Unfortunately, I’m on the hunt for a new horse. Going through videos I’m noticed, while most horses have a neutral tail carriage, some hold them up, some to one side or the other. To me that indicates pain somewhere or at the very least unevenness. However, I have lame eye so all the horses are lame! From how the horse holds their tail, can we tell where the horse is sore? So for example, if it’s holding the tail up a little could that mean pain in the SI (just as an idea- I have no idea what it would mean…)? Or is it just something to make sure to investigate on the PPE.
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It depends. Some breeds like ASBs and Arabians are bred to hold their tail a certain way.
But yes, in a very general sense, the tail’s behavior is a clinical symptom and how it behaves with the rest of the body is important. My non-veterinarian opinion is that KS horses hold their tail a very specific way (and move their hind legs a very specific way) and once you see it, you won’t be able to unsee it.
A tail that bounces around in between the hocks can be a symptom of hock pain or heel pain, and a tail held to one side is typically indicative of hind limb lameness somewhere.
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I will be xraying all the things but if there’s something to be more aware of, I’d like to know. I’ll be looking at TBs TB crosses, warmbloods.
Watch the hip to hock movement. The tail is a small part. But a horse that moves tight over their pelvis with a lifted tail and inverted head – especially when asked to move out – might be compensating for back soreness somewhere. Could be pelvic, KS, SI, hoof pain - you don’t know until diagnostics. Some cues might inform you of origin, like for example, the horse is clearly NPA. It would be reasonable to assume his hind feet and entire fundament are sore.
Others might not be so obvious.
Look at the entire body before and after ridden work. A horse that has normal tail carriage on the ground but raises the tail or has a crooked tail on the lunge or with a rider? Might be worth investigating.
Other symptoms like inverting or giraffe under saddle, or who just goes faster and faster if you float the reins, might sometimes be a symptom of back pain too.
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I think there was a study done not that long ago that found a connection between holding the tail off to one side and back or lumbo-sacral area pain. But I don’t think that a higher tail carriage was included the conclusion.
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There’s been a few that I’m aware of but I think this one is the most in depth:
https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/eve.13316
My gelding has held his tail to the left for the last 18 years, no sign of lameness in his back or hocks (other than normal wear and tear in his teens). We did extensive PPE which found no issues (age 10). Never back or stifle sore. So…maybe it’s just who he is??
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As she got older my DSLD horse’s tail curled instead of hanging straight. When she would trot, she would hold it up like Arabian’s, and it would have a curl to it too. She didn’t do that when she was young. She was a TB and was 19yo when she was diagnosed.
It makes me wonder if that was a symptom of the disease, and now if I see it in any horse not known for such a tail carriage I wonder.
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My TB gelding carried his tail like an Arabian. He loved to flag it. Nothing wrong with him, he just enjoyed expressing himself through his tail.
When watching EQ finals online I’ve noticed some horses carrying their tails to one side and wondered about the cause. They are usually braided and I thought that maybe the braids were bothering them. Of course it would be easy to find out if braiding was the cause.
I was hoping it wasn’t due to pain. Those horses work hard.
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Having known a very worker bee type jumper who is now recently fully retired in his 20s but had always carried his tail to one side in the 10 years I’ve known him and pretty much forever according to his owner… he is a case study of one of the horses who is able to and willing to tolerate quite a lot because he likes people and his job. He’s got a ton of mileage and age related stuff in the legs, a hunter’s bump, and they found KS in his late teens, which had probably been there for a long time but only becoming symptomatic as the joints were harder to maintain and gravity was taking a toll. He’d probably still like to go out and jump around one more time even though it would be really unwise for him to do it if he wanted to walk sound the next day. Horses can be amazing animals.
I know another older gentleman who had also always had a wonky tail. Story was his dam stepped on him as a foal and it was never right. But I’m sure he has had a lot of back issues from watching him move, but he also sure did like having a job for his mental wellbeing. I think they may have also found KS in that horse eventually.
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That sounds like a typical EQ horse. They are triers.
A lady at my previous barn had a MFT that carried its tail to the left. The horse also dragged its left hind foot, but never the right. I would assume there was a correlation, but the lady was kind of a nut job and didn’t even vaccinate her horses.
Right before I left the barn, the horse started to cross its left hind over the right hind. I was really curious if the horse was neurologic, and if the tail was the first sign. That said, I have no idea since I’ve known previous gaited horses that do carry their tail to one side or carry their tail like a flag.
Have to agree with this thinking. We also had one who carried his tail slightly left from the time he was a foal until his death at 28yrs. He was never lame or stiff, equally flexible both right and left. He was a good worker, used him for years in Combined Driving in the Four (Leader on both sides) and in a Pair, used on both sides. Lots of conditioning miles down the road and on country trails. Driver was careful to make both or all four work equally, stay “up in their bridles” so no one horse did all the work.
I had a really good body worker evaluate him and they found no issues, said to “keep doing what we were doing” so he stayed in good shape.
I was laughing at my Amish pony one day when I was driving her because she had her ears back as always, but her tail was up in a nice arch. She was enjoying herself, but still refused to put her ears up. Screw-eth you-eth
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My EPM horse seems to carry his tail a bit off kilter when he’s having a flare up. He has never been obviously neurological (no tripping, never failed his tail pull etc.) but its a little sign to me that he’s feeling wonky and that it’s time for another round of meds.
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