An appetite for tail?

henmother

henmother

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Hello, my first horse my naughty boy has taken a liking to eating two of his field companions tails!! Crib box doesn't put him off none, I'm worried about using chilli/mustard incase he gets it in his eyes!! Apparently he did it as a foal, but has never done it until he came to me, he's just turned 5. Do you think it could be because he's at a new place, with new horses? As a first time owner I've been offered a whole host of opinions , including him lacking in something?
I have provided po&s and a naf stop bite product for the two horses owners to try. I do feel responsible so would like his tail eating to stop but short of muzzling , which I do not want to do, what do I do? Do you think he could be lacking, or have any tried and tested solutions? Thankyou, I don't want him to be public enemy number one but understand I'd be pee'd off if my horse was having his tail eaten away.
 
I use the spray that you use to stop puppies chewing furniture and shoes, you can buy it from a pet shop - it tastes disgusting and it works.

I have a three year old that was chewing the plastic insulators on the electric fence when I turned the fence off and have been told she is lacking in this, that and the next thing, given that I have four horses living in the same paddock and getting the same feed I am somewhat dubious about this theory. My own view is that all young horses chew - it's how they learn what is good to eat and what isn't. For some it becomes an annoying habbit that just needs breaking.
 
Thankyou NZJenny, I have a dentist coming to check his mouth over but worry . I think it's when more experienced people try and be helpful that it makes me doubt what I am doing . I know this is very much part and parcel of owning horses and having them on a livery yard. I will look into puppy stop chew, I'm sure I used that in the past when my little rescue lakey took a fancy to my skirting boards! Hadnt even thought of that, thankyou.
 
We've had a spate of it here which has left almost all with shortened tails. One foal started it and the habit spread to the other youngsters. As you say, Cribox does not seem to work. We gave up on the sprays mostly because the ponies hate the noise of the sprayer and were beginning to hate us for applying it! You also need two people because of this.

I've tried various remedies found on the internet, tried supplying hay to supplement roughage even though there is plenty of grass and all the ponies get ad lib minerals. It seems to be just a habit but worse with stress. A yearling demolished a 3yo's tail in a single night when they were moved! The chewer bites the tail about mid height and the lower bit drops off! There may also be a "tide line" along the mane at chew height!

We finally cracked it by making up a concoction of industrial Vaseline (around £10/kg off Ebay) and Paprika/pepper from the supermarket. Just smear it on tail and mane. It looks awful (!) but seems to be weather resistant. Horses don't seem to mind the smell and will have a taste -- then YUCK! My lot will be due for another dose tomorrow when the help arrives but it seems to have done the trick already.

Apparently hair grows at the rate of about 4 - 5 inches a year so it's a long wait for it to grow back.
 
Thankyou Dry Rot, isn't it awful. I I know it isn't a situation that requires any intervention from the vet but it just looks awful . Not to mention the fact that the horses are being bothered by flies and have had part of their defence mechanism eaten away!!
If I had a kg of Vaseline , what quantities of paprika - pepper would I add? Is it white pepper? Going to make some up and leave in the tack room. It sounds like it could be just the job for the rug ripper come winter too. Thanks for your help. Posted this query elsewhere and was met with a tirade of abuse saying i should muzzle my horse or seperate him. Thankyou.
 
I just used a whole small jar of paprika and some other stuff i've forgotten the name of, chilli powder I think! (Have a browse of the herb shelves). Considering the annoyance, it was a cheap fix. Just a warning, the mixture looks absolutely horrible -- like a bad dose of curry after a night on the booze!!! So be prepared for comments from other horsey people.

I also tried vinegar and lemon juice. Also useless!

Oh yes, we have silly people up here too. Ignore. Every village should have at least one.D:

For flies, I am totally sold on SpotOn for cattle. Just 0.5ccs on the fore lock seems to do the trick but you really need to start before the fly season. It is not licenced for horses so you use it at your own risk. You either need a holding number or to get it through someone who has. I use an old hypodermic syringe without the needle to apply it. Quicker than trying to pour it on from the bottle and less time for spillage.
 
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Brilliant , will get browsing the aisles :) they can't have it both ways ,moaning about him eating the tails then moaning when I come up with a tried and tested solution. Thankyou , I'm over the moon . I'm sure it will smell as good as it looks, hope it won't put me of curries ;)
My yo has sheep, she rates deosect , she is bound to know someone who has cows too.
Thankyou for your h
 
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