Attaching a False Tail (Western)
What You Need
- False tail
- Rubber bands to match the tail colour
- Thinning Scissors
A Few Points To Consider
- Make sure that the tail is washed, clean and dry before starting.
- Having an extra person on hand to hold the tail at the start of the process can be helpful.
- Measuring the tail correctly at the beginning is very important as many newcomers leave the false tail too low which will result in points being deducted on turnout.
NRG TEAM TAIL TIPS
When trimming the tail, the length should not exceed the fetlock.
Try NRG No-Nots in the tail for that extra shine and lustre.
Measure the length of the false tail against the horse’s natural tail to find the attachment point.
Ideally, the hairline should no longer than the fetlock.
Brush aside the top layer of tail hair and gather a 5cm band of hair from the base of the tail.
Separate this band of hair into three separate strands.
Take one of the strands and form a loop starting from the tail base.
Take the false tail loop and thread this natural strand loop through the false tail loop then pull the entire strand through.
Hold the strand up higher than the false tail so the false tail loop hangs close to the base of the strand.
Take the second strand of natural hair and cross the first strand over the top to begin a braid.
Hold the crossed strands together.
Now take a strand from one side of the false tail and cross it over the top of the two crossed strands to continue the braid.
Now take another strand from the false tail on the opposite side and cross this strand into your braid.
Make sure you are keeping pressure on the braid as you move downwards.
Once you have braided both sides of the false tail into the braid, take another strand of natural tail from one side, cross it over the top and work the strand into the braid.
Now take another strand of natural tail from the opposite side and work this into the braid.
This will stop the two tails separating.
Braid another two more crosses of false tail strands from opposite sides AND then two more natural tail strands.
Hold the braid tightly as you apply TWO rubber bands to secure the end of braid.
Like Western Banding, take hold of the bottom strands of the braid and pull apart in opposite direction to tighten the braid and apply upwards pressure on the
band.
This will help the braid sit flat inside the natural tail.
Pull the top layer of natural tail out and over the braid to hide.
Brush the outer layer of tail over the hidden braid.
NRG No-Nots can be used to help separate out the tail hairs and achieve a lustrous full tail.
Gather the false and natural tail together at the end and trim any uneven lengths of hair.