Any tips for growing a horse tail?

I have a mare who's tail is very short and I would like to get it longer before my show in August. Does anyone have good tips? I also heard that braiding helps speed up the growth process.
Answers:
Ditto to those that recommended brushing the base of the tail, proper worming, and flaxseed!
If you buy the raw flax seed, make sure it is chopped up - either in a coffee bean grinder or food processor. The seeds are too fine for a horses' teeth to grind completely on their own, and many seeds would otherwise pass through their system untouched.
I chop up a week's worth at a time and then store it in an air-tight container in a cool dry place (a fridge preferably). I feed approximately two heaping tablespoons to each of my adult horses per day. It takes about two weeks to start seeing a difference in their hair and coat.
You could also look into a quality biotin product.
Braiding might help, but if the hair is really dry that could add to breakage. A tight braid might also restrict blood flow down the tail (minimally). Don't forget that fly season is coming and tails are a horse's number one defense against them. If you do braid, keep the bug spray handy!

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Is it short because it was cut short, or is it just naturally short? I'm not sure how you could get the tail to grow faster, but if you need her to have a long tail for a show, you could always get the fake tails that you braid in.

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hahahah i thought this was a joke i was gonna give u a smart answer
im sorry i dont know

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Condition, condition, condition ! Use a thick conditioner that protects and a soft shampoo. Also, you can braid with cloth to protect it and promote growth avoiding that it gets caught wood and stuff. I also use a handful flaxseed in the feed to promote growth.

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NO
But have you accidentally cut it Short

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you could try rubbing in a tiny bit of Eqyss Mega-Tek cell rebuilder cream. This not only moisturizes the skin but also seems to encourage hair growth . . make sure you keep a fly on your mare when she's out in the pasture .

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Brush the base every day to stimulate the blood flow to the hair follicles. Braiding can cause more breakage. Be sure your horse is wormed or she will rub her tall off from it being itchy. You can purchase hair extensions to make your horses tail look longer and fuller quicker.

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You can give your mare a bit of flaxseed in the feed to possibly help speed up tail growth.I'm not positive about growing her tail longer though...Make sure you shampoo and condition every time to time but not too often of you may over-shampoo it. You amy also want to trim a very little bit off the bottom of the tail.

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I just wonder what the person means by keeping a fly on your horse? Does this ward off all of those other pesky flies? HA HA

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Braiding does not help your horse's tail grow quicker, neither do any of the conditioners or other products that you can apply to their tail. But braiding can stop hair breakage, especially in the summer when your horse uses his tail to swat flies. And conditioners and other products can keep the hair soft and less likely to be damaged.
Make certain your horse's tail is clean before you braid it. Very carefully use your fingers to pick through all the tangles, avoid using a comb if possible as combs pull out some hairs no matter how slowly you go. I apply a bit of leave-in conditioner into the tail before I braid so it doesn't get too dry. I use an old sheet and tear it into three long strips, then when I braid I wrap each third of the tail into one of the strips, starting at the end of the dock, of course. That way the entire clump of hair is covered by the cloth, this protects the hair rubbing against each other and possibly breaking. At the bottom of the braid use rubber bands to fasten everything together. Do not braid the hair on the tail bone, just the hair below the bone. You can put some bailer twine or such at the end so your horse can swat flies better, if you wish.
Some people then put a tail bag over the braided tail. I don't like tail bags, they tend to pull at the hair where they are fastened and cause breakage, which is exactly what you don't want! Remember to unwrap the tail about once a week in the summer (you can go for several weeks in the winter), finger comb it and braid it back again.
Since this is May and your show is in August you only have three months to grow your horse's tail. No matter what you do, it can only grow an inch or so in that time. If a long tail is important to you, you can buy a tail extension or switch. They are sold many places, I bought mine on eBay. A 1 pound extension is average for a mid sized adult horse. Putting an extension in is tricky, so you will need some advice, and you cannot leave it in when your show is finished, or it will hurt your horse's real tail.
I have been told that the length of a horse's tail is partly determined by the length of their tail bone. Horse's with a short bone will have a short tail. And of course genetics, a good diet (the flax will make him shiny and healthy, which might somewhat improve his tail growth) and good care will also make a difference.
Good luck and have fun at your show, even if your horse's tail doesn't grow quite as long as you wish! There is always next year, so keep working at it.

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My only suggestion is not to comb it without using conditioner. It will come off in clumps and will not grow. Good luck. My trainer once told me that it would take seven years to grow a full tail.

