# Goat chewed off horse's tail



## SullysRider (Feb 11, 2012)

I recently bought another horse, at the farm he was at they had a goat. Who apparently decided it was a good thing to chew off the horse's tail! The outside of the tail is chewed off to just a few inches longer than bone level but the inside of the tail is longer (the goat didn't hadn't gotten to the inside of his tail yet), and looks kinda dumb lol. What's left of his tail is nice and thick and very healthy looking, but the stuff that didn't get chewed off is goofy looking. Should I just cut the whole thing even? I can get a picture tomorrow morning to show y'all what I mean. Part of me just wants to hack it off level and let it restart, but the other part of me wants to keep his goofy Appaloosa looking tail so he at least had some length to it. So I'm torn.


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## gssw5 (Jul 30, 2013)

Oh dear, sorry but I had to giggle when I read this, imagining a goat eating a horse tail poor horse. Without a picture it is hard to say. I got a pony that came in with his tail just matted and knotted and no way to undo it I cut it off and his tail was really short after that but looked ok. It was much better then only being half way cut off. His tail grew out beautiful and thick within about 6 months. Do what works best for you, it is hair and it will grow back.


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## lecairde (Dec 20, 2013)

I don't think I've ever heard of a goat chewing a horse's tail haha

I would just trim it up to make it nice and even and get rid of the unhealthy parts


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## SullysRider (Feb 11, 2012)

Sorry, I've slacked on getting a picture! But I'm uploading it right now. And honestly a goat chewing his tail doesn't surprise me, I've seen goats chew/eat more things that they shouldn't than things that they should!


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## SullysRider (Feb 11, 2012)

Picture! Sorry it is sideways, it is normal on my computer until I get to HF and no matter what I do it stays sideways. So who knows! Please excuse his funky stance, I had just finished scratching his favorite spot and he was really getting into it lol


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## SaskGal (Apr 18, 2012)

I would say just leave it, it takes long enough for a horses tale to grow out so at least now he has something to get off the flies.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## gssw5 (Jul 30, 2013)

If it were me I would trim the few wispy hairs off to make it more even. But that is just me, the wispy hairs would drive me crazy.


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## SullysRider (Feb 11, 2012)

With winter we have no flies, so I was thinking now would be the best time to even it off if I was going to. It would have time to grow out a little before fly season came. The thin wispy part drives me nuts, but I am hesitant to take off any length since poor guy already barely has any. But I've decided to just even it off, if not it's going to drive me crazy, and it is just hair and will grow back!


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## mynute (Nov 9, 2011)

After a good cry, I would cut it to even it out.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

lecairde said:


> I don't think I've ever heard of a goat chewing a horse's tail haha
> 
> I would just trim it up to make it nice and even and get rid of the unhealthy parts


It's pretty common..


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

I was thinking cut it, but from that picture it really doesn't look so bad. I've definitely seen worse, and have seen plenty of uneaten tails that look like that.

I would just leave it. It takes a long time to grow, and this way it will look fixed much faster.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

I would also leave it - it's really not that bad.

One of my horses came to me with his mane chewed off as far up as the Seller's donkey could chew it. It took a couple years to reach its full growth but it finally grew down below his shoulder blade - much prettier than I expected.

Manes and tails usually do a lot of growing in the winter, when they're not swatting at bugs; add some flax to the feed pan and see if that doesn't speed things up


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## Clydesdales (Sep 12, 2013)

some of our calves chewed off my sisters tbs tail and ever since it has been a short switch tail.
it hasn't grown back properly and that was two years ago.


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