Tail Bags - Use Them? Do they work?

[sharri13]

I have never used tail bags, but am considering trying them. My two horses have nice tails, but I'm hoping a tail bag may help them grow in thicker during the winter.

Do tail bags really work? Where do you find them, or do you use a sock? How do you put them on? Do you need to spray/condition the tail first? Enlighten me!

[findeight]

Unless you got a white tail to keep clean, just run a braid, like a pigtail, down to the bottom and use a non pulling rubber band on it. Take it down once week to clean. Be sure to comb at the base and get all the way down to the skin.

I hate the tail bags and many horses spend more time trying to rub them out or scrape them off. Never saw they protected the hair from breaking any more then that pigtail. UNLESS it is white, then it may-or may not-be worth it.

Try to avoid overconditioning too, causes dandruff and itching and can backfire on you.

[theoldgreymare]

Unless you got a white tail to keep clean, just run a braid, like a pigtail, down to the bottom and use a non pulling rubber band on it. Take it down once week to clean. Be sure to comb at the base and get all the way down to the skin.

I hate the tail bags and many horses spend more time trying to rub them out or scrape them off. Never saw they protected the hair from breaking any more then that pigtail. UNLESS it is white, then it may-or may not-be worth it.

Try to avoid overconditioning too, causes dandruff and itching and can backfire on you.


Ditto. Our naughty ponies think trying to tear the bags off of each other is great fun so we don't use them. Our's get conditioned with Vetrolin Shine once a month and any shavings or knots get picked out by hand and the tail gets rebraided once or twice a week. I do not brush when trying to get them to grow unless we are going to a show. You can also do the braid, fold it up and vet wrap the whole deal but the simple braid works well for me and is less enticing to the ponies.

[Druid Acres]

This winter I'm doing the braid thing. I take it out and brush once a week, and condition with MTG once a month. We'll see how it goes - first time I've done it this way.

[4Martini]

I love my tail bag! I have the three channel one with velcro up the side of each channel. It's lycra, but brushed on the inside. I don't like the fleece ones they are too heavy. Before the winter I cut my horses tail 6-8" short of his hocks (where it's good and thick), wash it out good, condition it and braid it up. Every two weeks or so I pull it down spray conditioner on it, brush it out and re braid it into the bag. I get soo many comments about his tail. If I leave it out it gets covered in mud, stuck on fences, filled with tumbleweeds all of which lead to breaking off hairs and thinning the tail. It also cuts down on my grooming routine daily as I don't have to carefully pull tubleweed and other debris out. (Braiding helps with tumbleweeds- but not with mud or catching on things as much.)

I get mine at the local feedstore since they are way nicer than any other's I've gotten. I actually have 2 lengths. 1 for early winter and 1 for late winter when his tail outgrows the first one (although this year he just has the long one on as I couldn't find the short one.)

I do think the braid gives you at least 80% of the benefit without the bag though.

[Capriole]

I don't think horses like tail bags, wraps, braids, etc. I always cringe when I see someone riding with a tail bag flopping around -- that must be so uncomfortable for the horse! I trim a few inches off and then apply Cowboy Magic as needed. Mostly, I leave them be, ensuring good nutrition. Benign neglect makes for the longest, fullest tails! :D

[ThatScaryChick]

I would also avoid brushing the tail too much. If you are looking to get your horse to have a thicker, longer tail, run your hands through the tail every now and then instead of using a brush.

[IsolaBella09]

Hand pick your tails. That is the first step to growing a thick tail. Brushing takes hairs out like no other. Treat with MTG at beginning of month and wash and condition regularly. Trim off dead ends, spray a little Vetrolin, and braid, securing with pony tail at end. I like the tail bags that are the fabric kind, not the actual bag kind. The bags are more protective, but horses can spook when they swish their tail, as they tend to wack themselves. :lol: Good feeding allows for good hair growth as well, so keep that in mind.

[Equino]

My horses get the winters off, and I would only use tail bags during that time. My current show mare has a thick, long tail and I found out the hard way, being T/O all day in snow/ice is not a good thing for tails! I haven't had any problems with horses trying to rub them off or being annoyed by them, but then again, I don't ride with them on. I buy ones like this: http://www.sleezybarbhorsewear.com/LycraTailBagTwiliteHorses.jpg
Once a week, I take them down and wash, heavily condition, wait until completely dry, apply Healthy Hair Care Moisturizer, braid (I prefer braiding with yarn at the ends rather than rubber bands) and bag.

