Step by step instructions on sheeting a horses tail. This method works really well for getting some length and thickness on tails. We wash the tails, sheet them and then leave them in for couple of months, then we'll take them out for a week or so, then start over again.
Step 1. Starting with a clean sheet, cut it into 5" strips, lengthwise. Take three of the strips and tie them together with an overhand knot, (use the end that would go at the bottom of the bed, not the top folded part)
Step 2. Tie the knotted end of the sheet into the tail. Make sure the knot is about an inch below the end of the tail bone.
Note: If you tie at the tail bone or above it, you could cut off the circulation and cause the tail to fall out.
To tie the sheet - set the knot at about where you want the wrap to start and then take one strip and wrap it around the tail and tie it to the existing knot.
Step 3. Seperate the tail into three pieces and start wrapping each piece with a strip of sheet, making sure that you wrap it tightly and at an angle so the tail is twisted. Once finished there should be atleast a foot of the sheet strip at the end of the tail. You can tie a knot at the end just to hold it, but you don't have to. Make sure that when you start on another one, that you don't let the one's you have already done become un-twisted - this is where it is helpful to have another person.
Step 4. You should have three pieces when you are done. Braid them together. You can tie a knot to hold it, but you don't have to.
Step 5. Now comes the tricky part. You want to fold the braid in half, so that the bottom of the braid is now even with the knot. Then, you take the extra length of sheet that is at the bottom of the braid and you "sew" it into the tail -
Take one piece and pull it through the middle of the braid at the top of the tail. You want to go through the top braid first, then pull it through the bottom part of the braid, then go through the top again, then through the bottom, and so on, until you get to the end of the braid.
In this picture, you can see how the top sheet goes through the braid, and then will be passed into the bottom piece.
You should end up with the tail and sheet looking like this after you have "sewn" one strip through the braid -
When you get all three of the sheets sewn Back through the braid, it should look like this -
And the final product -
This technique helps to protect the tail and prevents breakage, so the tail can get thicker. Also, the thing that it is nice about this method is that it gives weight to the tail, which also helps it to grow without causing the tail to get weak.
Author
Kiley Plooste is the owner of KP Equine Training in Rapid City, South Dakota. She specializing in training horses and teaching lessons.
