It comes out every couple of weeks for a gentle brush and conditioning then back into bag. This prevents winter staining that used to leave it tea coloured in the spring!
2. maintenance. I wash every 2 weeks or so from spring to fall to prevent stains from setting. I use regular shampoo to get the worst of the dirt out, rinse and repeat with a blue shampoo. My present favorite is the Absorbine one. I follow with whichever blue conditioner is on sale. I add a shine product to seal while it is damp. I like the cowboy magic stuff in the tube, says it conditions as well as shines, for what it`s worth. I also trim it regularly to keep it about fetlock length, and this seems to prevent the end from getting too yellow.
   Mare is an Arab cross, lovely thick tail that grows quickly. It is the envy of the real Arab owners at the barn who keep the tails in strange little rubber bag things that always seem to get caught and rip off hunks of tail

[IrishDeclan]

Just a quick tip for those with really white horses…the Quic Silver is amazing for dapple greys and darker greys, but I find the Quic Color shampoo to work better on the super white greys.

[TheJenners]

I’ve used bleach in the past. Condition after.

[2tempe]

UPDATE on the tail thing: Someone recommended that I try Castile Soap. And gave me a bar. One wash and I was impressed with results in terms of clean. Maybe more importantly, I did not condition the tail but it feels like I did. CS (original Kirks brand) is coconut oil based, and the tail felt SO much different than after the other shampoos. It makes me much more willing to do it more regularly and not worry about all the drying effects. Get a bar, give it a try! (and your hands will feel good too…)

[McKinley]

No new suggestions for the washing, but for the rubbing–
Wash two to three times a week with as cold water as you can get (maybe ice in a bucket) as that will help keep the skin from drying out and any itchy things from getting in there
Clean daily under his tail; horses frequently rub because that makes them itchy
Spray his tail daily with mouthwash in a spray bottle-- I don’t know why, but it works!-- and rub it into the skin of his tail

[FatCatFarm]

I’m going to have to look for some of the Castile bar soap.

[2tempe]

@FatCatFarm

I’m going to have to look for some of the Castile bar soap.

You can order Kirks castile soap in a bottle with plunger from SmartPak, and I’ve heard it can be found in liquid at some grocery stores. But this brand; the few others are more olive oil based. Which may be fine, but…

[demidq]

Castile soap available at Greenhawk in Canada. I’ll have to give it a try!
Re tail rubbing- related to heat cycles in my mare. I have tried everything- pinworm treatment, mouthwash, frequent rinsing, gentle brushing, steroid lotion- no help. Udders cleaned and creamed regularly, underside of dock and rectum ditto, rinse between hind legs- no change. Definitely hormonal.

[Dubarry]

@2tempe

UPDATE on the tail thing: Someone recommended that I try Castile Soap. And gave me a bar. One wash and I was impressed with results in terms of clean. Maybe more importantly, I did not condition the tail but it feels like I did. CS (original Kirks brand) is coconut oil based, and the tail felt SO much different than after the other shampoos. It makes me much more willing to do it more regularly and not worry about all the drying effects. Get a bar, give it a try! (and your hands will feel good too…)

After reading this, I purchased a bar of Castile Soap from SmartPak. Plan to use this weekend before a show. Will have to update later with results.

[JeanM]

Updating on using Persil, the product that replaced Wisk: I was impressed!

I think I have a bar of Castile soap somewhere. I’ll check that out next. I like the idea of not putting conditioner in; I feel like that can attract dirt

[beau159]

Well, finally got to use his tail!

I feel like it could have still got it a bit whiter, but I thought it turned out pretty good.

Before and after with his fake tail.

[IMG2=JSON]{“data-align”:“none”,“data-size”:“full”,“src”:"http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k27/r_beau/2018%20Horse%20Pictures/behind%20before%20and%20after_zpsopn5hso7.jpg)

[JB]

Just know that the earlier stages of graying make for a physical yellow(er) tail. Pigment removal goes in stages

You can turn any bar of soap, Castile or otherwise, into liquid by grating it as finely as you can manage, adding water, and heating it all up to melt and mix. Distilled water is best. This makes it last longer, and easier to use

[ecileh]

I have a grey with a white tail and I use Health Hair Care conditioner on it, spraying every time I ride/brush it out. It coats the hair somewhat and I think it attracts dirt because the tail does look dingy between washings, but I have found that it actually washes cleaner in the long run.

My washing routine for shows or hunts is to wash it once with Orvis, rinse. Wash again with Cowboy Magic Yellow Out, rinse. Wash again with QuickSilvr or Vetrolin Blue, let that sit while I wash her face and socks, rinse. Then I condition.

I’ve found that since I started using the Healthy Hair Care, I can often skip the middle wash and it looks just fine.

From the photos, it looks like your guy is still a relative youngster. @JB is right…my mare’s tail went through a yellowish phase as she was greying out. Now that the tail is all white, it’s a whiter white to start with.

[beau159]

@ecileh

From the photos, it looks like your guy is still a relative youngster. @JB is right…my mare’s tail went through a yellowish phase as she was greying out. Now that the tail is all white, it’s a whiter white to start with.

Yup, he is 7 this year. And getting lighter every year!

Huh, I did not know that about the yellowing. Interesting.

@ecileh

I have a grey with a white tail and I use Health Hair Care conditioner on it, spraying every time I ride/brush it out.

I use the same stuff. LOVE IT!

[Saffron_Rose]

With unicorn’s tears.