I used to use tube socks with diaper pins, but have a hard time finding tube socks these days!

I also do bag before shows so tails stay clean and free of shavings-and I'll braid/bag before totally dry so that when I let down in AM, it doesn't stay crimped from being braided too long.

[Xanthoria]

I use a three tube tail bag on one of ours. My method is:

Wash, condition, spray with silicone based stuff while still damp. Allow to dry.
Apply tail tubes. Braid, knot end, and knot again high up. It's this 2nd knot that keeps it in.
Every week or 2, remove and repeat.

The other horse has recently had tail knots (http://equisearch.com/horses_care/health/grooming/tailknot_060606/) in as an experiment - they do a great job of shortening the tail by about 6" while looking natural.

[Flamboyant]

I'm a big fan of tail bags. My fellow boarders have seen the results from the tail bags I use on my mare and have made me make them some as well as many people in the area, and some even farther than that!

So, I now sell them to the public:
www.freewebs.com/walldesigns

I wasn't a big fan of the lycra tail bags and prefer the cotton tail bags as they breathe better. Yes, I do go through about three tail bags every winter, but my mare's tail usually grows about 6" throughout the winter because of her tail bag. It keeps the snow/ice/mud out of her tail. I take it out about once a week to re-braid and condition it. Out of all of the people I've sold my tail bags to, I've only had one who could not keep the tail bag on her mare and everyone else has been happy with theirs.

I only use them during the winter or the night before shows to keep my mare's tail clean. Of course they are extra useful for those with white tails as they are the only way I have found to keep my mare's tail sparkling white!

I also prefer the single tube style with a fly fringe at the end vs. the three tube style. Whenever I see horses swat their tails with the three tube style, it looks like it must hurt!

If I were you, I'd just try it out. They aren't a very pricey investment and in my opinion are well worth it if your horse will keep one on!

[mypaintwattie]

I use a lycra tail bag and my mare's tail has gone from her hocks to the ground! I take it down about once a week, shampoo and condition it, braid it and put it back in a clean bag. I try not to brush it too much.

[War Admiral]

There's also this method (http://www3.telus.net/sherrisstable/HorseTails.htm) of tail knotting, which I remember from my childhood being used on ASBs. It's going to be used on another one now! :)

[MunchkinsMom]

I use a three tube tail bag on one of ours. My method is:

Wash, condition, spray with silicone based stuff while still damp. Allow to dry.
Apply tail tubes. Braid, knot end, and knot again high up. It's this 2nd knot that keeps it in.
Every week or 2, remove and repeat.



I did the same for years on my show gelding, he had a gorgeous natural tail thanks to those three-tube tail wraps. He wore it year round for 7-8 years, except for showing of course.

[shakeytails]

I don't like them at all. If you can keep them on, they are quite likely to get caught on stuff. I wash, condition, dry well, braid and wrap with pantyhose and then vetrap. No need to take the tail down very often, either. The show horses only get theirs taken down for shows and a couple/few times during the off season.

[unbridledoaks]

I like tail bags, but I like to wrap the most. During the show season, I do use a tail bag, since we take their tails out more. I usually just make mine with swimsuit material. Easy and cheap to make. So if they want to destroy then, they can without costing me an arm and a leg. I usually condition when I put the tail in, then I leave it until the next go around, which is usually a week to 3 weeks.

[Char]

My biggest success is in leaving the tail alone. I'll wash the tail, then douse it really well with baby oil for hydration. Then I start at the top of the dock of the tail, making a loose, fat french braid down the tail bone. Be very careful not to get the braid over the dock too tight, or you'll cut off circulation and the tail may be damaged.

Then I use a tube sock, and tie it as high up the dock of his tail I can, with either a shoe string, or bailing twine by threading it through the braid. Just cut out a couple of slits in the sides of the sock. Usually I do it at two points, one high and one low. I leave about 4-6 inches of untied sock above the highest tie point so that I can fold it back down over my ties.

Then I leave it alone. Don't take it down all the time to wash it, or brush it. The bag/sock keeps it fairly clean. I only take it down and re-do it if it looks like it's starting to come loose. At that point, I take it down, re-oil, put it back up, and re-bag it. At the most, I try not to touch it more than once every month or so. If I can get away with leaving it all winter, all the better.

