Euthanased due to tail plait

[Roasted Chestnuts]

My three year old D seems to be able to remove a tail bag and plait rather easily ? so I can’t see how a horse could rip off its own tail from a plait ?

 

[Batgirl]

A slight aside I personally know someone who has a long plait themselves, they got it caught in a small motor and it scalped her. She was in a coma for a while due to swelling.

I can imagine a traumatic 'degloving' of a dock if a horse caught a large plaited tail and panicked. It being tied 'only with...' makes no difference if it's caught above the tie, the hair pulled against itself not the tie (if you don't beloved me put your finger in half way down a plait and pull)

That said it would be an absolute freak accident and I'd imagine there to be plenty of actual news on it.

 

[Lyle]

I feel like I have a recollection of seeing something similar on FB years ago. The horse had it's tail plaited, potentially with one of those plait in wraps often seen in the western world. The horse had, essentially, totally degloved the dock. It was just a meaty stump. I was using those plait and tie in tail bags at the time, because I felt they were less uncomfortable for the horse than a full tail bag attached to the rug...

 

[windand rain]

Some pretty graphic pictures of a quarter horse that got its tail round post https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6741824/ here but it did survive its injuries

 

[Cortez]

I own a horse with no tail. He travelled from Spain to the UK with a too-tight tail bandage and got gangrene. Degloving the dock wouldn't usually mean euthanasia.

 

[PurBee]

I've never had an issue with plaiting the dock below the tail for turnout etc, particularly with a little plaiting band holding the end together. Not that I do it often, just saves damaging the tail by cleaning mud/tangles out in bad conditions particularly.

Plus if my horse was noticeably rubbing it's dock in field or stable, I'd be sorting that issue out sharpish!

And electric fencing sure prevents a horse rubbing itself anyway haha

My horse in the past has caught strands of its unplaited tail in the hooks that hold tape/rope that run down the plastic electric fence posts. I think its done when theyre near the fence and are swooshing flies away with their tails during warmer months. I spot it as i find the fence post pulled out and the neighbouring ones bent.

So that means the hook side of the posts should be facing outwards, but houdini horse who doesnt mind a wee zap of 4000 volts when the battery is low will more easily walk through the fencing by putting pressure on the hooks, moving forward literally into the fence, until the hooks snap off! Thats why i orefer having the hooks facing into horse area so if he pushes he has the whole post resisting him.
He treats fencing like elastic bands that are in his way - ive witnessed his remarkable skill level at navigating 4 legs through 3 strand rope....he’s a friggin’ genius tbh!
(Upgraded to 8000 volts and he’s now more wary, finally)

Anyway, another freak tail episode was him waiting at an electric rope 2 string gate. I use those large plastic handles with metal hook for quick hitch/unhitch. Very similar to this stock image:




Again he was stood there swishing flies with tail, presumably - and caught a few hairs - 10ish...in the spring of the handle! The spring is mostly within the cowling of the handle at the end the rope ties to the handle. The above poc is showing the spring really pulled out the cowling...mine wasnt even that far stretched. The gate rope was tight so the spring was literally pulled a few mm out of the cowling - allowing his few tail hairs to swish into the gap in the spring and i presume wrap around a couple of times due to the momentum of swishing action of his tail.

What greeted me that night (its always at night this stuff happens!) was absolute carnage to my electric fence system!
40 metre length of plastic posts pulled out, strewn about, snapped.. rope and tape all over the place jumbled in a spaghetti mess, the gate handles, both of them the spring within the whole handle had been stretched right out to become 50cm long curly metal, the handles had been stamped on. On the fixed wooden posts the plastic hooks for rope had been bent.

Horses in stable dozing as if someone else created that mess!
Checked them over while distracting them with haybag while getting fencing sorted in a temp fashion to last the night, not a mark on them, thankfully.

The only evidence i found as to cause, after 8yrs of this fence system in place without issue, were tails hairs wrapped up in the handle spring. And i know he waits by that gate for me to open it after a night feed before night hay is given. He’s waited without issue, same handle for 8yrs....until just 1 freaky night when a few loose tail hairs caused complete bedlum!!

So to be honest, loose or plated, their tails are a blinkin’ hazard! She’s always stepping on hers so trim regularly now, and he’s a mega-swoosher and catches it in literally anything. ? i dont braid but dare not as theres many trees, massive bushes, low branches in every paddock that would have me worrying if theyre stuck.
Probably in the wild horses dont live as long due to catching their tails in thorny bushes and damaging skin/infection etc...its quite a safety risk which ever way you assess them! But i do love them partly for their manes and tails...?

It would be rare, nasty and a very freak accident if a tail plait tore the entire skin off the dock, and damaged bone - but with horses, i’d believe any injury is possible.
You have seen the pic of the horse that got stuck into the rim of a tractor tyre in its field, that was being used as a feeder?

Ironically, the extremely strong self-preservation feature of the equine we call ‘flight instinct’, causes many accidents leading to self-destruction!

But we do love ‘em...and we do try to protect them from harm by considering all possibilities, bordering on what non-horsey people would call manic paranoia! ?

 

[honetpot]

It used to be common to dock draft horse tails in the UK, they still do it in Europe and the US, so the horse must be able to survive with only part of its tail.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo6/12-13-14/70
I have some 1890's veterinary books, I am sure there will be a section on it.
I have heard of a feral pony almost dying because it got its foot caught in its tangled mane.

