is a bent dock a sign of a bad back?

[blacksabbeth]

I was wondering as i heard someone talking about a bent dock the other day.Is it true,i was wondering out of curiosity and my horse has definetly not got one.thanx

 

[Chico Mio]

My horse used to hold his tail to one side after he fell and injured his back. He did have fairly bad ataxia and couldn't even stand after the accident. As he got better his tail straightened up again, so I suppose it is quite possible that a dock to one side could be a symptom of a bad back - it is after all, an extension of the spine.

 

[blacksabbeth]

ah really,I hope your horse is ok now.i have seen a bent dock on a horse before but it never displayed any pain,but it was broke as a 3.5yr old and the rider is quite heavy,would that contribute towards a bent dock as a sign of a bad back?thanx

 

[Squeak]

I have heard that it is an indicator of either a bad back or the horse being unbalanced. With regards to the horse you are talking about it could be possible that the person was too heavy for it and so hurt its back.

 

[Natch]

Do you mean pulled to one side?

The muscles along the back and in the quarters could easily contribute to a crooked tail. So could any skeletal misalignment - so I'd always get a horse with a crooked tail checked out.

The other possibility I wondered about was an injury to the dock, if it has a bend in the middle - could have been broken at some point?

 

[blacksabbeth]

The dock liturately bent over like a neat u shape it if standing behind the horse,could it also be an indication to a horse on the verge of a sway back?as the rider is heavy?this horse has never been checked by a back specialist before.would there be any severe damage from the rider being to heavy and the horse being young?sorry about the questions im just curious.thanx everyone.

 

[Natch]

A heavy rider might, or might not cause a back problem. Not enough information to be able to work that one out, I'm afraid! Same goes for young horse.

If it is to one side I would imagine it could be more to do with an unbalanced rider, or an incorrectly fitting saddle.

We can't really diagnose anything on an internet forum

I would strongly advise the owner to get a vet out, who will be able to advise on any soreness or imbalance in the horse's back or anywhere else. They should be able to comment on saddle fit and effects of the rider's weight on the horse, too. They can then recommend an appropriate specialist to sort the problem, if there is one, out.

 

[blacksabbeth]

Thats brilliant thanx for the advice ill take that on board and pass it on tomorrow.

 

[mil1212]

my horse holds his tail to the side, always has done, the physio thinks it is related to muscle pain, that will have been resolved but he still carries it that way from habit. It's worth having a physio/chiropractor to check it out.

 

[Flashbacksj]

when we first had my horse.. he used to hold his tail to one side when he was ridden... we discovered it was a problem with the fit of his saddle... took a while for the muscles to reorganise but once they did he held his tail in the centre again

x