Tail cleaning advice please

[OrangeAndLemon]

I have never had a horse with such a nightmare of a tail and I need some ideas.

He has FFWS so I wash his tail regularly. It gets a good rinse then I massage in Johnson's baby shampoo, starting at the top then working down. I rince then repeat and rinse again.

Then I spray in a generous amount of Canter Mane and Tail spray making sure I get it on as much hair as possible before trying to get a brush through. Any matted bits which are beyond help are cut out.

The problem is, even with the Mane and Tail spray, I can't get the mane & tail brush through his tail because it is just completely tangled. I'm careful not to create tangles while shampooing.

Please take pity and share your tail cleaning hacks because I'm losing hope I will ever just be able to brush his tail.

 

[Snow Falcon]

I spray mine regularly with a human hair conditioner, baby oil and water mix. That way it doesn't get chance to tangle much.

Have you tried soaking it in warm water and conditioner first?

 

[suestowford]

I had a pony with a big tail, it was down to the ground and very thick, and that would go into tangled 'ropes'. One winter he wallowed in a bog and the whole thing was a tangled mass of mud & hair.
The only time I could ever get a brush through it was after I'd detangled it and I did that with my hands, one rope of hair at a time. I would work in pig oil first, then I had a sporting chance of getting the knots out. It could take hours...once I was doing it and heard a weird noise. He'd fallen asleep with his nose resting on a fence rail, and as he snored his bottom lip was vibrating against the rail
I reckon I tried nearly every detangler on the market. Some were better than others. I even tried my own hair conditioner in an attempt to make my life easier, but always came back to pig oil just because it seemed to work better. It's usually cheaper than the better detanglers also.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Cowboy magic serum you just work it through the tail with you fingers wear gloves.

I used to use tail bags on my Arab's tails so they are plaited then bag attached, I once left Louis tail a bit to long and it was a complete matted mess, it took me a while with the serum but if you are patient and work it through the tail then gently get rid of the knots with your fingers it does work.

 

[MereChristmas]

I haven’t used any of these products but the lady is reasonably local to me.
Worth investigating as not a mainstream product?

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[HopOnTrot]

I was told Pledge on the ends will give you a tail good enough for QEII

 

[vannersrus]

Wash with a good quality shampoo and warm water , rinse and apply conditioner. Leave for ten minutes rinse again .
Liberally apply baby oil then start to brush sections
Good luck

 

[SEL]

I have literally just cleaned a thick native tail with lumps of out of it for a show

Cowboy magic serum is a revelation!

Rub in when still damp and again as needed as you are combing.

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

Thanks everyone.

Sounds stupid now but, no, I hadn't tried warm water instead of cold because we don't have it available. I'll put some kettles on and make up some warm water.

Meredith, thank you for the link that does sound like something worth trying...and it's good to support local businesses (if it doesnt work I can invite her round to help with the tail and do some market research )

I'll have another battle with the tail this afternoon, but with renewed hope (and baby oil and pig oil)

 

[GypsGal1718]

Pig oil works well

 

[Britestar]

On a slightly different angle.

Does anyone have tips for getting a white tail white again.

Cob mare with a heavy tail so she tends to pee through it. Urine has stained tail. How do I get it white again?

Tried all types of shampoo, bicarb and white vinegar. Head and shoulders, purple shampoo. Cattle shampoo, fairy liquid.

Haven't tried ketchup. Does that really work? Any other suggestions?

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

On a slightly different angle.

Does anyone have tips for getting a white tail white again.

Cob mare with a heavy tail so she tends to pee through it. Urine has stained tail. How do I get it white again?

Tried all types of shampoo, bicarb and white vinegar. Head and shoulders, purple shampoo. Cattle shampoo, fairy liquid.

Haven't tried ketchup. Does that really work? Any other suggestions?

Have you tried Matthew Burks on Facebook. He sells stuff for getting feathers whiter than white. I've seen a few guides to white feather and it's a fairy liquid wash then either a blue shampoo wash or one of Matthew's shampoos, before the chalk.

I'm fear white tails need regular cleaning but I wonder if the pig oil approach might work for you too...stop dirt sticking in the first place?

