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  Discussion on Tail swishing while grooming
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Member:
Sswiley

Posted on Friday, Sep 2, 2005 - 5:36 pm:

OK , I know this sounds trivial but my 6 yr old mare has started swishing her tail at me while grooming and saddling. I have tried grabbing her tail and holding it for a few seconds and I have also tried smacking her lightly when her tail comes around. There does not appear to be any irritation and I make sure to fly spray her before I start anything. My old mare (her mother) has always done this and I have never been able to break the habit. I am hoping to "nip this in the bud" before it gets too ingrained. Any ideas ??
Shelley
Member:
Gillb

Posted on Saturday, Sep 3, 2005 - 4:23 am:

Your mare is telling you she is irritated and/or in discomfort with something and I am afraid holding her tail and smacking her will not make her stop - it's a bit like you having an itch, trying to scratch it and being punished for doing so!

I'd look to all the possible physical causes first - have you checked the fit of her saddle, it could be she has changed shape and the saddle no longer fits properly. Also if you tend to girth up too tightly and too fast she may be protesting at that. A lot of mares get ticklish and sensitive in the underbelly area when they come into season and a hard brush may irritate them, so a softer brush may not produce this reaction.

I don't think horses just swish their tails for the sake of it, there is usually a reason, even if it's only a fly.

When I first got my pony he was terrible at being tacked up and groomed, he used to pin his ears, swish his tail and crush me into the wall when he saw me with a saddle! It was purely because he had not been tacked up with consideration and it only took a week of kind handling to alter his behaviour. I'm not saying that is how you tack up your horse, but that the horse is trying to tell you something!
Member:
Sswiley

Posted on Saturday, Sep 3, 2005 - 10:43 am:

Hi Gill, thanks for the advice. I think you are very correct that she is irritated at something, however . . . . I am not doing anything unreasonable and I am very much aware of all her sensitivities (have had her since birth). This behavior is more along the lines of being disrespectful of me, similar to moving into your space. If you have ever been hit in the eye by a tail you will know what I mean. There certainly is a fine line between patronizing your horse and having your horse patronize you!
Member:
Vickiann

Posted on Saturday, Sep 3, 2005 - 11:42 am:

Just be on guard and careful! My paint horse used to turn his head and threaten a bit toward me when I would groom him and then one day when I bent over with my back turned to him he picked me up in his teeth by the back of my hip, lifted me off the ground like he was a crane, and DrOpped me in the corner of the stall. It was very painful and the grapefruit-sized lump lasted for months. Since then I have learned to use the body language of the horse better by the way I move around him, and allow nothing that would encourage him to think he might have the upper hand.
Member:
Gillb

Posted on Saturday, Sep 3, 2005 - 2:27 pm:

Another possibility is that perhaps your horse is irritated by you, and this is her way of showing it! Sorry I don't mean any offence by this, but do you handle her with confidence or are you a little wary of her - if so it could be as you say just lack of respect. What makes me ask is that a pony of mine used to get extremely irritated by people who were a little nervous. I remember vividly once we were going out on a ride and a friend of mine was trying to tack him up for me. She was quite nervous though, and he picked up on this straight away - he turned round to bite her as she was putting the saddle on then did a well-aimed cow kick at her, having NEVER tried this on me!

It may not be this of course, but I am just trying to think of possibilities and recalling my own experience. However if you think it is due to a respect issue then by being more assertive in your handling of her it should improve matters. Good luck!
Member:
Lilly

Posted on Saturday, Sep 3, 2005 - 3:44 pm:

I agree that this could be a respect issue. I have a 19 year old gelding who likes to "communicate" with his tail. He swishes his tail a lot when I try to clean his stall while he is in it. He doesn't swish when I groom him or tack him up. I think it is his way of saying I am crowding him in his stall. He is almost 17 Hands! I probably should put my foot down and let him know that the behavior isn't acceptable but he is a wonderful horse otherwise and I am not sure if it's a big enough issue to try to deal with. He has NEVER bit me or kicked at me. Just slapped me with his tail.
Member:
Ribbons

Posted on Saturday, Sep 3, 2005 - 7:44 pm:

I have a mare that tries this with me this summer.I have had her many years and had never seen her do this before. She is boss mare and I am sure she is trying to "test" me to see if I really mean to stay in charge.I also checked for bug bites, ect., and applied lots of fly spray.She still kept swishing. I went through the "swish then slap" routine many, many times and finally added a really menacing growl and a stern lecture on who is in charge. I guess she finally got tired of the game and quit. She's tough old bird and has million tricks. When I really need to tell that I have had enough, I make her move. In any direction that she doesn't want to go. My last resort is to make her lunge which she hates. I am sure one of the "video" trainers uses this the same "make them work technique" and I must say in her case it works. The other two mares also tried this technique after seeing her swish her tail at me, but being the more submissive types gave up after about three tries. I find that if I get busy and don't spend my usual time with them, when I finally get back to them, they just want to try me out.
Member:
Sswiley

Posted on Sunday, Sep 4, 2005 - 10:23 am:

I think she learned this from her mother, who has done this for years. With the older mare it has never turned into anything more disrespectful but it is really annoying, especially with those long tails. It would sure be nice if I can stop it before it becomes a real ingrained habit like her mother.
Member:
Dawson

Posted on Thursday, Aug 24, 2006 - 6:25 pm:

One of the hottest summer afternoons I can remember I had bath'd trimmed, buffed and puffed my palomino stallion, for a show early the next day. His mane and tail long flowing and white'r than white, he glistened in the sun. I braided up his mane-tail-and lastly apply the hoof black, then home for a shower.

While I'm painting the front two, his tail elastic snapped, his tail unbraided and found it's way into the can of hoof black.

When I raised my head to examine my work, I got a good look at his...
Member:
Sswiley

Posted on Thursday, Aug 24, 2006 - 6:39 pm:

OK . . .. this calls for a picture, I dont suppose you had a camera with you. I am thinking of one of those modern art horse sculptures. Ya know, the kind they pay thousands for ?
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