[S.HorseWoman]

I spent a couple of hours at a local show today, just walking around and watching the classes. It was mainly a "Stock horse" event, mostly Quarter Horses, Paints, and Appaloosas. I believe they were judging by AQHA rules.

Well, I got to see my first fake tails in action. Now, I am not knocking them personally. I have no problem with someone using them, but geeze, if you are going to, make sure it looks good!

Several horses looked very nice; I only knew they had extensions on because I saw them warm-up before their classes and their tails were MUCH shorter then. In the ring, they looked fine and I would not have known otherwise.

But some of them looked AWFUL.

There was a gray with a multi-colored tail that the owner or whatever had gotten a white extentions for so the whole bottom of the tail was white and you could clearly see where the horse's gray, black, and white real tail ended and the fake started.

Another was a cute little chestnut. His tail looked fine as long as he was standing perfectly still. As soon as he moved though, you could see where the extension was connected to the hairs at the back of the tailbone, even the plastic cap at the top of it!

Several people had the extensions cut perfectly level at the bottom and all the hairs in the extension the exact same length, which looked really false as the horses' real tails had hairs in various lengths. So the top half was "feathered" looking and the bottom have was straight, even, and shiny as a Barbie horse tail!

All I am saying is if you are going to put one on, at least make it look realistic! Some of the them though, I really wish I had my camera with me today so I could share pictures .

Again, I am not knocking tail extensions. Like I said, there were several that looked very nice and I would not have known if I had not seen the horses warming up. The extensions were well-matched, trimmed a little so the lengths looked real, etc. Some of them were very nice looking! Especially this one Appaloosa; she has both mane and tail extension and they looked very nice and I could only tell because I saw them grooming her and putting them in.

But boy, when those extensions aren't put in properly, wow they look really really bad.

[Akyashaa]

omg this is the first tiem ever that i heard of tail extensions!
I mean hair extensions on humans is cool and all but that they are starting to apply this kinda nonesense to horse now? crazy, some ppl just dunno what to do with their money eh?

lol

[Pipstar*]

Ha ha, yeah! I totally agree with you! I went to the Royal Show a while back and some of the tail extensions were hilarious! There was this dapple grey that had a nice, steel, dark grey tail and they'd put a brilliant white extension on it! It was horrible! I was like: Are they colour blind?! Lol, it's pretty funny. Tail extensions can look so nice IF they're used properly! Otherwise... lol, well...

[irideazip]

SanRoc-good observations!! See, if people would just simply take better notice of what their horses real tail looks like, and read the directions for installation LOL) that kind of thing would never happen...but alas! Some people are dumb and ignorant all at once...LOL....I have a particular way of doing things so it doesnt look like something dead hanging off my horses behind...LOL
1. but an extension that wraps around-they move with the horse better and blend a lot easier
2. wash the extension and, if your horse always has his/her tail braided, briad the extension while it is damp
3. comb and fluff extension, apply to horse as per the directions (yes, they come with directions, LOL)
4. braid extension in with the horses real tail....do warm-up, un-braid just before entering the rind, comb and fluff

By doing this, you are doing everything possible to blend the extension with the horses real tail...it really burns me up when I see people who use them incorrectly, they give themselves a bad name, the horse, and even extensions a bad name.....sorry so long...LOL....i was having fun with this..LOL

[Judy Tina]

tail extentions jesh what will people do for money next? ROFL!!

[Serendipity Zip]

I use tail extentions all the time...I like em! Hurray for diversity.

[Zoomarsgirl]

I agree! When people put them on wrong, they look terrable!

[Friesiangirl]

if they are put on right, they look fab, especialy for appys, they ahave pretty pretty sparce tails sometimes. but if they aren't put on right, they look really bad, like you died your hair and you can see totaly different colored roots coming in

[Serendipity Zip]

Anything can look terrible if done incorrectly.

This is my trainer and her 3 year old, Tex. He's got a fake tail in but you cant tell.
http://www.printroom.com/ViewGallery...89&image_id=79

Here's my mare with a thicker fake tail in. I had alot of people come up and ask if she had a fake tail in...because they weren't sure.
http://www.printroom.com/ViewGallery...88&image_id=38

[S.HorseWoman]

Like I said, I have no problem with horses having fake tails. But be warned, if you put yours in badly I WILL laugh at you .

I do agree though that some horses really do need them, not necessarily for the show ring, but for protection. Some of those Appaloosas I saw had almost no mane or tail! Just a few little tufts along the crest and just the thinnish layer of short hair on the tailbone! I had read somewhere that that is a trait of the breed, but never seen it that extreme before.