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Tails Up!
How to Clean a Horse's Tail
By Diane Ursu

Caring for your horse's tail can be one of the hardest things to do when grooming. The tail knots up with just a swish to rid of flies. With each swish, it seems as if there are five more knots of hair. So what do we do?

I've heard many things when it comes to taking care of a horse's tail. Many people don't like the idea of brushing it for fear of breaking off hairs, which may keep the tail rather short. However, I really don't like having knots in my horse's tail either. So again - what can you do?

Items Needed

• shampoo (any kind will do)
• hair conditioner (horse or human - White Rain is good)
• a good hairbrush (the kind with the plastic bristles, without the "balls" at the ends) and/or comb
• spray-on conditioner (any kind will do, I like Pantene, it promotes shine)

How to Clean a Horse's Tail

1. Start out by washing the tail, taking care to thoroughly wash out the soap.
2. Apply conditioner liberally, concentrating on the areas that are most knotted up. Rinse well.
3. Fan the tail out and spray with the conditioner liberally, but without saturation.
4. Start brushing/combing the tail from the ends and work your way to the top. If you encounter a knot that will not come out without breaking the hair, spray with conditioner and try "untying" the knot gently with your fingers. Continue brushing. This requires patience.
5. Braiding or wrapping the tail is probably a good idea if you want to keep the knots out and protect the ends of the hair from breaking.

Keep the tail brushed and conditioned to maintain strong, healthy, shiny hair.

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