So annoyed and upset!

ecaf

Well, I got home this evening and went out to my mare only to find someone has been in our field and cut her tail off, and half her mane off too. Her forelock is a bit hacked too. Now her tail isn't gone but its as short as a yearlings. The front of her mane is short and a bit thick like it might have been burnt or something.
I'm so mad that someone would do this, and worried about the other horses and foals.
It can't be the neighbours, and someone could have drove up from a village near by with a sissors or a knife to do this! ?

Ave Sodalis

Have you reported this?

Chindato

are you sure another horse hasn't chewed it off?
Whenever my mares come into season, the lead gelding gets tortured with reversing bums, and spends the few days chewing clumps out of the mares' tails. Tail can look just like someone took scissors to big clumps of it. It's also a habit some foals enjoy, and most mares will tolerate a foal near their bum.

ecaf

Well her forelock looks snipped with a sissors and there is a long bit left. I can't see any tail bits left around, and the front of her main just looks cut and then a bit looks synged. I'm going to take a proper look at her now. And the farrier across the way said he'd throw an eye on her too.
He said the same thing about the others eating it, but I have seen manes before that were ate and this didn't seem to be the same.

They've been out together for ages, unless the new foal & mare we are minding has done it? But to me it looked like a sissors job. Will investigate further and see. Nothing can be done now anyway, but I'm just worried that someone is snooping around the yard in the evenings or some times and it gives me the creeps a bit like what else will they do?
She just looks awful, its weird how a pretty horse can have its looks changed by a loss of a bit of hair!

convert

It's unlikely that your mare's mane, tail and forelock would be eaten by other horses within 24 hours. And if the mane and tail are cut straight rather than unevenly, the chances are that someone cut it, which is awful and absolutely disgusting.

If you strongly believe that somebody did interfere with your horses, I would strongly recommend that you reported it, both to the guards and your local animal welfare group, so they can keep an eye out and perhaps warn other horse owners.

Are your horses kept close to the road? Or are they a few fields in - i.e. up an avenue or roadway?

ecaf

Thanks for everyone's responses. I thought about it and watched them closely yesterday but couldn't see any horse or foal eating their tails. But I am starting to think that maybe one of the foals is doing it. I don't know which one though, but I think it might be my foal eating her mother's tail and mane.
The other mare that we keep full time has her tail all choppy looking yesterday, but I wouldn't think she would let my foal near her, so I don't know if its her foal doing it too?

The other horses we are looking after are perfect, and just as well because they have perfectly groomed tails and I'd hate to be giving them back next month with any damage.

It's hard to think that the foals have done this, especially when at first glance it looks so straight, but my own mare's tail seems to be shorter yesterday than it was on friday, and it looks choppy now.
If it is the foals, then what can I do to stop it? My mare has half a mane now, very short tail and a bit of a fore lock? God if I caught my foal at it, I'd be tempted to strangle her. Is there anything I can put on the mane and tail to keep her away from it? Like fly repellant or something?

doctor evil

You could try putting on Dijon mustard on the mane and tail.

Theponylady

It sounds like another horse, a foal or yearling the most likely suspects, have done this. I don't know why they do it, probably because they are either bored or teething, but it's really common. Most of the time it's just the horse's tail that dissapears, but once in a while you see a mane gone too. It really does look like it was hacked with scissors. But instead of straight across, it's generally chunks of tail and mane, like someone grabbed part of the tail and chopped it with scissors, with longer bits still around.

My own gelding had his tail seriously shortened by my then yearling. It was just coming back, when HER yearling removed it for him again. Sigh:( At least this time, only half of it is gone.

markkeane

That's terrible. what part of the country are you in?
Was your horses tethered or free?
If the latter the person or persons who did this must have experience around horses.
Did you report it to the Gardai?
If it was devilment or a silly prank then these people are sick and have no regards for animals.
I am really sorry to hear that.
Do you think the perpetrators were trying to steal your horse but got disturbed?
Why not contact your local newspaper and radio station and tell them what happened. They might run a story and interview you. This strategy will alert your neighbours and landowners and horseowners in the general vicinity to be on the lookout.
Or a similar incident may have happened to them or to their neighbours.
Somebody might have some vital information.
Best of luck

ecaf

Thanks for your response, in later posts I mentioned that it might have been one of the foals.
I have since had proof of that, we had one foal in for diarrhoea while he was in I noticed the mares mane (not my horse) was starting to get matted, I decided to pull the mane to tidy it up for her / the owner.
After doing this and when the foal was slightly better I noticed him sucking his mothers mane!

