| What to do with a horse's tail? That might seem | | | | less is more. For most horses, brushing the tail |
| an odd question, but it's one that horse owners | | | | every third day is about right. And when you |
| answer in a variety of ways. | | | | brush, you should do it as lightly as possible, to |
| It might seem that the easiest and most natural | | | | avoid pulling out any more hairs than is absolutely |
| way to care for your horse's tail is simply to let it | | | | unavoidable. |
| fly free. What's more beautiful than the sight of a | | | | Before brushing, use a tangle remover or a |
| high-spirited horse runnning in a field, its long, | | | | conditioner made especially for horses, gently |
| flowing tail flicking joyfully this way and that? | | | | working the stuff into the tail hair and carefully |
| Unfortunately, a "natural" tail -- one that is neither | | | | removing as many knots or tangles as you can. |
| cut nor tied up in a knot -- is rarely | | | | Once you have done this, then you can brush. |
| maintenance-free. At a minimum you can expect | | | | Some people cut the hair of their horse's tail quite |
| tangles to develop in it; at worst, it can become | | | | short, because they think it looks neater that |
| so matted with dirt, mud, twigs and leaves that | | | | way, or because it minimizes chances of the tail |
| you might end up having to cut much of it off | | | | picking up dirt and mud. Others like to tie a knot in |
| anyway. | | | | the tail, for the same reasons. |
| If you own a horse, you know that you must | | | | In my family of horse lovers, we are definitely |
| groom it frequently. You should expect that you | | | | biased toward maintaining long, thick, flowing tails |
| cannot escape grooming the tail along with | | | | on our horses. But there is no final right or wrong |
| everything else. | | | | answer to the question of what to do with a |
| If you're new to horse care, the good news is | | | | horse's tail. As long as you treat it gently and |
| that you needn't groom the tail every day. In | | | | make sure it is kept in good, clean condition, the |
| fact, when it comes to grooming the equine tail, | | | | choice is all yours. |