tail bandage in field

[pixie]

Is it every justifiable to put a tail bandage on a horse who is turned out?
In this case, the horse is out 24/7 and has sweet-itch (so bandage on to stop it rubbing its tail)

 

[Shooting Star]

No, never ever leave them on for long periods of time. If they get wet they can shrink & reduce circulation and can even lead to the tail dying. If they come loose they can get tangled in the legs causing a potential accident. Really not worth the risk.

 

[JillA]

No, never ever leave them on for long periods of time. If they get wet they can shrink & reduce circulation and can even lead to the tail dying. If they come loose they can get tangled in the legs causing a potential accident. Really not worth the risk.

^^^^ This. There are tail guards that might be more suitable so long as they can't get their teeth in them and get stuck. But I have an itcher - something on his tail would make him worse because it would be too warm and itch more, so he would rub it off anyway. The best answer is electric fencing so they don't have anything to rub on

 

[JFTDWS]

No, I can't think of circumstances where that would be a particularly good idea...

 

[hobo]

Sweetitch rug or any sweetitch potion no to tail bandage.

 

[pixie]

Thanks. I've had to remove one from DIY livery horse that I noticed this morning... Don't want to be the evil Y.O. who messed with other people's horses, but felt I should intervene in this case.

 

[Berpisc]

Nope, never leave a tail bandage on, you have done the right thing removing it. There are plenty of other ways to deal with sweet itch (as I am sure you know).
A friend of mine's daughter badly damaged her horse's tail by leaving a tail bandage on. The tail lost blood circulation and damaged the skin and hair.

 

[Dubsie]

I wouldn't, too much scope for an accident.
One thing I would try - it was suggested to us - was wash the top of the tail and mane with a 5% dettol solution. Solved an itchy problem.

 

[Shay]

You had no choice but to remove the bandage on welfare grounds. For all the reasons mentioned above. In your place I would be having some words with the livery who (hopefully well meaning) put her horse at risk like that.

 

[Auslander]

Don't want to be the evil Y.O. who messed with other people's horses, but felt I should intervene in this case.

Don't let that stop you! I have no hesitation in swooping in and doing what needs doing for the horse's wellbeing! I also have no hesitation in telling the owner why I've done it (in my case, it's usually related to over-rugging!)

 

[pixie]

I have sent her a text to let her know I've done it and why (she is away on holiday with a friend looking over her horses). She is not pleased, but I'm standing my ground.

 

[be positive]

I have sent her a text to let her know I've done it and why (she is away on holiday with a friend looking over her horses). She is not pleased, but I'm standing my ground.

Being away makes it worse, as a YO I would have done the same as you and if the livery didn't appreciate my concerns they are welcome to move elsewhere, who would they have blamed if the horse had been injured, the friend or the YO?

 

[pixie]

Exactly. I don't have a huge amount of rules. I'm pretty happy for people to do their own thing, provided that the horses are well cared for.

 

[ester]

good grief, does she want no tail?! Plenty of other actually safe options!

 

[J&S]

You definitely did the right thing.

 

[claret09]

no. I use kilitch. he has a fly rug and and aussie rug. try to put him out in a paddock with electric fencing and nowhere to rub. I also really recommend washing really frequently and that helps cut down the itch. bring in before dusk and put out after dawn. never ever put a tail bandage on in the field. it is so, so dangerous

 

[MotherOfChickens]

I think Cortez on here has a horse with a short tail due to a tail bandage? (before Cortez got her). One of my horses lost a 3 inch chunk out of his dock due to the sellers putting a tail bandage on and it still being on when he arrived 24hs later.

 

[little_critter]

I have sent her a text to let her know I've done it and why (she is away on holiday with a friend looking over her horses). She is not pleased, but I'm standing my ground.

Has the friend looking after her horses been told not to put it back on?

 

[JanetGeorge]

Do what you can to stop owner doing it again - at least this time it fell - or was rubbed - off. Next, it might be too tight for that and the horse will end up with THIS instead of a tail. Or maybe this horse will lose the complete dock.

She owner this. Mare came back to mine 3 days after allegedly being tail bandaged for 'only an hour' before she went to pt-to-pt. The stable manager didn't believe her tail bandage could have been too tight, but as the swelling increased you could feel the ridges. At that stage there was just a smell - which led to me finding a small necrotic patch under the tail. This pic shows it after 4 weeks of treatment - you really wouldn't have wanted to see pics of it in the earlier stages and strips and lumps of dead flesh had to be removed.... I didn't dare eat breakfast until after I had treated her. She finally grew a new tail - but it took 2 years before she just looked like someone had cut it very
short.

 

[Gloi]

I still remember when I was a kid and a girl at the stables washed their pony's tail and left a bandage on the night before a show. Chunks of flesh on the dock died and sloughed off, it was quite horrible. Pony recovered but always had bald patched and white hair in his tail after that.

 

[JillA]

Friend moved overseas and the transporter bandaged her horses tail too tight for too long. Result? He TOTALLY lost his tail as the blood supply had been compromised and the only thing they could do was remove the whole of the dock.