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Discussion on Help for maintaining LONG mane and tail
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Member:
srobert
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Posted on Friday, Sep 21, 2007 - 12:27 am:
Hello: Gunner, my new walker (I have had him since spring), has an extremely LONG and thick mane and tail. His mane is constantly getting tangled and he keeps stepping on his tail. Any suggestions for keeping it tidy and maintaining the length? I would love to tie up his tail for the winter, but really don't know the procedure. WOuld it help to just braid everything?
Of course, both are white - or at least supposed to be white. He is also a big ole DIRT magnet....
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Member:
mientjie
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Posted on Friday, Sep 21, 2007 - 4:38 am:
Hi Shari
I know how difficult it is to keep a long mane in good condition. My previous horse had a very long mane and it always got tangled.
Try plaiting it. Make thin, long braids and take it out every 1 to 2 weeks and wash it before plaiting it again. This protects the hair and keeps it tidy. With the tail: maybe you should trim it a bitter shorter ( about level with his ergots?).
Here is a photo of how the plaits looked on my previous horse (sorry it's not a great photo):
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Member:
canter
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Posted on Friday, Sep 21, 2007 - 7:31 am:
Couple years back, when we had a very muddy winter, someone showed me how to tie a "mud knot" in the tail. Unfortunately, I have since forgotten how, but I bet someone else here on HA knows how to do it...
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Member:
ajudson1
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Posted on Friday, Sep 21, 2007 - 7:41 am:
I saw a way to really simply braid the tail and flip the end in the braid somehow; if I can find the article, I'll see if I can get it on here. I never do stuff like that, and it was easy for me to do.
I wonder if that is a "mud knot" what I am thinking? I could use something like that on Tango, it takes me at least 30 minutes to get his tail nicely combed out. Lovely Friesian thick n' wavey tails!
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Member:
ellab
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Posted on Friday, Sep 21, 2007 - 7:44 am:
Divide the tail into 5 or 6 pieces. Take each piece and make a loose knot (do not pull it tight, you want it to be large to lift the tail off the ground and you don't want it to become so tight that it will be difficult to get out). After you have a loose knot take vet wrap and wrap the area of the knot and about 2 inches above and below the it. This can lift a tail as much as 8 or 10 inches and still be free to swat flies and the like. I much prefer this to a tail bag which does not allow the horse the use of its tail.
This is not a mud knot but I prefer this to any other option I have tried.
EllaB 
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Member:
dres
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Posted on Friday, Sep 21, 2007 - 9:39 am:
Ellab , do you have a picture of the vet wrap tie?
On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with spots..
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Member:
srobert
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Posted on Friday, Sep 21, 2007 - 12:09 pm:
I'd love to see how that works as well. I would love to be able to keep his tail a bit longer for saddle seat classes, etc. I do keep chopping it off since he continues to step on it everytime he rolls or backs up!
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Member:
ellab
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Posted on Friday, Sep 21, 2007 - 12:38 pm:
I don't have anything on the computer but will try to get something taken and downloaded.
EllaB
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Member:
ekaufman
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Posted on Friday, Sep 21, 2007 - 2:09 pm:
Red Rum made an awesome leave-in tail whitener/detangler to help with the dirt and tangles. It was better than show sheen and the whitening worked. I can't find it around here anymore, but if you stumble across some, try it.
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Member:
hwood
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Posted on Friday, Sep 21, 2007 - 2:23 pm:
I read your post this a.m. before going out to do barn chores and hose and rewrap Dixie's leg, and I have been trying to get photos of the changes in the injury, so took a pic of the tail knot I do for wrapping hind legs. I braid one, long braid, leaving a long, thin section of hair free . . . then tie the braid into a knot around the dock, braid in the long, thin strand into the end of the braid and wrap once around with vet wrap . . . leaving the end of the braid pointing upward to the sky, then fold the end of the braid down over the layer of vet wrap and wrap around the dock of the tail one more time. I don't know if it is the same as what Ella describes, but it is a quick variation of the wrap used for polo horses.
