Ariel has kicked/snapped at 2 horses in our last rides. I’m thinking of putting a red ribbon in her tail. Where do I tie it, around the bone or below the bone inthe hair? Does it have to be a bow, or can the strings just hang down? Don’t know ribbon etiquette!
We just tie it in some loose hair at the top of the tail in a tight bow. It doesn’t have to be huge… we just use some regular ribbon…
I take some top hair and braid the red ribbon or yarn into it, knot at the end and let the ends hang down into the tail
I would do a short braid as well.
Hair at the top of her dock is fuzzy and not braidable. Can I braid the hair below the dock with the ribbon? Would that be noticeable?
NEVER around the bone!
You can do permanent damage that way.
What Magicboy describes is the usual MO.
You want that BIG RED BOW seen!
For maximum visibility you can braid as you described, but be certain to make a visible bow with the ribbon that can be seen by riders approaching from behind.
Like this:
http://www.probarnmanagement.com/uploads/7/0/9/5/70951093/4988797_orig.jpg
we had a mare get rear-ended in Class Regional show by some nitwit, mare kicked the offer and of course was disqualified and removed from the class.
The aftereffect was she never was fully at ease when a horse approached her from the rear. We just had to learn how to deal with this much like owning a reactive dog we had to protect her by maintaining an ever vigilant lookout for possible threats to her.
(edited to add the following year this mare was Junior Western mare champ and the Junior Western Pleasure Champion at this Regional Championship show… beat them all which was a feat since there were a few hundred western horses at this regional)
and if outside of breed show we always braided a red ribbon into her tail (but many people have no clue why its there)
But handling her as a reactive dog worked best, we never had another problem (and I did not consider her kicking that other mare a problem for her as she was just defending herself)
Thanks for being concerned about how to do it correctly, and making sure everyone stays safe. Several years ago, our barn had a fun show, and we realized that Pony needed a red ribbon in his tail, but didn’t have one. We quickly dug out a box of Christmas decorations, and in very short order, Pony was sporting a big red bow in his tail.
I have tied a red ribbon onto a hair elastic to make it reusable. I make a short braid in the tail at the highest point possible and then use the hair elastic with the red ribbon.
And have still had to tell people to be ware. He was rear ended out fox hunting. I have worked with him to be sure I can control his hips (being sure to keep them slightly away from other horses in tight quarters) and to have him step his hind end over so that we are perpendicular to the other horses at a check (head always facing the trail).
I usually use red insulating / electricians’ tape or red duct tape and put it right around the middle of the dock, sticking to the hairs, but not pulling it tight at all. Stays on for a full day of hunting, and peels off easily afterwards. If you make it wide it is very easy to see.
I bought a barrette, wound ribbon around it, clamped it to her tail hair at the top of her tail, and tied a bow. It was very visible and another instructor used the opportunity to teach her young students what a red ribbon means.
:encouragement: OP!
Great solution to the problem & glad you provided an Educational Opportunity 
I don’t remember ever having a horse that kicked so it needed a red ribbon, but remember teaching camp kids about it and how to put one in.
We took a small bundle of longer hairs as high on the tail as you could find those, most times about 8" or 10" down from the top, braided those with that doubled red ribbon into those hairs as we made a simple braid, then doubled the braid back up and tied it at the top with the ribbon ends and made a big bow right there.
I
Ike the barrette idea, too
