How to care for your horse’s tail over winter

The winter months bring with them harsh weather conditions – This means our horse’s tails are exposed to the weather and can easily end up dry, tangled, dirty, and damaged! Do you want a silky, smooth, and healthy tail on your horse this winter? If so, read on – We’ll share with you our best tips for maintaining your horse’s tail and keeping it in top condition with this simple maintenance routine.

Use a detangling spray every time before you brush 

Using a spray in conditioner or detangling spray BEFORE you brush your horse’s tail is a great way to preserve the tail and minimize breakage. Our Hairy Pony 2 in 1 Detangle and Shine Spray is both a detangler and a shine spray in the one product! It helps to soften knots and tangles to allow you to brush them out without breaking the hair off. Our other tip would be to spray the 2 in 1 Detangle and Shine Spray in, then brush the tail in sections, starting with the bottom third of the tail. Breaking the task up into sections makes it much easier to brush the tail out, rather than starting from the top of the tail and trying to brush it all the way down.

Wash your horse’s tail regularly 

We would recommend washing your horse’s tail every two weeks, which will keep dirt, mud and knots under control, before they get out of hand and become a more daunting task. Using quality products that nourish and protect your horse’s hair as part of a maintenance routine will make the tail much easier to detangle and manage. We suggest shampooing the tail, then hydrating with our Hairy Pony Hair Repair and finishing with our leave-in conditioning Hairy Pony Silky Serum for the ultimate repairing and protecting regime for your horse’s tail. Hair that is conditioned and moisturized will be less brittle and coarse, so less likely to tangle or snap.

Use natural products, with no harsh chemicals or silicone 

Many horse sprays or shine sprays contain silicone, which in the short term may make the hair look shiny, but actually only does this by coating the hair with an artificial coating that blocks moisture and can prevent hydration absorption. This means silicone-based sprays will actually dry out your horse’s hair even further. Other products commonly contain sulphates and/or parabens which can be very harsh and damaging to your horse’s skin and hair. Sulphates are the most frequently used chemical to produce lathering in cleansing products, but they are also known for stripping all the natural oils from the hair, leaving your horse’s coat dry and dull and their skin flaky or irritated. All Hairy Pony products are completely free from sulphates and parabens, instead harnessing the power of natural ingredients to nourish, soothe and protect your horse’s skin, coat, mane, and tail – because we believe that natural is best.

Consider using a tail bag or plaiting your horse’s tail 

Tail bags can be a good option if you really want to completely protect your horse’s tail from the elements and harsh winter weather. They’re also very effective at protecting horses with lighter-coloured tails (like grey or flaxen) from staining. If you’ve ever owned a grey or palomino mare, you will treasure tail bags! There are two options for tail bags – A tail bag that attaches to your horse’s cotton rug with Velcro, or a tie-in tail bag that attaches near the dock, it is up to personal preference which you prefer! If you don’t like using tail bags, then another option is to plait your horse’s tail. It doesn’t offer quite as much protection as a tail bag but will help to prevent knotting.

Regularly trim your horse’s tail

We suggest regularly giving your horse’s tail small trims. Not only does this mean they won’t get too long and pull out their own tail by stepping on it, but regular trims will also help prevent split ends and give a fuller look to the tail. Our Hairy Pony Tail Trimming Scissors are heavy-duty, long-lasting, purpose-designed scissors that won’t go blunt after a few trims! Their toughened, ultra-sharp manganese steel blades make quick work of even the thickest tails with ease. 

If you’re looking for everything you need to give your horse’s tail a complete makeover, we suggest the Hairy Pony Terrific Tails Kit!

The Hairy Pony Terrific Tails Kit is the complete horse tail grooming kit containing everything you need to maintain terrific, healthy tails! Featuring six different products, packed with natural ingredients, this kit is perfect for hydrating, repairing, detangling & trimming dry, dull, or coarse tails.

The Hairy Pony Terrific Tails Kit includes:

• 1 x Hairy Pony Silky Serum
• 1 x Hairy Pony Original 2 in 1 Detangle & Shine Spray (125ml)
• 1 x Hairy Pony Hair Repair (250ml)
• 1 x Hairy Pony Natural Shampoo (500ml)
• 1 x Hairy Pony Tail Trimming Scissors
• 1 x Hairy Pony Mane & Tail Brush

Hairy Pony Ambassador Amelia White keeps her horse Genius’ tail looking incredible with her routine using Hairy Pony products. Amelia says “Regular washing is important - once a fortnight I wash with Hairy Pony Natural Shampoo and condition with Hairy Pony Hair Repair. His tail is brushed out every ride with Hairy Pony 2 in 1 Detangle and Shine Spray – Not only does it get the tangles out, but it also helps to repel the dirt and keep it clean, with the added bonus – It stays beautifully shiny!”