How do you brush your horse's tail?

laura jeanne

laura jeanne

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Jan 7, 2004
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At my previous lessons, I was Definitely told to grab the whole tail and brush all the ends first and then brush section by section.

So when I switched barns, I started doing it that way and my new RSI (and the horse's owner) immediately stopped me and had me just take a few hairs at a time. Of course this way, you can separate the hairs at the top but they are stuck together (eeeww) at the bottom and then get pulled out when you try to brush down.
 
I start at the bottom and work my way up. If its really tangly I use some detangler. I never knew it matterd so much how you brushed a horses tail-which ever way you do it, it all ends up with the same results=a brushed out tail.
 
I start at the bottom and work my way up 2, what i can't get to i separate and do individually generally using a condition spray. I didn't think it mattered either?
 
i show my horses so unless im going to a show thier tails dont get brushed as it keeps them thicker and looking better.
just before a show i wash the tail, apply loads of conditioner and then rinse it out and wait for it to dry. i then spray liberaly with mane and tail conditioner grab the top, and working from the top down detangle it a couple of strands at a time! it you work slowly and carefully with lots of detangler you dont get any breakage at all.
 
Bud has a thin tail, so I mess with it as little as possible to avoid any unnecessary breakage. When I want to neaten it, I pull it apart a few strands at a time with my fingers, working each small section from the bottom up.

If I want to give it a real brushing, I will only do it after it's been washed, conditioned, and the hairs have been separated/detangled with my fingers (as described above). Working with a fully detangled tail, I'll brush it starting from the bottom and work my way up.
 
I was just going to suggest that. I use a human hair brush too as the ends of the bristles have wee lumps so's not to damage the hair. They work really well with mane and tail conditioner. I wouldn't overdo the brushing either as it will thin out the tail.
 
like kanuma, i don't unless i am going to a show, and then i do it when the tail has been washed and has human conditioner in it - i comb it threough in sections with the conditioner in it, starting from the bottom of each section, and then tie the combed section in a knot to keep it out of the way - when it's all done i rinse the conditioner out. other than that i don't touch it at all unless it's really manky to the point of attracting flies, and then i will wash and condition it to brush.
 
I never use a plastic curry comb on the tail as it breaks the hairs and you end up with a scraggy looking tail.
I wash my horses tail about every month right throughout the year (if you get a bucket of soapy water and hold it up underneath the dock and then get a helper to dunk the tail in it avoids getting the rest of the horse wet!)
I comb the tail out daily whilst grooming and if it gets a bit tangly I use mane and tail conditoner spray (its brill) also if you use a human comb with a handle it makes it easier, I go for the section at a time approach and find if you do it every day it doesn't take long and you end up with a lovely looking tail all the time :)
 
oh yes, i also use a plastic wide toothed mane comb as they do less damage then the metal ones, its huge not like your normal mane combs.
 
Storm's tail is well thick, so I comb it quite often - I start at the bottom and get out the tangles gradually - (don't want to hurt her by yanking through with a comb :eek: ). OH's gelding has quite a thin tail so we comb it very gently and use detangler.
 
mine get a quick brush over with some conditioner and a body brush, but once a week i comb through with a wide toothed plastic comb. my horses are the only 2 i know with Paul Mitchell designer combs!!! my hairdresser always tells me to brush my own (very long!) hair out with a wide toothed comb to reduce damage, so i guess the same applies to my horses manes and tails. start at the end of the tail and work up, makes it easier to get through any knots and tangles.
 
I use a human hair brush or a good quality dog brush, the sort with plastic prongs with rubber bobbles on the end, so that it doesn't scratch the skin or break the hairs.


I take hold of the whole tail close to the bottom and brush out the tangles, I then move up a little further and brush out a few more. Then I change to a few hairs at a time, All the tail in one hand, Seperate a couple of dozen hairs and brush the tangles out. I keep doing this until the whole tail is tangle free.

I may use conditioner spray if the tail is dry and tangled. I only brush the tail out for very special occaisions as I like my horse to keep her thick tail. This tail took nearly an hour to brush out.
AbeautifulTail.jpg
 
I brush Hon's tail a couple of times a week. I lift the whole thing off then separate off sections with my hands and brush them from the bottom up using a human hair brush and liberal amounts of mane and tail spray (she has a very thick tail). When I've done it all like this I then brush the top (sometimes comb it if she's had a rub and it's all full of broken bits) and that's it.

If I leave it more than a week it takes about 45 minutes at least to brush out, but doing it a couple of times a week it only takes about 10-15!
 
Tiber said:
I brush Hon's tail a couple of times a week. I lift the whole thing off then separate off sections with my hands and brush them from the bottom up using a human hair brush and liberal amounts of mane and tail spray (she has a very thick tail). When I've done it all like this I then brush the top (sometimes comb it if she's had a rub and it's all full of broken bits) and that's it.
QUOTE]

It's interesting that you nearly all start from the bottom and work up ... I start from the top and work down, in sections, with a body brush.

Linda
Click to expand...
 
my mother drummed it into me as a child to always start at the bottom when brushing hair! that way you get the tangles out at the bottom and don't just push them down to the bottom where they all snarl up together.
 
laura jeanne said:
At my previous lessons, I was Definitely told to grab the whole tail and brush all the ends first and then brush section by section.

So when I switched barns, I started doing it that way and my new RSI (and the horse's owner) immediately stopped me and had me just take a few hairs at a time. Of course this way, you can separate the hairs at the top but they are stuck together (eeeww) at the bottom and then get pulled out when you try to brush down.
Click to expand...

As a long haired lady I would go for the first method both for me and my horse. The other method bl**dy hurts!
 
I start at the ends as well.
I will never use silicone based detangler again. It totally fried the hair and bleached out the black. After a year of no silicone the tails and manes are nice and black. I use Show Ring Shine by TackMeUpToo.
If the tail is really abd I wash it with Pantene first.
I don't brush very frequently at all because we need to keep some of them hairs and it's looking really nice. :)
 
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