New horse not happy with tail pulling

C

chasingmytail

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 June 2010
Messages
116
Location
on my way
Visit site
Our new horse is very reluctant to let us pull her tail. You can see her rear end muscles tense up and she moves away or lifts her leg - hasn't kicked out because we've always "taken the hint" and left her alone. She's not normally a kicker and is very well mannered on the ground but don't want to take the risk. Her previous owner never had a problem. I've only managed a couple of single hairs because it must be hurting her and I don't want to upset her. Any advice on how we can overcome this would be greatly appreciated.
 
Get some one to hold her in the stable backed up to the door, you stand on other side of door on a crate or somthing and do it like that, and twitch her as well, maybe just do 15 mins pulling a day with twitch and backed up to door, therefore all she can do is kick the door, also where latex gloves will give you better grip, and can pull a bit faster.
 
i don't blame her not wanting to have her hair ripped out, I think I would do the same thing!! :mad: i use a solo comb and it looks as smart, ok I do need to do it on a more regular basis but at least it is kinder and I don't risk getting kicked. :eek:
 
i wouldn't be bothered pulling - a tail rake and a pair of scissors to tidy up works wonders! you wouldn't know the difference and there's no pain involved! a real worth while little thing to have in your kit. :D
 
SusieT said:
Why would you want to inflict pain on your horse?
Click to expand...

I don't WANT to inflict pain - that's why I stopped. Probably before you were born, we more "mature" people
pulled tails as a matter of routine as all these wondderful gadgets hadn't been invented. But thank you for your thoughts.
Re: scissors - I would have been laughed at hahaha
 
Scissors and tail rakes- Who ever says you cant tell the differance must either have your eyes shut, or never seen a properly pulled tail, you very much can tell the differance, it grows back short and stubbley when its been done with a rake, ive done loads of horses tails good and very bad ones, and never failed yet with the twitch and backing up against the door, a pair of latex gloves and plyers if need be. But then again Iam old school and like things to be done traditionally.
 
if you want to pull the tail I agree, the rake doesn't give the same look at all and is an absolute pain in the ar$e when it starts to grow back and looks horrendous.

either pull it with a twitch on and put her bum against the stable door or let it grow out and plait it instead.
 
Steeleydan, oh god don't cut the hair down the middle of the dock! Just round the sides to shape it. Otherwise you are right it looks like a hedgehog growing back!
 
Like me aunty always says, if you're going to do something do it properly!

Pulling a tail should be done by your fingers, and if you pull slowly and steadily - I was taught that it takes 2 months of pulling a tail once a week to knock one into shape correctly - it shouldn't hurt the horse much at all.

I pulled one of my mairs tails this morning while it was being shod (Farrier did not think it was funny it has to be said!)
 
So I am very confused - why does it look awful when you use a rake compared to pulling it? Is it the same as hairy legs being waxed vs shaved ie. the hair grows back stubbley with shaving??

I need to tackle this issue too and have a rather anxty mare that will probably not take too well so I did not even bother trying - just bought myself a solo rake today!!

Somone else told me to clipper the sides - I would assume this would be easier to maintain as you don't even have to wait for the hair to get long enough to grab hold of....??
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top