Tail swishing in the dressage!

[MyBoyChe]

This may be a really stupid question but here goes! I am sat here watching these stunning horses at Olympia and noticing how much tail swishing goes on. Now in other disciplines ie racing and showjumping excessive tail swishing is sometimes noted as resistance or temper but this never seems to be mentioned in dressage and obviously cant be the case. Anyone have any ideas why the horses are so expressive with their tails!

 

[soph21]

Probably totally wrong but I know my horse swishes his tail when he's concentrating. I know he's listening as the slightest touch on his sides, his tail swishes and he does what is asked

 

[bushbaby28]

I think (but may be wrong) that excessive tail swishing is mentioned in BD rule book as showing tension

 

[3Beasties]

[ QUOTE ]
I think (but may be wrong) that excessive tail swishing is mentioned in BD rule book as showing tension

[/ QUOTE ]

I thought I had heard that to

 

[soph21]

I was wrong then

He does it when at home schooling

Its deffo not tension

 

[dieseldog]

I have had it written on a test about tail swishing, but the horse wasn't a tense horse - it just swished its tail.

I think it is heredity. He was by Midt-West Ibi-Light that swished its tail a lot.

 

[eventing09]

i was once told that it shows the horse is using it backend correctly, could be wrong though

 

[bushbaby28]

From BD website-

85. Grinding teeth and tail swishing
Grinding the teeth and swishing the tail may be signs of nervousness, tenseness, or resistance on
the part of the horse and can be taken into account by the judges in their marks for the movements
concerned as well as in the appropriate collective mark at the end

well a certain amount of tail swishing must be fine, just not excessive??

 

[Louby]

My horse swishes his tail when I use my leg or whip to back up an aid. He has an attitude and its like hes swearing at me

 

[charlie55]

My boy is always swishing his tail. He always has, always will. x

 

[Sol]

My instructor once commented that my gelding was like a mare he swished his tail so much!

(he has his uhm... reasons...

) but he is a rather mareish little lad and does tend to get his knickers in a twist when asked to WORK (god forbid!) so I guess he's a little bit male after all...

Sometimes he'll do it for no reason at all though! But more often than not, it's him being a stroppy git!

 

[HumBugsey]

Yes it CAN be resistance but it can also just be a compulsion. I belive if your horse is a compulsive tail swisher you can get dispensation from the judges although most of the time it's fairly easy to tell the difference between compulsive swishing and angry/upset swishing.

I remember watching an SJ'er (at hixstead i believe) who practically had a propeller!

 

[minmax]

Both my boys will swish if they are told off, I'm sure its their way of saying up urs mother!

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

Dressage judges look for a nice "S" shape to be made by a horse's tail as it swings along covering the ground.

 

[agreenhalgh]

my mare is famous for her tail swishing. she's never tense, shes just flamboyant and full of character!

 

[Kenzo]

Can be a sign of temper however the ears and nostrils will tell you this too or gentle swishes basically telling you or other horses to back off, different swishes tell you different things, but usually when there ridden if its circling around its a sign of discomfort or your horse feeling irritated by you or in some cases with mares when its that time of the month and feeling more tender with ridden.
I think a happy sound horse should carry a relaxed tail, if its swishing, clamped down, held to the side, there is something not quite right and I'd want to know what it was.

 

[MyBoyChe]

Some interesting comments there! love the idea its because they are concentrating, they certainly look as if they are. Che only swishes his tail if I tickle his tummy when Im grooming, he pulls a face and flicks it at me so I know its him having a paddy. Bearing in mind the BD guidelines I wonder if any of the horses would score higher marks if they kept their tails stiller? In the tests done to music it does seem to add to the movement and looks quite dramatic sometimes.

 

[Taffyhorse]

You often see them swishing their tails more in movements like Piaffe, Passage and pirouettes as they use their tails to help their balance - however it shouldn't be tail whirring helicopter style which would get marked down for tension.

 

[Passtheshampoo]

My mare has just been brought back into work after weaning her foal. First couple of times on board the tail was going like a windmill, she was far from happy at having to work and wanted me to know it. Since then she just gives a bit of a tail swish at the start of the ride as she is quite a tense sensitive sort. A few strides down the road and everything is back to normal.

 

[trafford]

I noticed Totilas was swishing his tail a lot at Olympia on his world record scoring Kur and it didn't seem to affect his marks too badly! I think it must just be excessive swishing thats frowned on.