How To Attach Your Tail Extension

How To attach the loop tail

Video below.

Loop tail extensions can be placed anywhere on the lower third of the tailbone. You will need to place the tail high enough that it will not drag on the ground and will not get stepped on when the horse backs. If you find that you are placing it halfway up the tailbone or higher I recommend trimming it to allow the tail to look the most natural.

Make sure that both the horse’s tail and the extension are clean, conditioned, and free of knots and tangles. Take the top part of your horse’s natural tail and clip it up leaving some hair from the back of the tail bone hanging. Grab a portion of tail hair about as thick as your little finger from the remaining tail hair. Divide that hair into three sections for braiding. Lay one or both (depending on preference) of the two horse hair loops up against your three sections, up tight against the tail bone. Begin braiding the tail hair, braiding the horse hair loop into the braid with your first crossover. BRAID TIGHTLY, and braid in a downwards direction. Braid the tail hair down about an inch or so, so the end of your braid is past the top of the tail extension. Holding firmly onto the ends, use a banding rubber band in a coordinating color to tightly band off the end of the braid. The tighter the tail extension is to the tailbone the more natural it will look. Make sure you don’t get it too tight that your horse gets irritated. Do the same with the other horse hair loop (if you didn’t put both in the first braid), sectioning off hair slightly to the other side of the tail bone. After you have completed the same steps with the second loop, take both sections of braided hair (the braided ends coming down from each loop), and pull them through the loops, so the braided ends are on the backside of the tail extension Take electrical tape that matches your horses tail and tape the braids to the tail extension, making sure that you get the rubber bands. Do NOT tape your horse’s tailbone! Lately, brush through your horse's tail and the tail extension to blend all the tail hairs. Practice makes perfect and make sure that you practice not only putting in the tail extension before the show but practice riding with the tail extension so your horse can get used to carrying it!

How To Attach A Tail With Braid Strings

Braid a small section of hair at the bottom of the tailbone (approx. 4-8 inches). Be sure that the braid (approx. the diameter of a pencil) is large enough to support the weight of the tail piece. Secure the braid with a rubber band.

Next using a latch hook pull both of the tie-in attachments through the horses braid so it is as close to the bottom of the tail bone as possible. (The more snug it is against the tailbone the less chance you have of any separation or movement) The tie-in attachments are put through the horses braid similar to the way you would attach a tail bag to a braided tail.

Once you have pulled them through the horses braid you tie them together and then you can take the extension pieces and fold them down against the rubber top of the extension. Secure them with a piece of electrical tape by wrapping around the top of the extension 2 or 3 times.