 

[SEL]

We've got a horse with an amputated tail on the yard - got it stuck (unplaited) in a gate. It doesn't bother her so it would have to be a very severe injury to PTS

 

[sunnyone]

I own a horse with no tail. He travelled from Spain to the UK with a too-tight tail bandage and got gangrene. Degloving the dock wouldn't usually mean euthanasia.

Cortez you have my sympathies but regrettably that wasn't a unique accident.
Some years ago now the Spanish Riding School in Vienna bought a lorry load of young Spanish horses as they wanted to enlarge their own numbers. Every horse on the lorry to Austria lost its tail! My Austrian friend who saw them didn't tell me what happened to them eventually, at the time of telling me he was trying to ensure that his own 2 Spanish horses would not lose theirs in transit.

 

[milliepops]

Did anyone see the foal born without a tail recently? Was in H&H I think.

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

Leaving tail plaits in seems to be fashionable with the young liveries on our yard…my objection is a horse reflexly swishing tail to move flies along lashes him/herself with a “rope” rather than a gentle whoosh of hair. I’ve never heard or seen the ponies damaged by the practice ..but I guess being caught in a fence or stable door could be injurious..

 

[NinjaPony]

Sounds like a freak accident, if it’s even true. If we stopped doing something every time a horse managed to have some kind of accident, we would probably never do anything with them….
Mine has his in a plait, it’s very loose and I leave a good chunk of it free anyway as a fly swatch. He seems to unravel it on a regular basis, and the hairband will break if it’s under any kind of pressure. Main thing is to take it out regularly, shake it out abs replait. Understand that a tight plait all the way down may have more potential for problems. But really, horses seem to be able to injure themselves in a padded cell!

 

[twiggy2]

I can't comment on the whole tail injuries thing.
I can say when I had long hair wearing it down was fine but after just a short while in a pony tail it felt heavy and like ot was pulling and would result in headaches and a tender scalp.
Also a tail is for swishing flies and I really can't see how a lump of plaited rope/tail is effective at that and it must thump the horse rather than flick it like a loose tail does.
A tail has an important job and I believe plaiting it interferes with its effectiveness

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

I own a horse with no tail. He travelled from Spain to the UK with a too-tight tail bandage and got gangrene. Degloving the dock wouldn't usually mean euthanasia.

My rather too fussy friend left her horse's tail bandaged up all afternoon and overnight in a too tight bandage before a show. Eventually the vet had to amputate half way up the dock. Personally I cannot imagine how any one would bandage tight enough to cause irreversible damage. But obviously it happens.

 

[Clodagh]

I used to plait the tail up for hunting, and used to do it the night before. Much thread was used.

 

[lannerch]

I think an injury to the tail however bad would not by itself warrant euthanasia however if left untreated for a period of time and had become infected if the infection had spread to cause sepsis now that would.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

My rather too fussy friend left her horse's tail bandaged up all afternoon and overnight in a too tight bandage before a show. Eventually the vet had to amputate half way up the dock. Personally I cannot imagine how any one would bandage tight enough to cause irreversible damage. But obviously it happens.

I was once warned to be very wary of bandaging damp tails to flatten the hair over the dock. Apparently when a tail bandage gets wet it stretches more and then tightens as it dries. There was also a former member on here with a black mare that had white marks down her legs, IIRC damp bandages were mentioned as the cause of that.

 

[SOS]

I don’t tend to leave my horses tails plaited when outside as like them to be able to use them against the flies. However if in the night before a show I will do a simple plait. However mine are quite short, just below hock, and they couldn’t really stand on them!

I don’t know if I’d plait the dock the night before as I think it would be quite uncomfortable, as to stay in it would be rather tight. However I will plait the mane the night before if needed so perhaps I’m contradicting myself. Never the forelock though! Old wives tail that it gives them headaches so always do that on the day.

So I guess if I was worried about my horse standing on its tail, I’d trim it appropriately and keep it well groomed. I saw someone get pulled off their horse out hunting when someone’s cob-type who’s tail hasn’t been brushed through ran through a gate way, caught the other persons spur and pulled him off the horse and several metres. Pony club rules of well groomed tails and human hair in buns spring to mind!

 

[Illusion100]

Some pretty graphic pictures of a quarter horse that got its tail round post https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6741824/ here but it did survive its injuries

Interesting, thanks for that! The nerve damage, while extensive remained localised. Poor horse though.

Certainly while I do believe freak accidents happen, I'd still say it would be more likely to have a horse significantly injured coming round from a GA/cast in stable/traffic accident rather than a tail plait.

 

[Illusion100]

I'm not sure I'd personally plait tails in fly weather, especially not horse fly weather as I'd agree with whipping a plaited tail about would probably cause more harm than good.

I use quite a bit of detangler on tails as some manage to pull fair enough amounts of hair out on things when the tail is loose. But I would stick a plait in for turnout in heavy mud for a few hours, never had any issue.

It seems any related issues are freak accidents.

 

[ester]

Tbf some wirey thick cob tails can’t be brushed through just after you’ve brushed them out with conditioner because they’re just like that ?

 

[Illusion100]

Tbf some wirey thick cob tails can’t be brushed through just after you’ve brushed them out with conditioner because they’re just like that ?

Sounds emotional haha