One way to make sure it stays up where I want it, is to tie the braid up BEFORE you put the tail bag on. That way the bag isn't HOLDING the tail up, just covering it for protection. I usually tie the tail in several different places to prevent a bunch of stress on any one particular point in the tail.

Then, viola! In the spring you'll have a gorgeous tail that you an really brag about!

[Miss-O]

I don't like using tail bags or a single long braid they have to be uncomfortable with all the flopping around. I do the figure 8 knots that Xanthoria posted. I do them the same way as the article does but I only do about 8-10 knots with 2 knots per chunk of hair it only takes about 1 minute to put the tail up like this. My horses tail is just about an inch off the ground and putting two knots in for each strand shortens it to a height where she can't get mud or ice in her tail and the second knot helps hold the first knot in place and keeps it from coming undone. Also if you can wet the hair or better yet put a big glob of conditioner on the knot they will stay in better too.

I like these knots better then the one from the Sherri's Stable's link. IME those knots tend to dreadlock pretty fast and are harder to put in and keep in and undreadlock when the time to do that arrives.

Also if you want to keep the hair nice you certainly can brush you just have to have patience and not break off any hairs while you do so. It's entirely to possible do that I do it all the time.:yes: I just move extra slow and use a human paddle brush that way there is some give to the bristles and less likely to break hairs.

Also DON'T use products that contain silicone. Silicon coats the hair with a plastic like substance making the hair feel moisturized when in fact the "moisture" is really just the plastic like coating and the hair underneath it is actually drying out which can lead to breakage. I've used MANY different products over the years, the vast majority of detanglers (both human and equine ones) contain silicon). The only 3 I'm sure of that don't contain silicon are Healthy Hair care, Equus Avacado Mist and coconut oil. You can find coconut oil in the cooking oil section of a large grocery store and it's great for skin and hair.

[EventerAJ]

I'm thinking about using a tail bag for my gray mare's tail. She lives out, so it gets wet and muddy. What sort of bag would you recommend? I worry about cotton/lycra, as it could get wet and then frozen. Is this a problem?

[equineartworks]

I braid, knot and hten cover with an old tube sock. The ribbed top keeps it secure without any worry about pinching. Then just take them off and throw them out or into the washer.

[tma]

Tail bags-do they work?

You tell me... :yes: http://76.90.46.87/tma/images/vanna_schaa_may2004b.jpg

[joharavhf]

I use a tail bag year round for both of my horses. My mare has very little thickness to her tail - and it's white. It gets peed on all winter long (YUCK), so I bag it and it stays clean and protected.

My gelding has a thick, gorgeous tail up top but had become red down that the bottom (he is buckskin). I got him in August, so once I got him, I washed his tail (which I don't think had EVER been done, LOL), braided and bagged.

I never use a silicone based spray product on my tails. Healthy Haircare is the only thing that I spray on. Silicone sprays such as show sheen and vetrolin shine dry out the tail.....whereas healthy haircare is a moisturizer.

I use basic NYLON tail bags so that the tails do not get WET. Urine/mud, etc not only discolors the tail but it also weakens the hair....So the tail bags I use are boring old nylon ones with a velcro snap on. Occassionally one horse will show up without a tail bag, but they are easy to find and I'd rather have that "safety release"....

[Tiffany01]

I use a tail bag sometimes but lately my horse just has a braid.

[MunchkinsMom]

I'm thinking about using a tail bag for my gray mare's tail. She lives out, so it gets wet and muddy. What sort of bag would you recommend? I worry about cotton/lycra, as it could get wet and then frozen. Is this a problem?

Mine wore his lycra 3-tube tail wrap year round for many years, turned out in all sorts of weather, so it would get wet and muddy, but like a swimsuit, it dried quickly. I also had a few spares, so I could change it if necessary.

I do want to point out that I might be concerned about putting one on a horse that is turned out in a big pasture that has trees or other things that the tail bag could get caught on. My horse was in an individual paddock with only the occasional weanling for company. He did get it caught in the fence once, luckily the tail bag knotted end ripped off, and then of course it unbraided and fell off, and not many hairs were lost (WHEW!).

Here is a photo with the results of the tail bag usage:

http://pic90.picturetrail.com/VOL2147/2908252/8807817/350826009.jpg

(and those are not manure stains on his butt, he has soot markings :D )