Clipping or pulling tails?

I also hate the "clipped" look - it is very popular here in the show ring and came from Australia. However, the thought of standing behind a horse pulling hair out of it's tail leaves me feeling a little vulnerable, so I use clippers to achieve a pulled look as opposed to a "clipped" look. Takes care and practice and it is one of those jobs where you stop and stand back long before you think you are finished and needs touching up every six weeks or so.
 
Ditchjumper2 said:
Those who say they would not pull their own hair out, presumably don't pluck their eyebrows or wax any part of their anatomy!!
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Of course I do! & it bloody hurts!!
It is my choice to wax/pluck no one is forcing it on me & twitching me when I express my discomfort.
There is not an inch of similarity between a human plucking their own body for vanity & forcing an animal to be plucked for vanity.
 
I prefer pulled but wouldn't twitch a horse to do it.

I've had a fair few that showed no sign of discomfort when having mane or tail pulled. Happily much away at a haynet with no tension but I never do too much in one go
 
Sorry to jump on thread - my new horsey came to me turned out to perfection including a lovely pulled tail! But it's started growing into a bog brush so I brought the solo rake but it's done ****** all!!
What Rakes do you use? She's got frizzy thick hair, although it would only be maintenance, not starting from the beginning.
 
Bav said:
Sorry to jump on thread - my new horsey came to me turned out to perfection including a lovely pulled tail! But it's started growing into a bog brush so I brought the solo rake but it's done ****** all!!
What Rakes do you use? She's got frizzy thick hair, although it would only be maintenance, not starting from the beginning.
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I have a smart tails rake, it must be 15 years old and still as good as it was when new, the medium will leave the tail tidy but you may need to just pull out a few odd hairs to get a really good finish.

http://www.clippersharp.com/prod/smart-tails-prof-8-teeth-coarse
 
glamourpuss said:
Of course I do! & it bloody hurts!!
It is my choice to wax/pluck no one is forcing it on me & twitching me when I express my discomfort.
There is not an inch of similarity between a human plucking their own body for vanity & forcing an animal to be plucked for vanity.
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Agreed. I cannot stand to see owners/grooms wrestling with an unhappy horse just to remove some hair. Humans choose to groom ourselves (In the means of plucking and waxing) - horses do not have this choice.

I personally do not like the pulled look. I trim the bottom of my cobs tail with scissors and hog her with clippers (Trim her beard with either). I would never subject her to being pulled as just do not think it's fair on them.
 
On the one occasion I pulled my boy's tail he was an absolute angel, BUT, he has a pink dock and I could see little red spots where the hair had come out. I vowed never again and I think I do a very nice job trimming with the scissors. He has a huge bum so having a shaped tail at the top is more faltering than the vast tracts of hair he would have if I didn't trim it. Plus, I do a bit of showing in the summer and I have never been able to master the tail plait even though I am more than able to plait manes :)
 
LD&S said:
When the day comes that I'm happy to pull my hair out then I will pull my horses.
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All 5 of mine are absolutely fine about having their manes pulled - as in they don't even need to have headcollars on. One in particular will stand dreaming with his bottom lip drooping as it is done & as he has a phenomenally thick native pony mane it is always a big job! I need to be properly shown how to do a tail as it never looks as it ought to when I use a tail rake and I know that one of them at least will enjoy having it pulled as when I have attempted it in the past he obligingly lifts it so that I have better access as he loves having his dock scratched
 
I leave my girl's tail full and plait it for hunting and shows. I love a nice tail plait and it has attracted some very positive comments out hunting.
 
It's not enormously relevant for me right now, because my steed is a Highland - he gets his mane and tail brushed very carefully for shows, and I do a Spanish plait and a polocrosse-style tail plait (normal tail plait but goes all the way to the tips and then the end gets tucked up inside the part along the dock and sewn in place - bit of a swine to do but looks lovely) if we're doing something that requires all the fluffiness to be tidied out of the way (ie. anything athletic in a muddy field, because getting mud out of that tail is horrendous) - but I like a pulled tail on a cob and a plaited tail on a hunter, and either looks good on a hack or riding horse.

Clippers are for hogging manes, removing feather, and clipping coats; they do not belong near tails (certainly not near the tops of them, anyway). Most horses are fine with being pulled if you do it bit-by-bit and always after exercise so their pores are open (if you do it all year round and stay on top of it then you never need to do more than a little bit at once anyway), but if you find one that gets funny about having their tail done, leave it long and plait it up for neat (a well-executed plait always looks tidy).
 
LCH611 said:
All 5 of mine are absolutely fine about having their manes pulled - as in they don't even need to have headcollars on. One in particular will stand dreaming with his bottom lip drooping as it is done & as he has a phenomenally thick native pony mane it is always a big job! I need to be properly shown how to do a tail as it never looks as it ought to when I use a tail rake and I know that one of them at least will enjoy having it pulled as when I have attempted it in the past he obligingly lifts it so that I have better access as he loves having his dock scratched
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I agree, my boy isn't bothered. He loves having a fuss.

Kat said:
I leave my girl's tail full and plait it for hunting and shows. I love a nice tail plait and it has attracted some very positive comments out hunting.
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I love a full tail! Although I'm of the "bling generation" I am very traditional in a lot of ways. I love a plaited tail and think prepping and plaiting tails is a dying art. I tidy up sticky out sides by pulling, I'm lucky that he's got a lovely thick tail.

I have clipped tails! It's taken me over a year to get my boys to grow out, his previous owners has decimated it. Full on bog brush.
 
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