Alternate scenario: you have a horse that naturally has a sad, scraggly little tail. He rubs a good portion of the top of it off one day (always make sure you rinse the sweat from between the hind legs, kiddos, or this could also be your life). You cut the sides of the top of the tail to do damage control and realize that it makes him look like somewhat less of a hobo. So my horse has now had a “pulled” tail for the last 4 or 5 years. I can’t speak to the whole thickness aspect of this debate because I’m fairly sure I have more hair on my head than my horse has naturally in his tail. I’ve given up trying to make it look nice when it’s longer than mid-cannon bone.
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They do. Certainly not all eventers, but at Plantation this year (where Buck won in hock-deep mud) there were a few. Waylon for sure, although for the life of me I can’t find a picture. Not exactly photographer-friendly weather…
I have been thinking about skipping the braiding at lower levels as well. I don’t do anything to ears or whiskers. My tail is banged but not pulled. So I could go full H/J look (with my ear bonnet) and see how many TDs try to ruin my warm up complaining… (The last time it was my dark saddle pad.)
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Braiding a mane is very functional. It prevents your hands from being tangled in reins and mane too. If you hunt, the benefits of braiding are very evident.
I bang the tails of the ones I have at the moment as they are quite thick. I did at one time take clippers to the top of the tail at the dock to achieve the pulled look and didn’t like how the hair grew back in. I would like to see how one does it with scissors. I have been pulling on Hamish’s tail for a year and can’t get close to getting it thinned. I am just too chicken to clip it, I’m afraid of how it will grow back. It’s thick and full and spready too and needs it! Someone talk me into it.
The other with the thinner tail, I do all I can to encourage it to grow. The fly sheet tail cords tear it up all summer and the winter blanket tail drop wears on it all winter. I don’t really want to pull his at all, it’s so wispy now. I should, I guess. Picture - Hamish on the right. [ATTACH=JSON]{“data-align”:“none”,“data-size”:“medium”,“data-attachmentid”:10308803}[/ATTACH]
After reading this thread I was going to go bang my horses tail so it didn’t get as muddy…it’s muddy from dock to tip. In fairness, she’s muddy from nose to tail…so…yeah…
This tail is beautiful exactly as it is!
