Showing my ignorance: tail and mane - EML please read!

[Jane&Ziggy]

In my earlier thread Eml referred to "switching" Ziggy's tail for showing.

Sorry, but I do not know what "switching" is. Unless perhaps you mean I should switch it for a clean one?:redface:

Anyway, I need help. Here is the raw material I have to work with:

Tail au naturel. It comes to a point at about fetlock level, and he carries it high in movement so that it sits by his hocks:



Top of tail. He always has this fan of hair, but it is more pronounced since his colic/lami and losing a lot of long hairs:



To give you an idea, his tail hair is fine and silky:



His straight, silky mane. The bit at his withers always sits the wrong way, I have moved it for this photo. I expect I will have to use gel or something!:



Any observations or advices, please, learned peeps?

 

[Lemme]

As M & M we show au naturale so minimal in the trimming dept - Tail just a really good wash - then we user the Canter mane & tail a couple of times a week to keep it from breaking and plenty after bath, same with Mane.

I spent first two years of ours trying to convince Acorns mane to lay on the "correct side" - however this had the effect of shortning and thinning it- so now we show with it as it falls all over to the opposite side - we have never been marked down for it - its much thicker although we never get the really long length you see on some Shetlands - Winter its longer but summer it goes to one level and stays! I think the trick is keeping it conditioned and stop the breaking, we do keep tail rough trimmed at floor level otherwise it would ball up in mud , he has a tendancy to rub top of tail if in so we try and keep him out 24/7 as much as during show season, helps with the energy as well.

jaw line can be trimmed but we have not had to as it tends to come out with grooming and shedding.

Whens your Show?