What to do with this tail ?

[cauda equina]

If you're raking it you can take your time, just do a bit everyday until it looks right
I've got a cob with the most massive tail ever
He's not hogged as with his head:neck ratio it wouldn't look good, even so he looks a whole lot smarter with less tail

 

[marmalade76]

If you're raking it you can take your time, just do a bit everyday until it looks right
I've got a cob with the most massive tail ever
He's not hogged as with his head:neck ratio it wouldn't look good, even so he looks a whole lot smarter with less tail

I did the same with the one I had, his head shape and markings weren't really right for a hog, he looked much better with his long forelock plus he was rather artful so the the mane was also left on for safety reasons. The tail was just too much so had to be thinned down.

 

[AdorableAlice]

I considered shaving/trimming the underside of the dock once, but then I thought that can't be comfy when it starts to grow out, surely? Likened it to the agony of shaving your own adjacent area and having it start to grow back (?), and couldn't risk inflicting that on the poor pony ?

You don't let it get itchy, just rub the clippers on it again. Keeping a cob smart is an endless task but a cool, clean and not itchy cob is so easy to look after.

 

[Lucky Snowball]

As others have said, I would wash and spray with lots of conditioner however, I would sort it out with my fingers, a few hairs at a time. This will take ages the first time but if done daily (just conditioner, not washing) or several times a week will not take long. Definitely don't clip or pull and maybe grow it a bit longer for a more balanced look.

 

[throwaway2022]

First wheelbarrow of hair

 

[Fransurrey]

I loathe clipped tails, just hate the look of it. I had a hunter with an exceptionally thick tail and I used to use a pair of scissors to take the hair off the side of the dock (where it would tuck inside the bum cheeks at rest) but leave everything on the front. It thinned the tail out enough to be manageable, the long hair on the front camouflaged the cut parts at the sides and it looked pretty smart.
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This is pretty much what I do. My cob has such a thick tail it doesn't all lift out of the way for poos (like your boy!), so I use thinning scissors to remove crappy bits and thus thin it out so it's manageable but still looks full. For conditioning I use Cowboy Magic serum after washing. He lives out, so I have to shorten it slightly to avoid dreadlocks in winter!

 

[Leandy]

If you've clipped and trimmed heels and pulled mane then I would also pull the tail (or use a rake or whatever to sumulate that effect if he won't put up with pulling). You will have to keep on top of it going forward of course but the same goes for all the rest of the trimming you've done. Pulling is going out of fashion but it shouldn't be painful for the horse in the first place if you are doing it correctly so I have never seen the fuss. I'm not sure many people realise that it is not a good plan to try to pull a tail all in one day. Of course that will make them sore. You have to do it over a period of days, even weeks if it is thick and you are starting from scratch. You shouldn't be pulling out chunks at a time, just a few hairs, especially if the horse is not used to it. Best done when they are warm and the pores are open after exercise, they mostly soon get used to it. You also need the pulled areas to start growing again as you go, you aren't aiming for bald but for shorter, thinner, neater areas. Done correctly, just spend a few minutes as day, it shouldn't be a traumatic experience for anyone although some horses are more sensitive than others. Generally for the rest, although it is too thick to be manageable at the moment, I find that just generally keeping it will brushed naturally thins it out so I wouldn't worry about that particularly. It does look a little short at present but I think the main problem is that it is not cut neatly or straight. I'd use clippers to bang it at the bottom rather than scissors if it is really too thick for a good clean look using scissors. You need to cut it at a slight angle upwards towards the horse's hocks when he is standing still, so it sits level when he is carrying it when moving. I don't like the current fashion for longer and longer tails though, they unbalance the look and are an inconvenience (and IMHO a welfare issue when taken to extremes). I cut them so they are a few inches below the point of the hock when moving but I am old school! If you are doing fast work on wet ground regularly I would keep it on the shorter side though especially for the winter, or plait up polo style when working so it doesn't get filthy and soaked.

 

[Leandy]

Oh, and you need to put a tail bandage on a pulled tail regularly to keep it looking neat and not like a bottle brush!

 

[Squeak]

First wheelbarrow of hair

View attachment 105419

Where's the finished photo?! I'm the same as you and would have hogged and trimmed him and would have done something with his tail. I use a thinning rake to 'pull' horses tails and finish up with scissors but I've never had to start with such a thick tail. I don't find it hard work to maintain, five minutes every few weeks.

 

[Tarragon]

Another one who would like to see a photo of the finished pony

 

[throwaway2022]

I’m too embarrassed to post the hack job, it’s so bad ?

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

Thinning scissors down the sides then solo rake the middle.

I had a dales x Welsh d mare and her tail was far too heavy and she always had poo or was squirting on it. When I clipped her out took feathers off and pulled her mane she looked like a very smart hunter pony.

I pull and rake and shape my Welsh Ds tail for showing and I think it looks smart. I keep it even when I’m not showing now ?

 

[marmalade76]

If you've clipped and trimmed heels and pulled mane then I would also pull the tail (or use a rake or whatever to sumulate that effect if he won't put up with pulling). You will have to keep on top of it going forward of course but the same goes for all the rest of the trimming you've done. Pulling is going out of fashion but it shouldn't be painful for the horse in the first place if you are doing it correctly so I have never seen the fuss. I'm not sure many people realise that it is not a good plan to try to pull a tail all in one day. Of course that will make them sore. You have to do it over a period of days, even weeks if it is thick and you are starting from scratch. You shouldn't be pulling out chunks at a time, just a few hairs, especially if the horse is not used to it. Best done when they are warm and the pores are open after exercise, they mostly soon get used to it. You also need the pulled areas to start growing again as you go, you aren't aiming for bald but for shorter, thinner, neater areas. Done correctly,

Agree with everything you say other than if they won't tolerate it, you're not doing it right. Some horses just find it too uncomfortable and it's quite often the thicker skinned, thicker haired ones IME. Back in the day I would have put a twitch on and got on with it but I've gone soft with age so find more comfortable alternatives now. It is possible to thin & razor a tail and keeping it looking much like pulled. Pulled is not the be all & end all, some folks make an awful job of pulling too!