The Art of Plaiting tails is an art

The Art of Plaiting tails is an art! If you choose to go with the plaited tail finish you will require the hairs to be of sufficient length at the sides, so the hair will stay in place once plaited. To achieve a neat presentable plait requires practice. The hair must also be clean and well combed.

No false tail for this little fellow. Instead, a beautiful thick tail, neatly plaited.

Firstly, dampen the top and sides of the tail. To start the plait, take a small and even section of hair from each side and cross them left over right, hold this securely.

Now select a third piece of hair from the right side, cross over to the left, over the first section of hair and between the first two sections of hair, plait the section that is below the other two back over the first two

Pick up a new section of hair from the left side of the tail, cross this to the right and plait the bottom, right-hand section over the others. Continue picking up new sections, alternating between left and fight and plait straight down the centre of the tail.

When the desired length is reached, without picking up any new sections, continue to plait the hair down.

Secure the end with an elastic band and with matching cotton sew around the end of the plait, then draw the plait end-up under the plait.

Bring the needle through a few times to make the plait secure.

The finished loop.

Finishing the tail. No matter whether the tail is plaited pulled or trimmed with a razor, squaring off the end is the finishing touch. After watching the way a horse moves and holds its tail, have a friend hold the tailbone up to that level and angle.

Before cutting, remember that once cut, there is no going back and it can take a long time for the tail to grow again. With this in mind, it is better to take a little at a time, then watch the horse work and decide how much more to take off. Keep going until satisfied with the length.

THE NATURAL LOOK

With some breeds, the natural look is required. This doesn't mean not improving on what nature has provided. The top of the tail can be thinned lightly, as with pulled tails. All that is needed is to take away some of the bulk. Then dampen the tail and apply a bandage to hold down the hair until the event.

(Photo) The tail is left natural but still looking neat and tidy.

Some breed societies do not permit the use of false tails. If so, if a horse has a long but wispy tail that needs to look fuller, do the following. 1. Wash and condition the tail. 2. While the tail is fairly wet take the middle section of hair, divide this into a number of smaller sections. Plait each section all the way down to the bottom. 3. Repeat plaiting down all the smaller sections of hair. 4. The tail plaits must be allowed to dry completely and then carefully unplait each section. 5. Very carefully brush each section of plaited hair out. 6. Finger brush through the whole tail, using a flicking motion of the wrist, to fluff up the hair. 7. Of course the tail would be 100% better with a false tail but this method works with societies that don't allow false tails.

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