Horse Illustrated Magazine

If you keep a horse in wintry climates, you’ve seen what Mother Nature can do to a horse’s tail. Natural condensation of moisture quickly freezes, causing icicles to form around clumps of hair. This cold coiffure is made worse if a horse decides to make a snow angel and roll. The result is an abominable snow horse!

The best way to preserve a tail until springtime is to begin with prevention. Some horse owners resign themselves to snipping off several inches from the tail, so that it can’t drag on damp ground. By springtime, the tail has grown back to its original length.
 Whether you want to snip or not, you can keep your horse de-iced with a little grooming. Before turning out your horse for winter playtime, brush out his tail and apply a light spritzing of coat polish or detangler to help ward off icicles. You can even braid the tail for further protection.

If you already have Frosty the Snow Horse, there is still hope. Melt away the icicles in your horse’s tail with the use of a hair blow dryer. Of course, you need to make sure that your horse is willing to tolerate the sounds of a beauty salon first. And bring your horse—and your blow dryer—into the barn aisle or stall where it’s completely dry before plugging it in, just as you would with a set of electric clippers. Once his tail is free from ice, you can take those preventive steps to keep it from happening again.