Stomping his hoof impatiently, Dakota was in no mood for a display.

While no stranger to distinction, the 32-inch miniature horse isn’t one for vanity. He’d rather show off his world champion driving skills than his long, straw-colored locks.

Despite Dakota’s unwillingness, trainer Jaime Liestman is nominating the horse for the Guinness World Book of Records for the longest miniature horse tail. Liestman believes it will easily break the current miniature horse record of 53 1/2 inches set in 2004, according to the April-May 2005 Miniature Horse World magazine. An 102-inch tail on a 32-inch horse.

On Friday, Jaime and her mom, Jean, held the official measuring event at Reflection Farm, north of Litchfield. With witnesses on hand to verify the authenticity of the event, Jaime measured the tail at 102 inches.

Reflection Farm, owned and operated by the mother-daughter team of Jean and Jaime Liestman, is known in the show ring for growing long tails on its horses.

In addition to not cutting tails, the Liestmans condition them with a mixture of baby oil and human hair conditioner to help them grow long and healthy — a trick Jean learned years ago at a Maryland horsemanship school.

Another key to growing a long tail is to keep it up and out of the horse’s way. Jaime braids the tails of several Reflection Farm horses and then wraps them with a Vet Wrap bandage. Inside, she attaches foot-long plastic cords, called “swishers,” so the horse still has a “tail” to swat at insects. Dakota’s tail has been kept up since 2000.

Read more of this tail in the April 3 Independent Review print edition.