Tail Chewer!!!!!!!!

[Lacie's Foal of Hope]

I need suggestions on what to do to stop a tail chewer!!!

: We have one mare and one yearling filly (both big horses). The yearling-Lacie- has recently this year started chewing our other mare-Sheba's- tail. Sheba is an older mare about 16yrs old, and does not have a mean bone in her body, and just allows Lacie to chew her tail. Lacie is a nursemare foal adopted through Last Chance Corral, who was hand raised as an orphan since the age of two weeks. Lacie has access to free choice minerals and salt and even a 50 lb. special mineral lick for horses. Both horses are turned out together in their pasture, and their barn has dutch door's which allows them to come and go as they please. Their pasture is huge and very lush green grass, but most of the time they just choose to lounge around in their stalls in front of their fans. This is when I think Lacie is doing the chewing! The stalls have grass hay in hay racks, which they just pick at, and both stalls have jolly apple licks (boredom breakers) in them. They are fed grain three times a day as well. So...... I really don't think this is an nutritional problem.

Now these are a few things we have tried to deter her from the tail......

vasiline and red pepper on the ends of Sheba's tail.... didn't work and made tail messy

fly spray on tail, vinegar on tail

we just got No Chew this week but Lacie licked it out of our hands

We have also tried braiding material in Sheba's tail, tail bags, wrapping the tail in vet wrap but we found that this was breaking her hair and prevented her from getting flys.

We have looked into purchasing a muzzel.... but I really don't want to do that to Lacie! :no:

We just don't know what to do anymore!!!

: Am I going to have to buy Sheba a fake tail

:

~Carly~ [/font]

 

[Marty]

This is one of my research sites

http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/eb1657/eb1657.html

You will see when you get down the list it will include reasons of not enough roughage or could be boredom and I think that is going to be your answer.

You can increase some free choice minerals maybe if you want to, but also try to break up their borring day with some thing different, and give that tail chewer a badly needed job. The yearling is a mischief maker due to his age, so why not start working with him more and more each day and see if that changes his behavior vice.

 

[chevycouple]

I have not tried this on my horses as I never had the problem before (knock on wood). Try dipping the tail in turpentine (not the tail dock) Other wise start putting the tail in a tail wrap. Also I have pony pops in all my horses stalls and paddocks. Of course it's easy for me since I distribute them. Good luck

 

[Voodoo]

That is a nasty habit and makes me crazy, but the only thing I've found that works is giving the troublesome one a job. They will usually outgrow it with time, but until then it can be very frustrating

:. I really don't know what to tell you other than to try to give Lacie a job of sorts to help pass her boring days.

 

[Leeana]

When my dad got his arabian yearling last summer, his tail was short from where the pasture where this lady kept all her foals, weanlings and yearling along with her mares were chewing on his tail.

It grew back fairly fast actually, it was pretty short and knotty from them.

I would think they would grow out of it.

Maybe since there younger, its just them being bord.

Leeana H.

 

[kaykay]

this is a really hard habit to break. we had one doing that here and had to seperate them to stop the cycle. i really think its boredom of a young horse. ours are out together again but since you only have two thats hard to do i know. when we brought patches home she had no tail from the other herdmates chewing it. dang horses!

 

[OhHorsePee]

Can't add any advise but I can wish you luck on getting it resolved!

Fran

 

[Lacie's Foal of Hope]

Hello,

Thank you all so much for your advise and replys!! It is soo annoying having a tail chewer.

However I love Lacie very much and work with her every single day on training and groundwork

and she is such a sweet horse......if only we could get this fixed!!!

I think for the time being we have got the problem solved! We are keeping them in during the afternoon

and out in the morning and evening. Also, we have Sheba's tail braided, in a bag, and have attached long peices of material to the bottom, like a real tail. Then, we paint a little hoof-flex (by Absorbine) to the material, and she won't come near he tail. That is the only thing she won't lick or eat! Seems to really help her swat flies and keep her tail safe from Lacie! lol

Thanks again for all your help! :aktion033: Sure is nice to know I'm not the only one with the problem!!!

~Carly~

 

[Marty]

Just a word of warning:



Try dipping the tail in turpentine

Then, we paint a little hoof-flex

I would never put anything toxic like that on the tail. You just never know.