There's nothing prettier than a long, thick beautiful tail on a horse.

Unfortunately not every horse can have that naturally lush tail. Thankfully that's where fake tails can help. Although an investment, when properly cared for and stored, your tail extension can keep your horse looking fabulous for many years. 

Today we're going to share our tips and tricks for care and storage of your tail between uses to keep your fake tail looking its best. 

• Before the first use of your new tail extension, quickly brush it out, wash and dry it for maximum fullness.
• Be careful not to brush it too much, just like your horse's natural hair, too much brushing can cause hair to fall out of the extension. 
• Wash your tail extension with a quality equine shampoo, avoid submerging the top of the tail in water and be sure to rinse well. 
• Condition your fake tail every 6-8 washes with a quality equine conditioner. 
• Air dry your horse's tail extension by hanging it out of direct sunlight. Just like your horse's natural tail, extended exposure to sunlight can cause tail hairs to bleach. 
• Don't be tempted to use a hairdryer on your tail extension. The extreme heat can damage the head of your tail as well as cause the hair itself to become brittle.
• After conditioning, apply a silicone-free hair detangler to make brush-outs easier, and to prevent knots.
• Avoid completely submerging your tail extension in water, and/or soaking it in water for long periods. Moisture can get trapped in the head of the tail extension, where the tail hairs are bound together. Since air can’t reach this area, moisture can cause the tail hairs to rot. This can lead to tail fall out, where large sections of hair begin to detach from the core of the tail. 
• Store the fake tail, clean and brushed out, and knot-free in a tail bag that is slightly longer than the tail to prevent the ends from curling or creasing. 
• When not in use, store your tail in a cool dry location, storing the tail in your trailer can cause the bonding material at the top of the tail head to deteriorate.
• Heavily soiled white/light-colored horsetails may be shampooed with an equine coat whitening shampoo. Use no more than a dime-size amount of coat whitening shampoo and rinse promptly. Using an excessive amount and/or failing to rinse promptly can stain your tail purple. This should only be done if you have already washed the tail with regular equine shampoo and it is still stained. 

Pro Tips! 

• Women's tights make a great tail sleeve! Simply cut one leg off at the top of the leg, then cut a small slit in the toe of the tights. Collect the fabric of the tight from thigh to toe so you have what looks like a hair tie. Slide the top loop of the tail into the tight starting at the thigh and pulling the loop out of the small slit you made at the toe. Then smooth the rest of the fabric down over the length of your tail extension. This also keeps the tail extension tidy, and away from the zipper of your storage bag.
• The night before your horse or pony gets braided, pull your extension out of the bag and give it a little shake to fluff and hang or lay flat on your trunk for easy access for your braider.
• Be sure to leave an ace bandage with your tail extension for your braider. The ace bandage is used to keep your horse's tail braid tidy overnight. It also serves to keep your tail extension out from under your horse's hooves. The braider will be a part of the Ace bandage to hold the tail up so your horse doesn't accidentally step on it.
• Using vet wrap or a polo wrap for this is discouraged as both can loosen the braid creating fly-away hairs, making it looks sloppy. 

Following our care and storage tips, your horse's tail extension will give you many many years of use! 

Ready to purchase a fake tail? Check out our favorite Custom Horse Tail Extensions, or give us a call at 864-457-3557 to start a special order.