Tail Trimming--How To?

[AngC]

After our first two minis came here with really bad shave jobs (and the accompanying razor rash) I was adamantly against any type of hair cutting/shaving. But I think it's time for me to relax and "do it."

Nicky's and Coco's tails are starting to get rather long. Both of them sometimes walk on them; there's about 4 inches in length dragging on the ground. This may sound stupid, but how do you trim their tails? Do I just grab hold and do a straight-cut, or should I try and "feather" the ends like the beauty salon people do to my hair?

By the way, these aren't fancy, show horses. They're just mutts. But I'll have you note they're the best loved mutts in the county, so I want their tails to look good.

 

[candycar]

I just brush the tail out, Wrap my hand around the tail going from top to about fetlock, grab & cut straight across. Brush and repeat for a real good cut. I like the straight cut, makes them look neat and full. If your horse flags it's tail a lot and you want a real show look, have someone hold the tail out a little and then cut.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I don't like a tail that drags on the ground. They can step on it--ouch! I do what Candycar does.

 

[chandab]

I just cut mine straight across. I usually do it in the fall, and by spring they've gained much of it back. I have one mare that is really messy, and pees on her tail, a lot; I cut her tail just below the hock in the fall, and hers grows so fast that by spring/summer it's back down to her fetlock (taking off the weight in the fall, reduces the weight and she seems to pee on it less). [The rest I usually just cut at the fetlock.]

 

[FurstPlaceMiniatures]

I bang my guys straight across at the top of the back hooves. I also 'trim back' the top part, as it's white and the rest of his tail is black. It looks like a fake QH tail! I also use a ton of MTG on it. I like tails thick and trimmed, not long and wispy.

 

[JWC sr.]

On the brood mares and breeding stallions we do the straight cut for the most part. But we also have a few that get special treatment.

We cut straight to get the length where we want it and then use a hoof knife or a clipper blade to thin and cut the tail by dragging it sideways above the end and then blending it in. Does an amazing job.

 

[fourluckyhorseshoes]

Here is a good article from Horse Channel--

http://www.horsechannel.com/horse-exclusives/bang-a-horse-tail.aspx

 

[AngC]

I went for a straight cut; right around the ankles (or whatever you call it on horses.) I think it looks quite nice. I used some sharp scissors.

I had never heard of a "banged" tail. One advantage to being a non-registered, unstylish mutt, like my old grandpa (Nicky) is that we don't have to obsess about our/his appearance. That link about tail-banging kind of flabbergasted me. People do that?? ...really? (ok, I reckon they do; the lady down the road dresses her dog in a pink hoodie-footie and paints its toenails pink.) hmmm, I wonder if Nicky likes pink?

 

[paintponylvr]

It just tickles me how everything old is new again.

"Banging-tails" has been around for lots of years. It was the style forever (and still is) in Europe and Australia. Show ponies - both the mini/heavy shetland type and the riding type - have banged tails. Google Australian riding ponies or British riding ponies - all of them have "banged" tails. Some are long and some are short (there might be a meaning to it - not sure). Cob tail ponies were a specific type of driving pony - their tails were docked like a draft horse and again, still done today with Hackney ponies and horses (not so much).

Western horses used to have short tails (remember the term "broom tail"? It didn't originally start as a mustang term - tho it came to mean a mustang). We kept them pulled/trimmed to the hocks - not below - in the 60's and 70's. Only parade horses or saddle bred type western horses had a sweeping the ground/long tail and usually were stabled with them up (and then there were the "appliances" to keep them looking the way they did). Manes were natural - but with combing/brushing usually were never as long as seen today. A working cowhand didn't have time in his/her day to care for a long tail filled with cockleburrs, cactus spines, mud or brush - nor did you want his tail getting caught on any of that while "brush popping"!! I found out one time what it was like to have a tail caught in a cactus and then whipped up and across me. PAINFUL - more than once because, of course, after I was whipped with it it hit the horse. The bucking spree was not fun and I'm soooo glad that I was young. I would break now if I had a ride like that!

Personally, I like a medium length mane and will pull most of ours to equal that. I also prefer a very "short" bridle path over the current mini/shetland bridle path (1/2 the neck shaved) - at the longest I bend an ear down and the bp will be the length of the ear. I do like a long tail, but I pick it up and cut it straight across at the fetlocks. When the tail is held up by the pony - it's much shorter than fetlock length. The tails seem to naturally come to a point when left alone for a while - even after cutting them straight across.

Did you know that to trim the whiskers and beards years ago, they often "flamed" them with some type of lighter? I've used hand held lighters to do the same when my clippers died - the ponies seem to enjoy the heat treatment! When you singe off hair - there is a crackle and a stink. You also want to do it far enough in advance that the blackened end is brushed/grown off. You don't singe close to the eyes. I don't recommend the lighter "clip job" to a full, winter beard - I could see that injuring the pony when it flames up and a lot of burning hair gets very hot, very quick.

