Tackling Tails: Protection for Bugs and Breakage
Having a well maintained, long, and healthy tail is one of those equestrian goals that seems to be universal across all disciplines. There are endless sprays, detanglers, conditioners, and assorted products to help with keeping our horse’s tail in tip top condition. However, there’s one major antagonist who I’m pretty sure despises seeing a nice tail on a horse: flies (and their other bug friends that come during fly season).
I've learned the hard way that my horse swishing her tail repeatedly causes breakage, which in turn leads to a thinner tail. Also, it potentially leads to a devastating evening brushing half your horse’s tail out on a particularly hot summer night (don't ask me how I know). I don't think I'm unique for this, but I love having a thick, luxurious tail on my horse! However, keeping a tail thick and luxurious can be incredibly difficult and frustrating. That all said, over the years of horses in my life, I've learned one very effective way to keep my horse's tails safe during the summer. Braiding and bandaging!
Originally, I learned this while I was boarding one of my horses at a barn that was primarily a Morgan show horse barn, and if you've seen a Morgan you know those horses' tails are no small task to care for! And now, I use their same care routine every summer on my little Quarter Horse mare, Truffles. Here are the steps I use to get Truffles’ tail bug-ready:
Gather The Materials
First things first, I make sure I have all the right materials handy. Braiding and bandaging overall is pretty cost-effective for me to keep Truffles' tail safe, but it does require a few things. To start, I gather a comb or tail brush, a roll of flexible bandage wrap, a roll of electrical tape, my favorite detangler spray, scissors, and two to three pieces of baling twine. I like to make sure I have everything handy, and within arms-reach, or else it can get a little tricky further into the process!
Then, I take the baling twine, and make sure the ends are as even as possible. In the middle of these pieces, I make a little loop that is large enough to fit a braided tail through, but not overly large so that something could get stuck in it. Usually around a 2” diameter is great! At the bottom of this loop, I make several knots to keep it secure and let the rest of the baling twine hang down. I then cut the remaining strings to around 5”, enough that Truffles will have a useful swisher but not so much that she could accidentally step on it. Then, with the shorter strings that are attached to the loop, I gently pull them apart so that they’re fluffed up and ready to swish flies.
Prep The Tail
Next, I spray down Truffles’ tail with detangler and brush it completely free of knots. My favorite spray for this is the Sunflower Suncoat™ Spray. Truffles is bay, and sun bleaching is the bane of my existence in the summer, but this spray actually helps protect the horse’s hair from sun damage! It’s a great choice for dark coats and smells amazing, I use it on her tail to detangle but also all over her body fairly regularly throughout the sunny months. I also like to use the Epona Queen's Brush for her tail. It’s designed to be flexible which really helps avoid tearing out hair. To help keep long tails thick and beautiful, I always try to brush gently, starting at the bottom and working my way up in sections to minimize any unnecessary pulling or tugging on snarls and knots.
Once Truffles’ tail is free of tangles and snarls, I braid it and secure the braid with a small wrap of electrical tape around the end. I'm always very cautious with my tail braids and I start several inches below the tail dock, leaving some loose hair at the top of the tail. The shorter hairs at the top of the tail will break if brought tightly into the braid and cause the opposite of the protection I’m looking for. Also, leaving some of these shorter hairs loose gives Truffles more to swish at flies with. Braiding too close to the tail dock can also cause damage. Leaving 4”+ between the dock and the braid is the sweet spot that I’ve found for Truffles’ tail.
Add The Tools
Next, I slide the baling twine swisher that I made onto the tail braid. This is going to take the place of the tail hairs that I just braided and needs to be secured inside the tail bandage itself. Then, I part the hair to make a small hole above the braid but below the dock, and thread the braid through this hole. I make a bundle with the braid then around 5” long, with it wrapping back through the baling twine loop again and ending on the backside of the tail. Like a little braid sandwich!
Once this braid sandwich is in the ideal size and shape, I secure it with a few wraps of electrical tape around the middle. Just three or so passes does the trick for Truffles’ tail! Next, I apply a layer of flexible bandage overtop of the whole bundle. My personal favorite is the tried-and-true 3M Vetwrap. It’s very durable and comes in fun colors so I can change up Truffles’ tail color throughout the summer! Currently, she is sporting a very nice shade of purple.
I wrap the bandage around the tail bundle so that it covers the whole thing, including the top of the baling twine swisher. It is important to not go too high however, because interfering with the hole we threaded the tail through can lead to it not being as effective of a swisher. Once I’m at a comfortable amount of coverage, I use scissors to make a clean line and secure the wrap down around the tail with some firm squeezes.
Finally, to top it all off I give one last touch of additional electrical tape. This final band helps to firmly secure the vet wrap and keep the tail protected. Sometimes, this extra layer of tape comes undone, and that's okay! It’s much easier to reapply the little bit of tape versus having to reapply the whole thing.
Once that final band of electrical tape is on, Truffles’ tail is good to go! The swisher should land around mid-cannon bone when finished. That way it is high enough off the ground that Truffles doesn’t step on it, but not too short that it isn’t able to swish those flies.
Final Tips
Generally, I like to replace the tail bundle each week. It's part of our weekend grooming routine and it's a nice way to spend some easy time together while she eats from a hay net or takes a break from turnout in the shaded barn. Additionally, I like to give her tail downtime. Usually this means I’ll take the braid out before a weekend ride and then put it back up as one of the last things I do with her before I leave the barn. You’re welcome to try this out and find the timeline that works best for you and your horse! If you do, or if you have other tips that you live by, let me know. Just like my time at the Morgan show barn so many years ago, I love absorbing new tips and tricks from all over the horse world.