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Member:
canter
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Posted on Friday, Sep 21, 2007 - 3:05 pm:
Holly, quick question on this: I think I read somewhere that you should never tie anything around the dock as it could restrict blood flow and if left too long could result in the need for amputation if the tissues die due to lack of blood. Don't know if this is an old wives tale or not, but it does make some sort of sense to me. Not sure if tying the braid around the dock could possibly cause such a problem. Can anyone set me straight on this?
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Member:
hwood
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Posted on Friday, Sep 21, 2007 - 3:34 pm:
Well, we do band lambs' tails and other private parts to get them to atrophy and fall off, but I don't think that one can tie the thick braid of hair around the dock of the horse's tail tight enough to constrict blood flow. I suppose, if the vet wrap was narrow and tied very tightly, that it could cause some problems over a long period, but I think there are ways to do it for long periods that don't require the knot to be tight enough to cause harm. If someone is needing the knot for an entire season, I would leave the knot just below the dock, but it would be a vicious weapon as the knot dangled just below the tail dock so be careful when cleaning hind feet.
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Member:
leilani
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Posted on Friday, Sep 21, 2007 - 3:46 pm:
Hi All,
Anuhea has a really nice full tail and mane and to keep it that way I do pretty much nothing. I keep it cut short enough so she doesn't step on it. I use Cowboy Magic when its tangled (both me and the horses)and separate it with my fingers. If I use a brush, its a natural bristle. Leilani
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Member:
srobert
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Posted on Saturday, Sep 22, 2007 - 8:31 am:
Leilani, I wish I was that lucky. Gunner seems to go out of his way to get dirty and get everything tangled and messy. The day I wash him he looks like a million bucks, other days he looks like something the cat dragged in. Kinda like my brother used to look in about 7th grade. Maybe he'll outgrow it just like Jay did In the meantime, I'm trying all these ideas!
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Member:
srobert
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Posted on Sunday, Sep 23, 2007 - 11:28 am:
Ellab: Hey! I tried the multiple knots with the vet wrap and it works great. It brings his tail up 8-10 inches off the ground and he still has lots to "swish" with. Plus using a snazzy color of vet wrap livens up his over look. We can change colors with the seasons (Right now it is done up in yellow and orange to match the leaves) It also seems to keep the stray hairs from getting filthy when he.....ummmm.. has to eliminate. Wish I could teach him to give himself a bath ala my cats. They are always SPOTLESS!
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Member:
ellab
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Posted on Monday, Sep 24, 2007 - 8:53 am:
I am sorry I did not get pictures on the site of the tail. I am glad you tried it and it worked. I will still try this week for others to see. I am nearly computer illiterate and we have a new printer (which is what accepts the disc from the camera with our system). I am not particularly confident so I have been avoiding trying
EllaB
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Member:
srobert
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Posted on Monday, Sep 24, 2007 - 9:33 am:
Perhaps I can get a picture of what I did and you can tell me if its right. It was actually not hard to visualize and was very easy to accomplish. I am grateful for the suggestion!
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Member:
brock
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Posted on Monday, Sep 24, 2007 - 1:38 pm:
If only I had that problem!!! Any suggestions for getting a tail to GROW??
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Member:
cgby1
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Posted on Monday, Sep 24, 2007 - 9:19 pm:
Pam, my arab gelding has the same problem but my mares have nice thick tails. However my mare Shimmeree doesn't grow much of a forelock. I would like to see pics of what you did, Shari. My mares are mother and her two yr. old daughter and both are bays. Their tails get brown near the top and I have considered getting a tail bag that has a top like the tail protector used for trailering. It's just that I am not sure about keeping it on Shimmeree all the time. And I have started doing schooling shows in dressage and I need to learn what to do with her mane and tail.
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Member:
ellab
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Posted on Tuesday, Sep 25, 2007 - 8:03 am:
Shari,
If it worked and did what you wanted it to - It's right
EllaB
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