Tail Bandages/Guards... introducing horses to.

esselle

esselle

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Bit of a strange one this!...:rolleyes:
We have owned my daughter's mare for 18 months now. She is a hot-headed liver chestnut mare :p
When it has come to travelling, she has always been a bit tricky to put a tail bandage on (a tail clamper) and clearly doesn't enjoy having one put on, but I have always managed it.
Just recently this aversion to having anything on her tail has gotten worse... she swings her quarters, clamps her tail and on one occasion lifted her back leg.... I was not awfully keen on the thought of getting a swift kick so left it off and put on a rug with a tail flap. I have had to do this the last two or three times we have travelled, but unfortunately she rests on the back bar in the trailer and has started to rub the top of her tail. I am conscious that I do not want this to turn into a sore, but we have competitions and rallies to attend, so I really don't know what to do. We have tried a tail guard too but the first type fell off and I recently bought a new one, but she will barely let me take it near her, let alone near her rear end!! :eek:
I really cannot afford to get a nasty kick (even though she has never kicked us before), as a broken leg is something I cannot manage! lol

I was just wondering if anyone had any suggestions, or if anyone with experience with youngsters could give me some tips on starting from scratch with this again, like you do with your young horses who have never had them on?

Thank you for ANY replies, it may sound trivial but I am getting desperate lol
 
Tricky one! I must admit with our youngster I just put one on and he has been ok with iy? Friend's older gelding is a fidgety git tho to put his tail bandage on andshe just ends up chasing him around and occasionally dodging a kick! Not ideal i know though :(
 
Maybe a daft idea but I always let Che have a sniff first. He doesnt wear a tail bandage as we dont travel but he has a reflective tail guard for hacking. He was being a bit silly about having it put on, fidgeting, lifting a leg etc but fine once on. One morning he was stepping from side to side and putting his ears back and I just marched round to the front, showed it to him and announced "its only a flippin tail guard, it wont eat you" let him have a sniff, marched back round to his tail and not a flicker of resistance. Now I just let him have a sniff before I attempt to put it on and all is well. Maybe thats just my silly TB for you but worth a try?
 
Do you pull or plait her tail?

Does she let you do either of these? Does she clamp her tail down when you are washing it or grooming?
 
Could you just put her in the trailer then lean over the back ramp to put a tail guard on? Safer for you! And when you do it, get someone else to give her lots of carrots and praise so she starts to link having it put on with nice things?
 
My mare sometimes clamps her tail down and won't let me put a bandage on. I find that pushing the tail up as if you were trying to push it into her body helps to release the tension- you have to do it slowly and gently though... and stand to one side if she looks cross :eek: :D
 
when i travel b, I tend to move the back bar up a hole (not higher, but towards the front of the trailer) then flop his tail over the bar. There is plenty enough of a gap then between the bar & ramp, so it doesn't rub and when he leans on the bar he doesn't squash, rub or poo on his tail. I still use a guard or a bandage, but it is't at all scuffed at the end of a journey, so he probably could manage without it.
 
Baileyhoss said:
when i travel b, I tend to move the back bar up a hole (not higher, but towards the front of the trailer) then flop his tail over the bar. There is plenty enough of a gap then between the bar & ramp, so it doesn't rub and when he leans on the bar he doesn't squash, rub or poo on his tail. I still use a guard or a bandage, but it is't at all scuffed at the end of a journey, so he probably could manage without it.
Click to expand...

hmmm, now there's something I haven't tried, maybe could give that a go. Basically she just hates her tail being lifted up, full stop, so I would have to be able to stand to the side! lol

When we bought her she did have a perfectly pulled tail, but we have never managed to re-pull it as she clearly doesn't like it, so I have always razored it to keep it tidy, but lately I am so wary I daren't even attempt that!

Horses!! lol:rolleyes:
 
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