How to Braid Tails for Horses

Riders often style the top portion of their show horses' tails in French braids. This helps show off the hindquarters and present a tidy picture to the judges and spectators. Use yarn that is the same color, or as close as possible, to the horse's tail. There are a number of ways to finish off the tail braid, including a pinwheel or wrap-around, but a basic loop is considered traditional.

Things You'll Need

  • Yarn
  • Tail brush
  • Scissors
  • Latch hook
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Instructions

    • 1

      Wash the tail with an equine shampoo. Rinse the tail completely until the water runs clear. Do not use any detangling products. These will leave the hair slippery and difficult to work with. When dry, brush the tail thoroughly with a soft brush or use your fingers to detangle it. Avoid pulling any hair out. Brush until the tail is knot-free and the hair hangs freely.

    • 2

      Select three small, equal sections of hair from the left, right and center at the very top of the tail to begin a French braid. The outer sections should be taken from the very back of the tail. Begin a regular braid using these sections of hair.

    • 3

      Add additional hairs to each of the original sections with each cross over. Attempt to make the sections contain equal amounts of hair at all times. If the tail hair is difficult to grasp and mold, add a small amount of styling product such as hair gel or hair spray to make it stickier before continuing.

    • 4

      Stop the French braid three-quarters of the way down the tailbone and continue to braid the leftover length into a pigtail. When there are 3 inches left until the end of the pigtail, fold a 24-inch piece of yarn in half and add it into the hair. Continue braiding so that there are two, 9-inch pieces of yarn remaining when you have braided to the end of the tail hair.

    • 5

      Hold the tail hairs with one hand, and separate out the two pieces of yarn with the other. Flip both pieces of yarn loosely over the end of the pigtail leaving loops in the yarn. Pull the yarn ends underneath the pigtails and through the loops until snug. Repeat this step to ensure the knot is secure.

    • 6

      Insert the latch hook 2 inches above the bottom of the French braid. Place the ends of the yarn into the hook and pull the pigtail and yarn underneath the French braid, bringing one end of yarn out on either side of the middle portion of the French braid. Knot the yarn together over the top of the French braid and cut the excess yarn off with scissors.