 

[P.forpony]

My go to, is one of the cheapest out there and still the best!
Gold label mane tail and coat lotion, just remember to shake it before use.
If you apply regularly it stops the tangles forming in the first place. It also means that mud, dirt and poo doesn't stick, or at worst it just falls off when you touch it.

I've used pig oil in the past but I had a horse have a really nasty allergic reaction, so I looked for alternatives and the gold label seems to work better too so it's a win win. It goes on the tb to save me time grooming before a ride, and is an absolute godsend on the mini shetland who would give cousin it a run for his money and is the true test of all hair products!

Tail bags are fabulous if you get a good one.
I've also had success with sectioning the tail below the dock into 4-6 chunks depending on how thick it is then loosely plaiting each section to about 2/3 of the way down. It means the plaited bits can't get knotted but they've still got loose hair at the ends to keep the flies off and not wallop themselves when they swish.

Oh and a human paddle brush!
After washing and conditioning with human hair conditioner, spin dry then apply detangler liberally, use a paddle brush to brush from the bottom up, moving up the tail about an inch at a time only when all below is tangle free

 

[blitznbobs]

Technique is one hair at a time … I have done a lot of traditionals over the years so I under stand the pain
.

My technique use any of the products mentioned they are all much of a muchness

Brush (with a hair brush) the bottom 6 inches of the hair.

Then with a plastic comb. Take hold of the whole tail and from just below the dock comb about 5 hairs out of the tail. Take the comb as low as you can without ripping but if it gets tangly leave it and move on to the next 5 or 6 hairs… continue til you get bored and then do the bottom 6 inches ( or you may be able to do a bit more) again.

Repeat the process. If the tail has been done thoroughly in the last couple of weeks this should take about 30 mins for the whole process but can take longer on a ‘bad’ tail.

I never cut a hair out.

Then with your comb work down either side of the dock and then the last bit on the top.

Now if you are showing wash the tail again and spray liberally with any of the leave in conditioner products and comb thru once more.

It takes ages but you lose minimal tail hairs and looks fabulous when done.

And then you move on to the mane and feathers

 

[blitznbobs]

Technique is one hair at a time … I have done a lot of traditionals over the years so I under stand the pain
.

My technique use any of the products mentioned they are all much of a muchness

Brush (with a hair brush) the bottom 6 inches of the hair.

Then with a plastic comb. Take hold of the whole tail and from just below the dock comb about 5 hairs out of the tail. Take the comb as low as you can without ripping but if it gets tangly leave it and move on to the next 5 or 6 hairs… continue til you get bored and then do the bottom 6 inches ( or you may be able to do a bit more) again.

Repeat the process. If the tail has been done thoroughly in the last couple of weeks this should take about 30 mins for the whole process but can take longer on a ‘bad’ tail.

I never cut a hair out.

Then with your comb work down either side of the dock and then the last bit on the top.

Now if you are showing wash the tail again and spray liberally with any of the leave in conditioner products and comb thru once more.

It takes ages but you lose minimal tail hairs and looks fabulous when done.

And then you move on to the mane and feathers

Oh and if you don’t want to keep doing this you plait the whole of the tail into several large plaits but I worry about flies so don’t do this unless have back to back shows

 

[LEC]

On a slightly different angle.

Does anyone have tips for getting a white tail white again.

Cob mare with a heavy tail so she tends to pee through it. Urine has stained tail. How do I get it white again?

Tried all types of shampoo, bicarb and white vinegar. Head and shoulders, purple shampoo. Cattle shampoo, fairy liquid.

Haven't tried ketchup. Does that really work? Any other suggestions?

Soak tail with water - a generous dose of Purple shampoo really rubbed in every inch to clean then rinse with water.
Then I add soda crystals to a bucket of water and soak up to the dock for 3-5 minutes making sure it’s really worked in. Rinse.
Purple shampoo again and then rinse and mane and tail conditioner.

 

[Blurr]

I really feel for you in this situation. One of mine had EFWS and the tail washing was a nightmare. What I've found is that some tails are easier to brush when dry. After washing I used leave in conditioner then loads of cheap detangler and left to dry before brushing. When they're wet the brush seems to get stuck more. Break up any chunks that are in the tail with your fingers during the washing process. When brushing, do a section at a time, starting at the very end of the tail and working your way up so you're not dragging knots down and trying to do the whole thing at once.

