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 Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
   
| Why is she doing this, and how do I stop it?! Three year old mare is destroying any tail she can get her mouth on. And I am beyond mad at this point. Luckily we've gotten her secluded where she can't get ahold of anyone's tails, but it's quite a pain in the rear trying to stall around her. She is on a small amount of Omolene 200 twice daily, alfalfa twice daily, and has access to a mineral block. I treated her with Sand Clear because I thought maybe her tummy was bugging her, but that did not make a difference. She came off of pasture to be started and didn't start the tail chewing right away. I've also considered ulcers, but since she's not my horse I'd have to approve with the owner before treating to make sure they're okay with the expense. Any ideas?
And on a side-note, why in the heck do these horses stand there and allow their tails to be chewed off?! Seriously, they've got to be putting their rears up to the panel so this mare can reach through to chew it off.
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 Hummer's Hero
Posts: 3071
 
Location: Smack Dab in the Middle | Tub of vaseline, stir in a good amount of cayenne pepper (like a heaping spoonful) and apply to tails that she can/might be able to reach. Remember to put gloves on before you apply it, or you'll hate me.
ETA: Stay away from any orifaces as well, so your horses don't hate you!
Edited by RockinGR 2014-01-07 2:11 PM
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1100
Location: Southeastern Idaho | Just my two cents...others may have better ideas than this.
I would supply her with a loose mineral (many horses don't lick enough to ingest enough mineral from blocks) and maybe even top dress her grain for a few days with it. Also, I stopped my tail chewer in his TRACKS by mixing cayenne pepper in Vicks...make a thick paste and smear it all over everyone's tail that she comes in contact with. Messy but effective. Use gloves when you apply it as well.
I use Hoffman's Horse minerals and it has helped me end tail chewing and poop eating. |
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Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
| I might have to go stock up on the cayenne and Vaseline! Last fall we had a yearling colt start chewing the tail on one horse, and I treated him for sand and that solved the problem. But he appeared to have a tummy ache. And with the drought it seems like our horses are ingesting more sand, and there's definitely more sand in the hay because of how dry it is. That is why I decided to treat this mare. I'm hoping it's just boredom from standing in a pen after spending most of her life out in the pasture. I don't want to send her home with any issues. She doesn't appear like she's got ulcers based on her body condition. Never dealt with something like this, and I am frustrated that my tails aren't long and full like they used to be. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 941
Location: Kansas | I would consider feeding her more roughage. Horses are intended to graze throughout the day. Two feedings of alfalfa don't meet their need to forage very well. I would have grass hay available for her all day long. You could use a slow feed hay net to extend the time she spends "grazing". |
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 Expert
Posts: 3534
Location: Stuck in a cubicle having tropical thoughts | I have a mare who has always acted like an ADHD hyper brainiac. She started chewing on tails one winter when she wasn't being ridin. I believe she did this out of boredom, as she is the ornery type who will get into anything with no fear. I mixed chili powder with vegetable oil and rubbed it into the tails of the other horses. She has never chewed a tail since and this was probably 5 years ago. |
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Fire Ant Peddler
Posts: 2881
| Shear boredom. My yearling chewed my paint horse's LONG tail off one day and hasn't don it since. She just didn't have enough to occupy her time that day. Try one of those jolly balls. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1568
Location: Texas | Sounds like she may be lacking in something. Our were chewing on the wood and the tree bark. They get feed 12/12 mineral crumbles in their feed daily. It was reccommended to us to start feeding them Nature Essentials Enrich 32 Supplement because they were probably needing something else other than what we were feeding. Since we started them on that, no one is chewing on the shed or the trees!! |
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Member
Posts: 9
| Try adding ADM granular mineral for horses to the feed.
Its worked for others |
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Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
| If all goes as planned, this horse will be going back home this weekend. She's ready for a break. But I worry that she'll get turned out to pasture and chew off the other horses' tails. And I don't want to send home a problem if I can fix it. We do have some loose mineral that we put out for our cattle, I'll have to see if it's an all-stock mineral or not. Our feed store options are pretty limited, and I've never seen any of the loose minerals that are specifically for horses.
I'm hoping that it's simply a boredom issue. I rode her pretty regular the first 30 days, then between being out of town, the holidays, and the cold weather she's been standing around a lot. She is in a large pen and spends a lot of time playing during the day, but I know that's not the same as getting out and being put to work.
When we first got her here she was also getting grass hay to munch on during the day. Except she wasn't eating it. Stomping it into the ground, peeing in it, etc. - yes...eating it - no! I got tired of scraping it up each day and watching her waste it, so I quit giving it to her about a week after she got here.
Thanks again for the ideas/advice. I'll see what I can do about the mineral, and make sure that I pass the information along to her owner. |
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 Ima Non Controversial Girl
Posts: 4168
Location: where the wind blows | RockinGR - 2014-01-07 1:09 PM Tub of vaseline, stir in a good amount of cayenne pepper (like a heaping spoonful) and apply to tails that she can/might be able to reach. Remember to put gloves on before you apply it, or you'll hate me. ETA: Stay away from any orifaces as well, so your horses don't hate you!
Didn't read all replies but this work for the tail chewer in my herd years ago. She was a yearling at the time. She is 12 now and has never chewed another tail. |
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Tail Chewing - Why and how to stop it