How to Stop a Tail-Chewing Horse

Most horsemen have seen one: a beautiful, well-built horse that is just glowing with health but missing its tail. Sometimes broodmares have been known to lose their tails to mouthy foal that are ready to be weaned and sometimes horses will rub their tails off, most often the culprit is a member of its herd; the illusive tail chewer. There are several ways to manage a tail chewer. Read on to learn more.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Rubber gloves
• Cayenne pepper (preferably ground)
• Petroleum jelly
• Concerted mane and tail conditioner

1. Remove the tail chewer from the herd. This is the most effective and quickest method. But tail chewers are illusive, it can be hard in a large herd to pinpoint which horse is doing the chewing.

2. Put on rubber gloves and liberally apply petroleum jelly to the tail (or what is left of it) of the horse that being chewed on. Cover the jelly with a little cayenne pepper. Just shake the container a few times to coat the jelly with pepper; which will work like glue and hold the pepper to the tail. The pepper is hot and will burn slightly when another horse attempts to chew on the tail.

3. Coat the tail with a concerted conditioner. Horse conditioners are non-toxic and like the petroleum jelly are goopy and will cling to the tail. Anyone who has accidentally got shampoo or conditioner in their month while showering knows; it may smell good, but it certainly doesn't taste good. The theory is the same as the cayenne pepper, the foul taste of the conditioner should discourage tail chewing.

Resources

• Veterinarian and novelist Karen Hayes suggests how to stop tail chewing.
• The vices and bad habits of horses and their causes and treatments

[jacky1234]

on 6/25/2008 you can also make a paste fron hot chilli peppers and olive oil then spread it on the tail that also works