 

[chandab]

Paula, speaking of flaming whiskers, I was watching a "Dirty Jobs" with Mike Rowe rerun the other day, they were on a dairy farm, and they had a small flame-thrower torch that they used to singe the hair of the udder before milking.

It was a pretty quick swipe across the udder, but considering where you need to stand to do the job, if it got too hot you'd know it in a hurry.

 

[AngC]

I saw that episode of Dirty Jobs. The cows didn't seem too bothered. ...sure hope he didn't overheat my milk.

I can't envision "flaming" beards/whiskers. Not meaning to be disagreeable, but that would ruin the trust I've been building with them. I know horses aren't humans, but who on earth would want their chin hairs flamed? Even old, blind NIcky would bail if I tried to do that to him.

I don't trim whiskers; Nicky appears to use them to find his way around. I definitely don't trim/shave eyelashes, because I think they serve a function to protect the eyes. I like their manes to look "full" so I don't cut a bridle path; it's a pain, but each time I halter them I comb the mane hair with my fingers to accommodate the halter. I think it looks horrible to have a nice full mane and then this big gap where the halter strap goes behind their ears. There is a bonus to not having "show" horses; you can allow them to look as you please.

 

[paintponylvr]

Trimming is to each one's taste and what ever event you are doing. Some has to do with showing, some has to do w/ cleaning them up for a public event and some is done for safety.

I agree not to do a lot of trimming on a pony that is blind - I have two currently. Both still have their eyes - one due to age has developed fibroids that have overgrown her eye. That particular eye is going flat now and receding in size. We decided, due to her age (she's 24 yrs old), not to remove the eye (surgery & aftercare). She is now developing fibroids in the other eye - they are moving faster than the first eye did and I suspect she'll be blind in both by the time she's a full 25yrs old. The 2nd injured his eye in the pasture when he was 11 months old. May have been during the high winds - that was the year that a tornado destroyed whole sections of Sanford, Broadway & Fayetteville, NC (all around us). One farm alone had many, many horses euthanized due to injuries. Ranger's eye was punctured w/ many holes - and over time his eye also lost the fluids and the eye ball became "flat". He could still see for a while - i think until he was 3 when we started noticing changes in his behavior. Last year, was when he started turning his head at times and look at things w/ his right eye. YET, he's one active pony - galloping and sparring with a 2 yr old stud colt that is out in the pasture w/ him. On these two we DO trim bridle paths, jaws, coronet bands (the stickers here are horrendous!), fetlocks and tails. Bit still drives - single, pair, 3 abreast. Ranger is going to be started in harness and under saddle this year.

Eye-whiskers are trimmed AS NEEDED to prevent the eye blinkers on a driving bridle from irritating them (once they are fitted properly - not too close to the eye). Otherwise, we don't trim them or the eyelashes. While we do trim all the other parts - often ALL of our trimmed up ponies will still have their full compliment of whiskers.

Back to trust - Bell, Bit, Ranger and a few others (of our 21 shetlands) can be walked up to in the pasture, loose and have their trims done with scissors and a lighter. They can also have their hooves trimmed, witches knots worked out of manes/tails & general grooming - while loose and no halter/lead. That is part of their personality and the handling/training that we have done. Others, I personally wouldn't think about using a lighter on - not w/o going back to the everyday handling/training we used to do (I really miss having my daughters around - they and the other lesson kids did A LOT of work w/ the ponies). And two are very, very wild - even w/ the training, time, trust building exercises we have done with them. I don't think they will ever get over that - thankfully the one raises beautiful, conformationally correct, wonderful personality/disposition foals (she's had 2 for us - one was shown in 2012/13 and did well, the other is the last son of our very first shetland and right now, is looking to follow in his sire's hoof prints). The other - had a foal and lost it w/i days of arriving on our farm and she is just her wild little self in a pen with the NSH mare that has cancer... We will have to do something with her this year - she will need to have her hooves trimmed. It's very stressful for her and painful for us - but we have been able to handle her legs/hooves since we've been working with her again. W/ this cold spell, I'm sure we'll be back at square one again though!

With all the cockle burrs on this new property (I've dealt w/ 4 different kinds so far that I know of) - the ponies who haven't had their tails trimmed or their "feathers" trimmed have done some serious running around when they hit themselves w/ those tails. I am reminded of the ones who haven't had leg hair trimmed - cuz they are limping about w/ the mess of stickers in their legs - UGH. AND I"M really appreciating the ones who have "tight" feathers that curl around their legs - no stickers in those girls legs...

WE have 4 ponies that I want to see about showing this year. At 1 rated Shetland show and up to 4 open, local shows (halter and then 2 in lead line w/ our 2 granddaughters). Their tails will not be appreciably shorter - will be "banged" (cut straight across) at the fetlocks. BUT I'm seriously contemplating shortening the rest of the ponies tails like the "olden days" western horses - up to their hocks - to make it less work w/ all the stickers and cockle burrs. ON the ones that I shorten, haven't decided if will do a "banged" tail or a "tapered" tail. Will let you guys know! Need to go thru and comb out all their manes and braid them up - but with still building fences/unpacking and now dealing w/ frozen water pipes and hoses (no water to the horses) - simply haven't had time...