It seems like he must have been up around my mare too doing the same thing! I have noticed him up having a look under her tail as if he was going to suckle from the wrong mare, he must just have a taste for hair!

I was going to bring my own mare and foal to a local show in September, just for the experience of showing in hand. But with the way he has destroyed her mane and tail I won't be bringing them anywhere!
So needless to say I'm mad about that, I have no reason to bring the foal anywhere now, and I would have liked the chance to bring her off somewhere and also show her off a bit!

mylittlepony

three years my boy ate his mom tail, it something to do with lack of vitmains or minerals.
She had half long and half short tail, it look ridiclous so i had to trim it the same lenght.
3 years later she have super long tail down to her fetlocks.
Dont worry it will grow back.

Esroh

Bring your mare to the show. The people who are watching the class with any knowledge will understand this happens and it does not effect the confirmation of the Mare although it can distort the picture. A good judge will see through it. And if you enter the foal class the mares mane and tail will have absolutely no effect.
Remember that Plaiting/ Pulling Tails etc are not required in a class they are now just considered the norm so leave her tail unplaited/unpulled.
The experience of the day at the show will be worth alot more than effects the odd looks your mare might get from the uneducated/horsesnobs

convert

If you plait your mare's mane, its uneveness won't show, so it'd just be her tail that would have the 'eaten' look (plus, she'd look more attractive if plaited). And as the last poster mentioned, breeders understand it can happen. Moreover, if you're just planning on showing the foal, the mare's tail doesn't matter.

ecaf

Thanks, maybe I could get her tail extensions! :pac:

If you just showing a foal, does the mare get brought in too? I can imagine if the mare looks a bit crappy, even if they are only supposed to be judging the foal, they probably can't help but take her into account too!

I'm getting excited about that now, but the foal isn't good at being led at the moment! She decided the other day when I was leading her back into the field with the mare, it was fine, but when we got to the fence it wasn't fine, and she reared up a bit.
Going on other peoples advise it's best not to rush her, so its hard to know what to do.

shanagarry

ecaf wrote: »

Thanks, maybe I could get her tail extensions! :pac:

Believe it or not, it's actually easy to plait in a bit of extra hair if anyone else can spare a bit that matches! My big mare lost a chunk of hers in a bush or something and got a donation from the connemara, whose tail is equivalent to about three normal tails. Over a week or two I just pulled a few hairs here and there, ones that were coming out with hard brushing anyway, nothing she could feel and then plaited them in under where the tail plait would go.

With the foal leading, it's just practise. I spent hours traipsing around the field back when we used to show

As for the foal class - the mare will be in the class or all hell would break loose, but it's only the foal that will be judged once it's specifically dedicated as a foal class. However, I would put the mare in the preceeding (usually) broodmare class as well even if she won't place as the judges start forming opinions, maybe subconsciously, on the foals then

Esroh

ecaf wrote: »

I'm getting excited about that now, but the foal isn't good at being led at the moment! She decided the other day when I was leading her back into the field with the mare, it was fine, but when we got to the fence it wasn't fine, and she reared up a bit.
Going on other peoples advise it's best not to rush her, so its hard to know what to do.

Rearing is a natural defence from the pull of the lead. She will get used to it with practice. Make the time even to lead them to the gate when you go to check them.
For what its worth I would be much more likely to not bother looking at your foal which is badly trained to walk than not look at the foal of a mare which has had its tail eaten. Put your time into giving the foal a good foundation rather than worrying about your mares hairdo:D