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Hay I have a horse that use to have a short tail I braded it and put it in a tail bag ,that thang works wonders it is awsome people a shows now thank it is fake because it is sooooo long and thick but when you put it in a tail bag leave it in there and every day take it out and brush it and brade it and put it back in and GOOD LUCK i have a show too this week end=)

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You can get supplements that help hair growth. Also for shows you can just buy a tail extension. Braiding it does help! But you dont do a show braid, it is actually a giant braid with the tale. You could also put the tail in a tail bag for the whole summer and or winter . or forever??

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If you can find "Jack Be Nimble" mane and tail spray, and "Show Shean" use both of those and braid it every day. I hope I could help!

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I have shown halter horses for years. Wash your horse's tail, then braid it. Drown the braid in a cheap conditioner (Suave). Then put it in a tail bag. Once a week take the braid out and brush out the tail then repeat the process again. I use a soft bristle brush for people, to keep the hair from breaking. Also judges love to see a tail thats full, wash it the day of the show then blow dry.

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Good horse feed, not discount feed helps! Think about it!

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ginger (herb) in her feed will help fast just give her a little bit in her feed until tail is the lenglth you want it wont hurt her unless u put like half the container in her food at once you can find this in the spice section of your groccery store
ps: braiding only makes it to where no hairs are pulled out i would try ginger and then wash and condition her tail really good and spend like 15 min or howweveer long it takes to get ALL the soap out hope i helped

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I have used Shapley's MTG (Main Tail Groom) it works fantastic

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Don't touch it! No brushing, combing or pulling. To get knots out use your fingers only. Especially don't brush it when it's wet.
Your best bet by August is to buy a fake tail and have a professional braider braid it into her tail. Not cheap, about $165.00 to $280.00. If you buy a good one it won't look fake at all. I use them all the time on my "A" Hunters.
Beval Saddlery (1st choice) or Dover Saddlery sell nice ones.

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Try MtG (Mane Tail Groom)You can get it from jeffers.com It works good on things like rain rot too.

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Use MTG on her. It stinks like crazy but you only have to use very little. Spray it on the tail bone and work it in. Get an old sheet and cut in 3 strips and I would sew it up long ways or use velco and when you goto braid the tail, put the 3 strips of hair in the tubes and then braid it. The sheet protects the tail much better then a tail bag that lets dirt and junk in. It also helps to massage the tail bone. It take a long time to grow tail hair! I'm trying to do that right now and OMG it is a pain but it will grow, just don't expect it real soon!!
Good luck

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A biotin supplement

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As others have mentioned use MTG but do not braid it or put it up in a bad if it is short. Especially in the summer when she'll be swatting flies This will cause it to break off at the base and become shorter and look uneven. You only put your horse's tail up if it is long and in danger of being stepped on. My mini stallions and arab show gelding have their tails braided and bagged because they drag the ground and will get stepped on and broken. If your mare's tail is short leave it alone, do not pull out tangles, gently work them out and be sure to feed good nutritional grain and add a supplement, flax seed, corn oil, or farnam super 14 will enhance her tail growth.

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There really isnt much that you can do. Um, braiding may help.. but not very much. Mares are also known for having thinner tails than stallions and geldings. If worse comes to worse, you can put extentions in her tail, but many of the available extentions look like crap.

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Ok what ive done in the past is wash it with shampoo, then conditioner. let dry brush through then either braid it and put it into a tail bag or do what we call "rags" which is taking 3 strands (about 3" wide) of ripped sheets and divide the tail into 3 different strands. wrap one "rag" around each strands of tail then start to braid the tail making sure that the rags stay around each part of his tail then when you get to the end tie knots in it..about every 1-2 months repeat this process. (if u leave a little bit of fabric at the end they can use it as an extended fly swatter) its worked Miracles for me i hope it helps you

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Don't braid it it will pull more hair out... theres a product called M-T-G. Main and tail growth. It smells kinda like beacon grease but it really helps. We used it on our little appy who didnt hardly have a main and now after like two months his main is about 3-4 inches longer. Thats only after a couple of treat ments. You can get it at almost any tack shop (or at least any one around here)
levi_is_my_horse@yahoo.com (if you decide to use it and you have any questions about it just ask me
Missy

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Braiding the tail will make no difference. Try putting it in a tail bag. The ends may be splitting and breaking off which will keep it short. The tail bag should prevent this from happening.

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condisiner

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Try human conditioner and leave in conditioner. You have some time, but I have herd of horsetail weave. I have never seen it, but if you don't have a nice tail by August then you can buy one.

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There is a product called "Mane and Tail" that you can shampoo the tail with. It helps it grow and makes it thicker.