# Help, foal chewing mom's tail!



## lilruffian (Jun 28, 2010)

Try mixing chili powder with water & soak the mare's tail in it GOOD. It won't look pretty but it's better than having a broom-tail!


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## Azale1 (Jul 5, 2010)

agreed that chili powder works wonders. Had to do that to the mares at my old work cause of a foal that chewed tails.


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

Thanks! It probably won't look pretty on Izzy's white tail, but unless I get a better suggestion, I will definitely try the chili powder.


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## mbender (Jul 22, 2009)

I had to smile when I saw this thread. This is so common. Luckily, my filly didn't do that. If you apply the chili powder can you braid her tail?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## wyominggrandma (Nov 4, 2009)

you can get stuff called Bitter Apple to spray on the tail, it is for animals and works great. Just don't get any on your hands...


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## twogeldings (Aug 11, 2008)

I agree with the above posters. It's something thats best to bite in the rump quick, I know a breeder who lost their young stud prospect (a stunning tri-color TWH) to colic because he ate his mom's tail and became impacted.


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## lilruffian (Jun 28, 2010)

Broom tails are no good lol This happened to both a mare of my aunts as well as a friend's where the fillies chewed the hair off right down to the dock! 2 years later they're still growing them back.
Luckily, neither one of my older mare's fillies chewed her tail which was a blessing because i LOVED her tail. Black & so long it dragged the ground


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

Listerine


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

Thanks everyone! 

I sure don't want him to colic. That is my number-one concern. But of course the adult horses will all look better with full tails too!

Today I tried shampoo with chili powder rubbed in. The funny thing is, Zane, the colt, tasted the shampoo and almost acted like he liked it. I hope not! But he had a foamy muzzle like he was drinking beer! 

I did a shampoo/ chili powder mix on the mare and one gelding. Then, on the other gelding I tried a natural fly spray that Zane seems to hate when I spray it on him. So I thought maybe he would dislike the taste of it. 

I need to check the feedstore for some bitter apple or MacNasty or something similar. Because he seems to chew everyone here-and-there, it took me a long time to realize that their tails were being chewed. So I really won't be able to tell if the current mixture works until some time goes by. But I really want to stop the hair chewing NOW because I never find hair in their pens, so he must be eating it. Ugh! 

PS. I tasted two kinds of fabric softener and the shampoo, and the shampoo was the worst, so that's why I went with that.

Listerine, well, I tried mouthwash before (when he was really young and I actually saw him chewing mom's tail), and that didn't seem to stop him unfortunately.


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

Update.....

Somewhere in my internet travels, I read that MTG is not only good for re-growing trails, but will actually stop tail chewing.

I went to the feedstore today and they didn't have anything made to stop chewing that was meant to go on an animal (in other words, nothing like a bitter apple or anything like that). But they did have MTG. I have never used it before, but I bought a bottle. I got back too late to try it tonight, but plan to try it tomorrow. 

I hope this stuff isn't toxic if the baby chews it? That feedstore guy acted like baby will not chew it because it is nasty, so I hope that is the case. And maybe as a nice side effect, it will keep Izzy from rubbing out her mane. I stopped my gelding from mane rubbing using fly spray, but nothing I have tried on Izzy has got her to stop mane rubbing, so maybe it will help with that too. Wish me luck!


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

why do they chew tails..we had a colt(recently trades for older green horse) and he chewed all the tails!


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## BryCowboy7 (May 24, 2009)

I always wondered if there was a way to stop that!


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