Very very swishy tail?

[Lill]

B was riding Saracen at the weekend and Saracen spent most of it swishing his tail around fairly madly!

For example

Now this isn't something he's always done, its only the past few weeks he's been like this.

We think he's pulled something in his back and are trying to arrange for the physio person to come out.

Nothing has changed, his feed is the same, tack is the same....

He seems worse on one rein that he other

 

[Blizzard]

Def sounds like a back/tack problem I would say.

 

[jumpthemoon]

I'd agree - I'd take it easy and don't push him too hard until you've had his back looked at.

 

[Tierra]

Its traditionally always been thought to be a sign of pain or tension in the work (very highly strung horses that wont relax are often tail swishers)

Furthermore, traditionally, you would always get marked down for it in dressage for precisely the tension reason.

Interestingly, Andreas Helgstrand and Blue Hors Matinee seem to be the exception to this rule

She has an incredibly swishy tail in all her work and it never appears to be picked up on...

Well worth getting it checked out if this is not normal behaviour though.

 

[WishfulThinker]

[ QUOTE ]


Interestingly, Andreas Helgstrand and Blue Hors Matinee seem to be the exception to this rule

She has an incredibly swishy tail in all her work and it never appears to be picked up on...



[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly what I was going to say!

So what about a fixed tail??

 

[Tierra]

Clamped down tails are usually a sign of pain across the quarters in my experience. Tails fixed to one side that just seem to stay there but are actually carried are, again, usually a back issue.

Swishing i tend to find is usually more an aggrevated horse so yes, while this can be pain, it can also be tension or protesting to the way in which they are being ridden.

The ideal is that the tail is carried by the horse with it coming directly out from the quarters so it sits neither to one side nor the other and is carried quietly during work

 

[WishfulThinker]

Ah thats ok then! Beau sticks his out in a kind posey manner!

 

[Lill]

[ QUOTE ]
Swishing i tend to find is usually more an aggrevated horse so yes, while this can be pain, it can also be tension or protesting to the way in which they are being ridden.

The ideal is that the tail is carried by the horse with it coming directly out from the quarters so it sits neither to one side nor the other and is carried quietly during work

[/ QUOTE ]

Like Blue here,

Thats what i would consider 'normal'.

Don't think Saracen is protesting to how he is ridden particularly as he's been ridden by both myself, my friend and B in the past few weeks and he's reacted the same to all 3 of us and we all ride a bit differently!

I really think this swishing has come on only recently. He would do it occasionally before, like if you gave him a tap with the stick but then a lot of horses would! He now does it constantly though.

 

[Blizzard]

Definitely sounds like a pain issue then.