Native pony tail care - tail bag or plait?

[Furry_footed_TB]

Hi - I'm looking for tail care advice for my native pony.

With this amount of mud and wet, do people find plaiting or keeping in a tail bag the best option.

He has a very full tail so at the minute I'm spending a large amount of time dentangling the "deadlock" effect out of it every evening.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Neither, I leave it loose but keep trimming the end so that it doesn't get weighed down with mud. It is not above her fetlocks though. You could try spraying ti with oil so that it doesn't tangle so much.

 

[AmyMay]

Neither. I used to cut it to hock length at the end of Sept.

 

[Furry_footed_TB]

Thanks for your reply.

I was considering trimming - I'd only kept it long as I want to show him and breed standard dictates it should be to the ground. But I'm getting pretty fed up with dentangling and it grows quickly....

 

[Pinkvboots]

I keep mine in bags as I find all the tail hair gets pulled out but they are Arabs so they have finer hair than natives, I try not to brush them either as that just makes them thin as well.

 

[NinjaPony]

My connie's white tail is in a bag all the time except when taken out to wash, or for schooling. Works a charm, his tail has stayed lovely and clean!

 

[The-Bookworm]

Mine is five inches or so below the hock. I make my own conditioner.
As you say you are stabling, you shouldn't have much to brush out in the morning?

 

[meleeka]

I keep it plaited for one of mine. The others I just trim a bit shorter and forget their tales exist until the Spring.

 

[gallopingby]

Thanks for your reply.

I was considering trimming - I'd only kept it long as I want to show him and breed standard dictates it should be to the ground. But I'm getting pretty fed up with dentangling and it grows quickly....

Which breed standard?

 

[windand rain]

Lots of conditioner left on the tail and never brush it. Tease any knots/mud out with you fingers hair by hair once a week or less

 

[Leo Walker]

I cover it in coat shine and then plait it up. Any mud that does get on then slides off. Once a week I undo the plait, brush it out and reapply the coat shine.

 

[tda]

What type of tail bags do anybody use? I have a grey dales mare, she is a dirty Trollope and also poos on her tail .
I tend to wash, oil and plait
She does not wear a rug, I've looked at the type you plait in - do they stay put?

 

[Nudibranch]

Which native breed standard states it should be to the ground?
Just leave it alone and trim it a bit. Why would anyone want to spend their evenings brushing out tails? I show natives and just wash them and brush them out before a show. Life is too short.

 

[catkin]

Lots of conditioner left on the tail and never brush it. Tease any knots/mud out with you fingers hair by hair once a week or less

This - though that's the summer routine........

This time of year 'benign neglect' - I take out any twigs caught up and may trim up any very long locks but basically leave the tail to do its job.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Most natives, with obvious exceptions, are required to have a natural mane and tail, then added on to that - the showing reg of no trimming.

My fells (and Shetlands) have long manes & tails, I'm lucky I'm not on clay but this winter has (and still is!) very testing with mud etc.
I don't braid, I don't brush, but I do shove a hosepipe over the lower legs and the tail the day before going out in the box if v muddy, just a quick jet over and then squirt mane & tail conditioner on the tail. I brush legs off and finger tease out tail the next day.
Only one Shetland grows her tail like a barbie, so each October I scissor roughly across the bottom of it so its at fetlock length, this usually suffices till spring before it grazes the ground again for the summer.

I definitely wouldn't bag mine. When I had grey Fells I did the triple scrub two days before and also the night before going out and put them in overnight, then patch cleaned in the morning as necessary.