No tall tale: horse with magnificent tail swishes aside rival record of 19 years

It’s not very often that we get royalty breaking world records here at GWR, but it’s recently been confirmed that a princess has made history… in Ohio.

The record breaker’s full title is Mountjoy’s Ice Princess – but fortunately for less formal occasions, she happily also goes by Jenny. And we should probably also mention one last thing – Jenny is a horse.

Okay, so she might only be royal in name, but that doesn’t take anything away from this majestic mare, who was confirmed on 25 July to be the owner of the longest tail on a horse.

It measured in at a whopping 412.62 cm (13 ft 6 in), which is virtually the full length of a VW Beetle car. It took seven years of growth and painstaking care and upkeep to grow this phenomenal feature.

It’s also about 50% longer than the human record holder with the longest hair, who was recently recognized by GWR in India.

Jenny, an American saddlebred, is owned by Mackenzie Lowe and Rachel Estes (both USA), and lives at an equestrian school in Spring Valley, Ohio, USA. Lowe told GWR that she sees Jenny as her “heart horse” and that she “feels incredible to have broken this record”.

“Rachel, my mother Melanie and I have put a lot of effort into maintaining the tail over the years,” she continued. “We’re all so excited for this milestone along with friends and family. When we started growing it out, we never thought one day it would grow so long or that we would end up with the world record.”

Lowe, who was given Jenny in 2019 when she turned 13, says she was the “best birthday gift she could have gotten”.

She describes her equine friend as a “very sweet, perceptive and intelligent horse” and confides that Jenny has helped her through a lot: “Every time something had happened or I was sad I would go and spend time with Jenny. She is so funny and loves to lick people like a dog! She loves playing outside and treats."

This improves on a record that remarkably has stood for almost two decades. The tail of a mare named JJS Summer Breeze was measured at 381 cm (12 ft 6 in) in 2007. She was owned by Crystal and Casey Socha of Augusta, Kansas, USA.

Previous holder of the longest tail on a horse, JJ Summer Breeze, in 2007

Jenny has not always had a long tail, as Lowe revealed: “Before I got her, I was informed when she was younger, she had actually ripped her tail out. By the time I got her, her tail touched the ground but was not long.”

Lowe explained that while the American saddlebred breed is “known for having long and flowy tails, [these are normally enhanced using what is known as] a ‘tail set’ (like extensions for people but tied on when showing).

“We decided to let it grow since a longer tail is something looked for with this breed when showing. Over time, it kept growing and so we decided to see how long it could get and eventually to go for the world record.”

Of course, as spectacular an appendage as Jenny’s tail is, it brings with it many challenges – a lot of time and effort has to go into properly looking after it. Lowe talked us through their tail-care regimen.

“We wash and dry it around once a month or as it is needed to stay healthy and clean. After washing and drying, we put it in a braid to help protect it. The process of unbraiding, shampooing, conditioning, drying, detangling and re-braiding the tail on average takes about four to five hours.”

Apparently the long grooming process can sometimes lead to Jenny getting “a bit impatient” [almost asking] ‘Are we done yet?’, but giving her treats definitely helps as food is the way to her heart!”

“To protect the tail, we braid it loose near her tailbone then tight [farther down]. We do this to ensure she or another horse doesn’t step on it and rip it out. It’s then kept in a tail bag to reduce contact with dirt and keep it clean. We only take it out to wash it or when showing.”

Speaking of which, we were intrigued to hear what kind of reaction Jenny gets from people witnessing her tail for the first time.

“I have done multiple shows with Jenny over the years,” Lowe said. This includes events in Kentucky, West Virginia and, of course, their home state of Ohio.

“When people first see Jenny, they tend to mention how pretty she looks. When they see the tail, they are amazed by the length of it! Normally stating how they can’t believe it is so long and that it is just crazy to see. In our barn, some people know Jenny as 'the horse with the extremely long tail'.”

According to Lowe, she’s not the only one thrilled with this record. “I know Jenny’s excited about it. She’s looking forward to not having quite so many long tail groomings [required for measuring]… and I know she’s also very proud of herself.”

More tails of the unexpected...

Longest tail on a pony ever: this is another long-standing equine record (this one unbroken since 2010). Incredibly, the tail of Shetland pony Golden Shante, aka Topper, was only an inch shorter than that of Jenny at 408 cm (13 ft 5 in)! He was owned by Janine Sparks and resided on Brookwood Farm in New Palestine, Indiana, USA.

Longest tail on a dog ever: the Loodts family of Belgium always had to be careful whenever their Irish wolfhound Keon was in a happy mood... That's because one stroke of his 76.8-cm (2-ft 6-in) wagger (as confirmed in 2015) could do quite a lot of damage!

Longest tail on a cat ever: it might not be quite as long as a horse's tail but it's certainly more floofy! The all-time feline tail title is held by Mr Pugsley Addams, a silver Maine Coon who is part of the Cameron family of Mound, Minnesota, USA. His sweeping swisher measured 46.99 cm (1 ft 6.5 in) from base to tip on 24 February 2025.

For more amazing animal records, check out our dedicated Animals news page.