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Ever heard of this?

9K views 49 replies 35 participants last post by  MN Tigerstripes 
#1 ·
My friend gets riding lessons at the only major stable around here, and she was telling me about a horse that lives there. I think it's name was Lacy or something... anyway, it's apparently a big-time show horse, stays in it's big stall all day wearing blankets and tail bags and everything, gets excersized daily, etc.
The thing that got me was that, apparently, the owners broke her tail bone so that she doesn't swish her tail in the show ring. :-| I've never really heard of such a thing... and after I heard that, I started looking around at my shows, and I've only seen one horse in the ring that doesn't swish it's tail (not saying it had the same thing done, just observing). Is it not a common practice?
I just know it's something I don't ever plan on doing.
 
#4 ·
I don't know what discipline Lacy is used for but tail deadening is very common in the reining horse world. I have only seen a handful of NRHA horses who were able to move their tails. They usually give them a shot similar to novacaine in the nerve to the tail to deaden it. I have not ever seen them break a horse's tail to get the same effect but people will do anything they think they need to for that blue ribbon. :(
 
#6 ·
TWH definitely get their tails broken. My old guy was a show horse in his youth and the vet pointed out to me where his tail had been broken. Very sad. Then they have to live in the stall with a two by four around the sides to keep the horse from rubbing the brace off that keeps it growing back in that bizarre straight up and then straight down look. How can anyone justify doing that to an animal for the sake of appearances is absolutely beyond me. My horse would have been so much prettier with his natural tail, it always looked odd.
 
#8 · (Edited)
It sounds cruel but we humans do it to dogs too. Cropped tails and ears etc.
I've never been in the show world. I know its way to easy, when big money is involved, to see an animal as an investment rather than a living thing.
If anyone is to blame, its the show industry that OKs that sort of thing, or worse turns a blind eye.
I think the numbing would be better, then its just temporary. I'm sure its more expensive though.

Not to upset anyone, but is this natural?
 
#10 ·
The end result of a broken tail is very bad because when the horse grows old, the tail will flop off to one side and be permanently crooked. There are other less extreme methods to set a horse's tail or stop it from swishing.
 
#11 ·
i havent hueard of it but there agian isnt shocking cause people will goo to far for ribbons or money poor horse
 
#14 ·
That's aweful. I know for some show classes when a horse swishes its tail, like when they change leads, etc. they can get marked down. I know there are some people that use a shot in the horses tail right before the show to numb the tail so they didn't swish it, I was reading about it in some article, it will get you disqualified if the judges ever found out.
 
#15 ·
Was his tail broken or BLOCKED? Blocking is when someone injects something into the horse's dock that makes it hang 'quietly' (aka unable to swish, lift, etc). I hear of it a lot in the Western/English Pleasure or reining world. -where you get counted off for a swishing tail. It's illegal and supposedly you get penalized pretty heavily. However, I've seen several horses with this procedure done. Supposedly it's only a temporary procedure but one of the horses at our barn who was a reiner in her past life has had a lifeless tail for the 3 years she's been with us. Poor thing can't swish at flies and can barely life her tail to go to the bathroom. I think I read somewhere that they can also get pretty nasty infections when they get it done. Either way, it's sad and it's a poor 'quick fix'.
 
#16 ·
i look at it this way the tail is an extension of the spine those tail bones are part of the spine it shows clearly on an x-ray so the tail is not just some part that is bones it is conected to the very core of the creature and you go messing with the spine and how knows what can happen
 
#20 ·
From what I've seen, it happens a lot in the Hunter world as well. I groom for a bunch of people at big shows and I was stunned when a bunch of them told me they had deadened the nerves in their horse's tails. More than a few of them couldn't lift their tails to poop. I felt so bad, I was washing tails like three times a day because they looked so miserable. The amount of fly spray I had to douse on them as well was insane.

What's worse, when they sell the horse, they sometimes pay the vet off to tell the new owners it was something that happened at birth.
 
#21 ·
O.O

WTF??? That's horrible. That's even worse than tail blocking imo.
You want the horse's tail to lay still in shows because it shows that the horse is calm and willing to listen to the rider. Judges mark down for a horse that swishes his tail in irritation or frustration or anxiety (or any other reason other than flies). But that's just insane. The owner should be reported for that.
 
#22 ·
Not to offend anyone, but I think thats a stupid rule and just opens a door for jerks (I would like to use much stronger language) to abuse their horses like this. Some horses are just tail swishers (even when they are happy). There are other ways to tell if a horse is anxious or irritated or anything else. Ha, they should start docking points if your horse can't swish it's tail. Test it by tickling it's legs with a feather! Ok, thats dumb :) but it upsets me to see this done to any animal.
 
#24 ·
My trainer bought a horse that (unknown to him at the time) had an alcohol block to prevent her from moving her tail. Well, the "procedure" hadn't been done correctly and made it so that the mare couldn't poop and would colic. My trainer and his wife had to "manually" remove the waste (yep, with their hands) and put her on a special diet until it wore off enough for her to go herself. The stupid things people will do. >.<
 
#27 ·
Ya I know that they also break Saddlebred tails as well, just like some people put heavy chains, or a special solution on the fetlocks of saddelbreds and walkers, that abraid their skin to get them to pick their feet up higher. Personally speaking I'm not all gung ho all dogs should have their ears and tails done, but unless they do it after a few months of age, I don't think that it is that cruel if it is done right. When docking tails, its done within the first 3 days of birth, and is not a big procedure, and ears are supposed to be done within a few months of birth. I do know someone though who's dad had her dogs tail docked (the dog was at least a year old), because she would knock over his beer mug on the table by the couch. Because of the dogs age, it was a big procedure for the dog, cruel for the dog to all of a sudden be without a tail. It is generally better to have a tail though, as that is how you can tell how a dog is feeling, and its important to be able to read their body language.
 
#28 ·
how awful. like some others have already said, some people just go way to far to win 1st place
 
#32 ·
So I was reading through the APHA rule book today for work (don't ask, half of it is like stereo instructions) and I noticed that it says very clearly that if a horse's tail doesn't move through an entire class, regardless of the class, the judge is supposed to check. i think it even said a steward should check it out if they see it on the ground. I was happy to see that they don't take it lightly. Plus, if they find out you did, both you and your horse are immediately no longer registered :)
 
#38 ·
I wish it worked like that. Horses with deadened tails are more prevalent than natural ones. One of the reasons that the horses wring their tails (especially in reining) is excessive spur use and harsh bits. Those that can move their tails, watch and it gets really bad at flying lead changes and during spins and back ups. It is amazing that this is one more training issue that they think can be cured with drugs. :cry:
 
#33 ·
I think unnecessary physical alterations (aside from cosmetic like trimming hair, etc) in horses and dogs sucks. I have had pits and rotties in the past without docking, and I would not break something on a horse just to win a ribbon.

But to some, it's necessary. I just try not to associate with those types too much.
 
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