Mare holding tail to left side- opinions?

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Emmsp

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Hi all,
Apologies in advance for the long winded post!!

As I wait for the back lady to come out I thought I'd ask for some opinions on this strange positioning of my mare's tail. She has only started doing it in the last 3 weeks- prominently holding her tail up and to the left. At first I thought this was just whilst being ridden but in fact she is doing it all the time!

(Background information- 14.2 heavy Cob mare about 10, thought to have driven a lot in the past. In light work (ridden), out at grass with acres to roam and stabled as and when)

Since noticing this I have only ridden her about twice through not wanting to aggravate the issue.

I have had the saddler out who confirmed the saddle is a good fit for her.

I have also had a rider assessment on a mechanical horse thinking it was me being unbalanced was causing this, and although I do have a tendency to lean a little to the right which I thought may have been the issue (which I have been working on)... It doesn't seem to be the case since she is doing it without anything on her back.

The saddler suggested she may have slipped in the field and tweaked a muscle.
I don't know if this was coincidental or not but when touching her stomach near to her milk bars she does lift her tail in the same way too.

Has anyone else experienced this and what can I do in the mean time to ease this?
 
Interesting one !, I have just looked at a horse for a friend that did the very same thing when we tried it. Big horse that had done a lot of work. Did it hacking and in the school and when trotted up.

After much watching it become obvious it was lame behind but the lame steps were limited to downward transitions on a corner canter to trot on both reins.

We didn't further our interest obviously.
 
Oh! I have had her since July and we don't do any heavy work as such, occasional hacking and light schooling (mainly walking and trotting... Cantering only in large open spaces... Needs some take off room!) and never encountered this with her before. People have commmented that she doesn't quite track up right but I out this down to her being a cart horse.
Thanks for your reply though :)
 
Mine has always carried his tail slightly to one side. He has been checked by every "ist" and vet you can think of. No one could find anything wrong and most said "some horses do and it isn't significant." He successfully done showing classes and dressage, plus other things. BUT he has always had a "funny" hind leg. He is not lame on it, but there does seem to be a weakness there and is something I have had to take account of and work round. It is more obvious when he is unfit and get better the fitter and stronger he gets, to disappear completely. I daresay that it would have prevented him progressing very far in dressage. For him, holding his tail to one side is normal for him.

If you horse has just started to do it, then yes, I agree, it needs looking into.
 
Emmsp said:
Oh! I have had her since July and we don't do any heavy work as such, occasional hacking and light schooling (mainly walking and trotting... Cantering only in large open spaces... Needs some take off room!) and never encountered this with her before. People have commmented that she doesn't quite track up right but I out this down to her being a cart horse.
Thanks for your reply though :)
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Apologies, I didn't mean to suggest your horse has done a lot of work. I wanted to say the horse I looked at had worked hard and was lame.

You may find if you did some sideways work and flat work she will gain balance and strength.
 
Dont worry I didn't take it in that way I was just explaining more thoroughly. Thank you both for your input! Much appreciated!
 
I knew a horse that carried tail to one side and there were issues with his back. A few years later, he was also diagnosed with gastric ulcers!
 
Had a horse that did this, vet & Physio said some horses are just a bit 1 sided & not to worry, couldn't find anything wrong.
About a year later he was pts with huge internal growth, it was obviously the start of his issue, so definitely get it checked, might be an issue, might be nothing
 
My horse started carrying his tail to one side, then struggled to track up, then couldn't get or maintain canter. Thermal imaging confirmed my suspicisions at this point of a SI injury. 6 months field rest and he was fine. Thankfully. The other possible cause was a tendon issue.

Definitely get it investigated! I went with the TI first so as not to get the vet involved until required, so that the insurers wouldn't start the clock too early. ;)

If the symptoms reappear I'll know sooner now than last time, but also will get the vet involved from the very start, but not have to waste time and money investigating everything else first, and will investigate the SI first and see if anything else is secondary.
 
Carrying the tail to one side is a classic sign of lameness OF SOME DESCRIPTION! You need to get a good equine vet to DIAGNOSE for you.
 
If the lady you are waiting for does not come up with anything, I'd still recommend the vet.

Does your horse show any other signs of pain, or weakness anywhere? I know this can be so difficult to spot! :p

An old friend of mine used to tell me to watch a horse's tail when trotting: if it swished to and fro regularly then it suggests their backend is fine. That makes me think tail to one side perhaps isn't.

Sorry I'm not any more helpful in providing an answer, but hope it all works out for the best:)
 
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