Shires and others to keep their tails

Shire Horse Society aren't happy but if scurry ponies and Suffolks have never had to lose their tails, why do Shires and Clydesdales.

The argument against is that they often use harness with chains leading to a larger risk but Suffolks do logging which is chains everywhere and they have always kept their tails.

Then they say their tails are too heavy for them to use as fly swats anyway. That isnt an argument for removing it (ask any cob owner) but suggests you need to take better care of it.

I appreciate the 'animal first' the GYS are taking with this one. They will take a lot of flack but it's the right thing to do.
 
OrangeAndLemon said:
Shire Horse Society aren't happy but if scurry ponies and Suffolks have never had to lose their tails, why do Shires and Clydesdales.

The argument against is that they often use harness with chains leading to a larger risk but Suffolks do logging which is chains everywhere and they have always kept their tails.

Then they say their tails are too heavy for them to use as fly swats anyway. That isnt an argument for removing it (ask any cob owner) but suggests you need to take better care of it.

I appreciate the 'animal first' the GYS are taking with this one. They will take a lot of flack but it's the right thing to do.
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I'm with you on this. If tails are in the way for working, they can be plaited up out of the way during work. If they're too heavy to swat flies, then just thin them out until they aren't too heavy. It's not exactly rocket science.
 
It is straight up for ease of presentation, not because they can't do it.
I posted this story to my public facebook page and one of the comments sort of agrees with it and then goes on to complain "when we drive a team of 4, there isn't enough time to plait up all the tails." That isn't an excuse! They find time to polish 4 sets of harness, plait 4 manes. I am not a regular plaiter and I can do a full tail in under 20 minutes. I know that the pros can do a mane in half the time it takes me so on that basis if you can't find an extra 10 minutes to get your horse dressed for the ring it can only be laziness that leads to shaved tails.
Sadly, this is just one of a number of welfare issues that are accepted in the showing of heavy horses...
 
AShetlandBitMeOnce said:
I can kind of guess from the thread comments, but what is the story here? I haven't seen an article
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GYS have said that horses without a tail will not be accepted from 2026. It will affect shires and Clydesdales in the in hand, harness, ridden heavy and driving classes.

Shires and Clydesdales traditionally have a shaved dock with just a short bit of tail at the top. Suffolk horses are traditionally shown with a plaited tail so no change for them.

In recent years many Clydesdales and Shires have kept their tails and had them plaited up but this could be marked down.

ETA it looks like it has come as a surprise to the Shire Horse Society.
 
Now, if they’d just do something about shoeing the yearlings, the extra wide and heavy shoes used to get the movement and the grossly distorted pasterns and fetlocks, we might be getting somewhere with the shires.

Realistically, a lot of people just won’t go to GYS because the full tail will be marked down elsewhere.
 
AShetlandBitMeOnce said:
I can kind of guess from the thread comments, but what is the story here? I haven't seen an article
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www.horseandhound.co.uk

Great Yorkshire Show rules all horses competing must have tails

The Great Yorkshire Show (GYS) is bringing in a rule next year – and an advisory this year – stating that all horses must have tails. The move has come owing to the prevalence of entries in heavy horse classes with tail hair no longer than the length of the dock – or shaved docks. …
www.horseandhound.co.uk www.horseandhound.co.uk
 
Goldie's mum said:
www.horseandhound.co.uk

Great Yorkshire Show rules all horses competing must have tails

The Great Yorkshire Show (GYS) is bringing in a rule next year – and an advisory this year – stating that all horses must have tails. The move has come owing to the prevalence of entries in heavy horse classes with tail hair no longer than the length of the dock – or shaved docks. …
www.horseandhound.co.uk www.horseandhound.co.uk
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Thank you, I don't see one valid argument for supporting the shaving of tails. Every other breed manages to complete the same tasks as the shires do with full tails and have done for decades so the society is skating on thin ice with their comments for sure.
 
Snowfilly said:
Realistically, a lot of people just won’t go to GYS because the full tail will be marked down elsewhere.
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I agree, whilst a good step forward from the GYS, and it is a fabulous show to compete at, but I doubt that many will prioritise being able to enter one show over the success over the rest of the season.

Ultimately the rule changes need to come from the breed societies and affiliated governing bodies. It was also GYS that started clamping down on weights of adults in pony classes, but until there are black and white guidelines in rule books, unfortunately I don’t think it will have much impact; we can only hope enough shows follow suit to make it the norm and force their hand.
 
Snowfilly said:
Now, if they’d just do something about shoeing the yearlings, the extra wide and heavy shoes used to get the movement and the grossly distorted pasterns and fetlocks, we might be getting somewhere with the Shires
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That was addressed only a few years ago and Clydesdales and Shires shod with those square rear shoes are eliminated from competition.

But I take your point, you cant be sure it doesn't happen behind closed doors, to foals to encourage cow-hocks. The breed standard needs a review.
 
OrangeAndLemon said:
That was addressed only a few years ago and Clydesdales and Shires shod with those square rear shoes are eliminated from competition.

But I take your point, you cant be sure it doesn't happen behind closed doors, to foals to encourage cow-hocks. The breed standard needs a review.
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Absolutely agree.

And when the gys start enforcing rules, many shows follow on changing theirs.
 
Titchy Pony said:
Apparently, putting garlic in feed is one of the ways that is more efficient at keeping flies away from horses than long tails... Has this actually ever worked for anyone? Because certainly didn't for my previous pony. Also, I thought it was no longer recommended to give garlic to horses...
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Never had this work.
 
I've just checked the dates of GYS because I was very tempted to enter just to support them, sadly I'm on holiday then.
I think we will, at some point, get into the semantics of how much tail is enough. I'm attaching my post as I've put a few photos in the comments showing how much tail we had for different things.
Shaved tails in shire showing
I could see a number of people moving to a "bobbed" tail where it is cut straight across at the length of the dock.
Watching the comments and posts across the heavy horse world on social media has been... interesting!!
 
Just seen a post this morning from the Shire Horse Society Show announcing the Best Shod has gone to a 2 year old.

What 2 year old that needs shoeing should be in a show ring? The SHS seem to be almost inviting controversy.

I know enough HH farriers who say that, unless for remedial reasons, you shouldn't be shoeing before 4yo.
 
Well bloody well wash the grease out of the tails and brush them more often, and you know get some of that detangling stuff


To think an animal with that strength can't flick off a fly is beyond stupid


It takes 10 mins to wash a tail

File em in the same box as the blue tongue dressage lot
 
OrangeAndLemon said:
Just seen a post this morning from the Shire Horse Society Show announcing the Best Shod has gone to a 2 year old.

What 2 year old that needs shoeing should be in a show ring? The SHS seem to be almost inviting controversy.

I know enough HH farriers who say that, unless for remedial reasons, you shouldn't be shoeing before 4yo.
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Unfortunately they do the same with young racehorses going to the sales.
Unfortunately if they don't get good farriers doing the shoeing of foals well they will just whack a set of shoes on badly themselves! Not saying shoeing youngsters is ok but at least if it is being done it is being done properly. The more I read of this the less I feel inclined to be involved in the HH world.
 
OrangeAndLemon said:
Just seen a post this morning from the Shire Horse Society Show announcing the Best Shod has gone to a 2 year old.

What 2 year old that needs shoeing should be in a show ring? The SHS seem to be almost inviting controversy.

I know enough HH farriers who say that, unless for remedial reasons, you shouldn't be shoeing before 4yo.
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It's barbaric seeing Clydesdale yearling's being shod behind to coup in their hocks, I had thought this practice had stopped but there is still some breeders that are doing it.
 
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