Removing Manes and Tails

Tails first: Tails are rather easy. There are two options to take when removing a tail. One is to just pull it out the hole. This is only possible on some tails though. As shown in the picture of a free tail on the left, at the base of every tail is a washer inside which pushes against the edge of the hole to prevent this very method of removal by small children. It is however possible to do this on some ponies because for any number of reasons, the washer has popped off. If the tail is free there will be a rattling inside the pony because of the loose washer. If this is the case, the easiest way to take the tail out is to just gently pull and it will come out of its own accord. Do this gently though, because if you do it too quickly in some older ponies, the vinyl around the tail will rip instead of stretch. However, if you don't want to do it that way for some reason, or if the washer is still attached, the tail must be pulled out through the neck. To accomplish this you need some kind of hook that is fairly small, long, but strong (sometimes the tail doesn't want to come). I like to use this Latch Hook, used for making latch-hook rugs. You can find these in just about any craft store. I like it because it has a good handle and a nice long shaft with a small but usable hook at the end. All you have to do is insert it through the open neck (You have taken the head off by this point) Then hook it on to the folded hairs that are between the clasp the holds the tail together and the washer that holds it in. Tug a little and the tail should come smoothly out, it may be harder if the tail is frizzy and you should brush it to make it as even as possible before you do this or else you may end up tearing the vinyl around the hole. If you are having troubles because of frizz, another method to try is to braid the tail evenly before it goes through. The shape won't be exactly circular, but it will keep it smooth for going through the hole.

Manes are somewhat harder, just because of the tight area you have to work in. It is difficult to do work easily through a hole that is one inch in diameter. The best way to remove a mane is from the bottom of the neck up to the ears and face. Masqurade lost her hair to her original owner and it was taken from the top, but that prevented further hair loss which as fortunate for poor Masquerade. All of the latter is true because of the manner in which the hair was sewn in at the factory. They started at the top and worked their way down, however what you can't see, unless you take the head off, is that the hair on the underside is looped together much in the manner of crochet. If anyone is familiar with it, if you undo the bottom loop, the whole unravels quite easily, but if you undo the top, it can still unravel, but not as easily because it knots itself off. This is why you start at the bottom, it makes it very easy to remove the mane AND you can just as easily save the hair for future ponies, or ponies that need hair transfusions.

The hair to the right came from a Cherry Treats who was in VERY SAD condition :( She had lost a hoof (!!) and her tail was cut to 2 inches. Her mane was partially there and what was there was partially cut. Most of it was about 1 inch long, but some of it was still the regular length. Using the method I am about to describe I saved her usable mane and stored it as shown in a barrette. Then a Gusty missing her streak came and so she got a new streak and looked as attractive as ever :) To accomplish this removal you need a tool: tweezers. Inside the head of the pony at the very end of her hairline the will be a clump of hair balled up and stuck together with a lump of glue. This is what is keeping her mane from unraveling. All you have to do is pull this out from the inside. This will then allow the rest of the mane to come loose fairly freely from the outside, where it is easy to work and keep them separate by plug so that when it comes time to give them to another pony (if that is your intention) it will be easy to separate them for reinsertion. Even if you are intending to throw out the pony's hair though, this is a good method because the hair usually comes out easily and you don't have to worry about reaching up inside the head to get all the hair out. The one exception to this rule is when a ridiculous amount of glue was used at the factory. The inside of the pony mane has glue along the whole length to help individual hairs from being pulled out and that one big clump at the bottom to keep the plugs from coming out. However, sometimes at the factory the whole mane is held in by big clumps of glue. In the rare cases like this you will either have to pull very hard from the outside or just give it up as a bad job and pull it out from the inside (which still isn't easy!).