 

[amysue]

Ive worked on dairies where they "flash burn" udder hair to reduce bacteria counts on udders thus reduce mastitis. I love the look of a banged tail. Thats what I grew up with riding welsh ponies in pony club. I just think it has such a neat and finished appearance.

 

[ManyMinisFarm]

I just brush it out, it keeps it natural looking.

 

[AngC]

Thanks paintponylvr.
I wouldn't ever thought of the idea that you would trim eyelashes to fit under harness blinders. All I've ever seen (on the internet) are photos of shaved, greased show horses with eyelashes trimmed off. Couple that with the vet bill and the amount of time I spent out there with Nicky, I react unreasonably. So thanks.

Regarding blind horses: It breaks my heart everytime I look at Nicky's eyeballs. The one eye has a "white-ish" part on it. The other eye looks fairly normal (but has cataract.) He gets to keep every bit of hair (forelock) to protect his eyes. The vet had discussed with me about eyeball removal and putting in a fake eye, but apparently that was not needed. And it's kind of a crap shoot whether to protect his eyes in the summer with a fly mask or let his forelock protect the eyes, so the mask doesn't diminish his vision.

 

[paintponylvr]

AngC - Sorry if I was mis-leading. We don't trim the eyelashes for a driving bridle, we trim the eye "whiskers" or the "antenna". The longer "guard" hairs above and below the eyes. Some ponies have a lot, some have very few. Some have/had them but rub them off when rubbing their heads. They are the "first line of defense" for a horses head/eye. AND I didn't know about this when I first started driving! Didn't help that the first bridles with blinkers I had were too large for the ponies they were on OR I used open bridles - so no problem w/ the eye "whiskers"...

I took a few closeup pics the other day - let me see if those "guard" hairs show up (hard to see! in a pic). If so, I'll clean it up (resize the pic) and post it... Wow - even in the close ups - they don't show well or at all (or my guys have all removed them). Here's a pic of Cheri that you can see ONE... It's on her eyelid and is light. Folds to the right - looks like part of her forelock but isn't.



Here's a close up of Bit - you can see her eye "whiskers" over both eyes IF you look really close. Sorry this was before I cleaned up her eyes for the evening.



Going thru the pics I took the same day as above - NONE of our Shetland mares grow long forelocks - even the ones who rarely get combed or braided. Braiding the forelocks on some seems to stop growth altogether and on others helps them to grow longer but the girls all seem to stop before their eyes would truly be "protected" by their forelocks. On the other hand, most of the boys have decently long (beautiful) forelocks... Strange - all the years I've had them I'm still discovering NEW THINGS about them. LOL

I swap back and forth on flymasks. I had a very hard time finding ones that fit, that the ponies would leave alone. They aren't cheap and they do wear out. For us, only the Farnam ones (harder & harder to find!) or the Cashel Crusader (don't fit smaller minis, yet) work... And if used religiously - need to be replaced every season. Sometimes I can get two seasons of out one but not usually.

Bit does not grow a forelock that will protect her eye - never has. Right now I actually have it braided as it was just long enough to have part of it getting caught in the drainage from both eyes and once it was stiff - it would then poke & irritate her... Glad I had it braided before this last ice storm! Need to put her fly mask back on before we get the next round of freezing rain (tonite/tomorrow?)...

and on the subject of tails - here is a yearling Shetland/Arab filly we bred/raised. She has not been body clipped, but has had fetlocks, coronet bands, bridle path (ear length) and jaws clipped. Her mane was scraggly and we were showing all our ponies as "hunter type" for a few years - so her mane has been pulled to dollar bill length. Her tail is banged about 1/2 way between hock and fetlock (it was that length and we just trimmed straight across to get it to look good...). Later she grew in her dams' awesome mane and forelock - though her tail stayed a bit thin but not as thin as some of our other Arab/Shetland x's.

 

[jeanniecogan]

I have 2 "mutts" as you call them. I picked them out. They are sweet and well behaved and very beautiful and i keep them groomed as best i can as we go out and about with the cart. you got a lot og great advice, i hope you figure it out.

 

[AngC]

jeanniecogan... I used the term "mutts" because ours are unregistered. I picked them out too. ...well, except for Baby, she appeared after a comedy of errors where Coco hopped over a stall door and Nicky crashed through a fence (luckily not hurting himself.)

I looked at those photos and I'm not seeing it. I'll have to check it out tomorrow on ours.

I'm pretty sure I've read advice here on how to trim the actual eyelashes. One thing I distinctly remember is a casual discussion here about using a Sharpie to mark the eyelids. It flabbergasted me. But it's their horse; their eyeballs; guess that sort of people have never had an eye injury.

 

[chandab]

Never cut the eye lashes, but many do trim the guard whiskers above and below the eye.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Regarding the forelock--I keep Dapper Dan's ponytailed at certain times, as it irritates his eyes to have it hanging down. I have trimmed eyebrows before a show, but never eye lashes.