As much as it's a horrible job, and it really is with EFWS, do it often to prevent build up and that will make it a bit easier. I'm sure you are already, but don't forget to wash down his legs too to prevent burns.

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

Oh and if you don’t want to keep doing this you plait the whole of the tail into several large plaits but I worry about flies so don’t do this unless have back to back shows

Thank you, yes, I am concerned about flies (more than he is) so I don't want to use a bag but a number of plaits, loose at the end sounds like a good compromise.

 

[ycbm]

I found the only way to deal with tails that form ropes is to do it every day. It does get to be less faff if you can stop the ropes forming in the first place.
.

 

[scats]

Cowboy magic serum is insanely good.

But everything you touch will slip out of your hands afterwards

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

I found the only way to deal with tails that form ropes is to do it every day. It does get to be less faff if you can stop the ropes forming in the first place.
.

Luckily it's not ropes, and from a distance, it looks fine but it's simply impossible to get a brush through.

His mane is very curly so I wonder if his tail is similarly curly leading to a natural ability to knot. His breeder said his mum's tail was similarly difficult. My challenge is the FWS and the need to clean and brush it. Somedays it feels impossible to keep on top of it.

 

[catembi]

White tails...shampoo, rinse, soak for 10 mins or until you get bored in 1/3 bucket water with 8 denture tablets dissolved in it. Shampoo, rinse, condition, rinse, job done. Until they roll...

 

[cauda equina]

For the FWS have you tried psyllium? It was the only thing that worked for mine

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

For the FWS have you tried psyllium? It was the only thing that worked for mine

Thank you, for suggesting it. I first tried the Psyllium in Gut Sponge with no obvious improvement after a few weeks so I just moved straight to Psyllium husk but still nothing. I've tried the Aviform too but that didn't seem to make any difference either.

He seems to still have colitis so I fear that the FWS may not improve until the colitis is fully resolved.

 

[meleeka]

I use a human paddle brush on tails. I shampoo and rinse, then apply human conditioner and brush through before rinsing. I have one with FWS and I keep her tail plaited all the time so that minimises it splatting everywhere.

 

[SantaVera]

I find equi oils great for my cobs ropey tangley tail. It's a mix of pig oil coconut oil and lavender essential oil. Smells good too. I was first in warm water then apply loads of any cheap conditioner, around half a bottle. Leave in for ten minutes then rinse in warm water. Swirl tail round to get the wet out then apply the oil before it dries and comb and tease through with my fingers. Apply more oil when tail is dry and brush through with a human pin type hair brush then with a body brush, I use a haas parcour brush.

 

[MereChristmas]

On a slightly different angle.

Does anyone have tips for getting a white tail white again.

Cob mare with a heavy tail so she tends to pee through it. Urine has stained tail. How do I get it white again?

Tried all types of shampoo, bicarb and white vinegar. Head and shoulders, purple shampoo. Cattle shampoo, fairy liquid.

Haven't tried ketchup. Does that really work? Any other suggestions?

I wouldn’t try ketchup. I ended up with a white tail with red blobs in it!

 

[SEL]

Cowboy magic serum is insanely good.

But everything you touch will slip out of your hands afterwards

I can vouch for this!!

Beautifully moisturised hands though...

 

[Wizpop]

Oil2horse is brilliant for detangling big,thick tails.

 

[3 bays and a grey]

I have never had a horse with such a nightmare of a tail and I need some ideas.

He has FFWS so I wash his tail regularly. It gets a good rinse then I massage in Johnson's baby shampoo, starting at the top then working down. I rince then repeat and rinse again.

Then I spray in a generous amount of Canter Mane and Tail spray making sure I get it on as much hair as possible before trying to get a brush through. Any matted bits which are beyond help are cut out.

The problem is, even with the Mane and Tail spray, I can't get the mane & tail brush through his tail because it is just completely tangled. I'm careful not to create tangles while shampooing.

Please take pity and share your tail cleaning hacks because I'm losing hope I will ever just be able to brush his tail.

I let the tail dry first,
then spray with NAF silky mane & tail spray & brush through.