Pulling tail

Vivache - not just possible. Every horse in the showring in the UK (except M&M's and traditionals) will have a pulled tail. No one plaits tails, that is more hassle then it is worth.
If you pull the tail well at the beggining of the show season you only occassionaly need to give it a 5 min tidy up throughout the rest of the season.

Gidget
Right to pull a tail you are essentialy doing the same as you are on the mane, you select a chunk of hair, back comb and pull! On the mane you want to take hair from underneath and pull so that the mane is level

However for the tail you need to litteraly do it a few hairs at a time and if your horse is a sensitive soul then you need to do it over the course of a few days.


Before you set to work look at the shape of your horses quarters and watch how he carries his tail. This will enable you to judge correctly how far down the dock you are going to need to pull in order to achieve the desired effect.
Wear a pair of thin rubber gloves when tail pulling as it will help you get a better grip on the hair and give some protection against blisters. Surgical gloves are ideal. A pair of pliers also comes in handy for those short hairs you just can't grip

Start at the sides of the dock, lift the top hairs, taking hair from underneath and equally on both sides pull downwards taking small amounts each time so you don't leave bald patches. Stop at regular intervals, stand back and see which areas need more attention, remember you can always take more off you can't stick it back on again. You will probably also have to remove hair from the top of the tail to reduce the thickness and allow the hair to lie flat.
Applying a tail bandage for short periods will help flatten the hair and train the shape of the tail.

Remember the most important thing is that you pull very small amounts at a time, stop if the dock bleeds and continue the next day. Never attempt to pull a tail in one day

Thanks! And is there a way to thin the end a bit or do I do just the dock?And I do the sides too,right?

If you do the sides of the dock and go down about 3/4 of the way you will naturaly take out some of the longer hairs which will thin the bottom of the tail. Don't panic when you are pulling out realy long hairs!

Post pictures on here as you are doing it (so at the end of each session take a photo) and i'll tell you where you need to concentrate the next day.

Thank you,thank you!
I have to get pics of my horses feet tonight as I didn't have time as I thought I would last night...maybe I can start tonight.

Not the best picture but here is her tail

I'd start by pulling to level with the red line (once you've done that and got me a photo I might tell you to go a bit lower!) and I'd chop the bottom off her tail so that it is level with the purple line

Oh I banged it yesterday and washed it!

I will do thawt...now my husband is scared for me to do it >.< hahaha...anyways..I will convience him and do it.

I get it now. I asked my old trainer how to trim tails. She said 'you can pull tails, but it's a huge hassle and takes days.'

My discipline isn't allowed to touch tails or manes. The longer and fuller, the better.
http://www.thepalmerhouse.net/Refere...sGenerator.jpg

Thick tails can be nice but his horses tail I find kinda gross...I trimmed her mane yesterday. It's not super thick which is nice but if he tail knotted up it would be horrible to try and get knots our and it we used all my shampoo yesterday....takes a lot to wash her.

Is it just really dry? In that case, I'd just soak it in MTG and conditioner of your choice. That'll make it more flowy and less tangled. And I'd do that before you pulled it, etc. (Not so that the hair is slippery, but so you can get an idea of what you've really got)

Her tail is extremely dirty in that picture. It feels silky and easy to comb through but I was just saying that thick tails can be a pain especially if it tangles. Her tail is just thick!..it might be slighty dry but we do put leave in condioner spray in it. Smells like baby powder.