# Rubbing tail



## Jillyann (Mar 31, 2009)

AHHH! mostly all the horses at my barn are doing this as well! luckily not my horse. but i was wondering the same thing! My trainer said that the little black nat bugs sometimes like to burrow in the top part of the tail because of whatever reasons, and it makes it very itchy for the horses. BUT i really dont know. I would like to hear what others say about this!!!


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## Scoutrider (Jun 4, 2009)

Some varieties of worms (pinworms, I think) can cause horses to rub their tails. I had one that apparently just had dandruff, lol. I massaged baby oil into his tailbone daily and that seemed to control the rubbing. I have one now that acts insanely itchy all over after a good workout (untacking becomes a speed event before my leather stuff is scraped over everything in reach, lol), face, shoulders, chest, and butt, lol.


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## barefoot (Jun 11, 2009)

I hate when horses do that. I don't think there is much anyone can do about that.


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## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

He may need his sheath cleaned. Both mares & geldings will rub their tails if they are dirty (mare's udders, gelding's sheaths).


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## horseinforest (May 25, 2009)

It happened to my colt a few times,he felt miserable and so was I. He would rub his tail and then he started to rub his mane.bugs' bites and worms can cause itching among some other reasons(reactions to forrages), it is hard to say.I tried different things and found derfen; It works lightning fast:within a few days, nomore itching;you just have to wait longer before the sheen gets back.


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## Angel_Leaguer (Jun 13, 2008)

Besides everything listed check for ticks... Ticks seem to like burrowing in on that part of the tail.


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## IrishRider (Aug 7, 2008)

When my mare did this same thing last year I bought some Betadine and scrubbed the top and sides of her tail really well a couple of times. Whatever was causing the itch and hair falling out was gone within a week or so and her tail came back to normal.


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## GiddyUp4Fun (May 16, 2009)

I agree with Tigerstripes, it's been about 6-9 months since I've cleaned my boys sheaths and noticed today that two of them were rubbing their butts against their grain buckets. He may just need to have his cleaned, it's not a fun job but needs to be done. Guess I'm off to do another never ending job of caring for my boys


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## Deej (May 5, 2009)

PIN WORMS will cause thise. also many horses have allergies and you can treat those with a variety of antihistimines ect. check them out in your horse catalogs.


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## Doc (Jun 12, 2009)

Courtesy of Horse Tail Rubbing
*Horse Tail Rubbing *

Horse tail rubbing can be the result of many different kinds of horse tail irritations. A horse can't scratch and itch, so when their tails itch they usually find a stall wall or tree to rub against. Unfortunately this rubbing breaks tail hairs off and can create unsightly bare patches on a horses tail. This article provides several different explanations why your horse may be rubbing their tail.

Fungus or a Skin Irritation can cause tail rubbing. Horses can develop a fungus on their tails, but even simple skin irritations like dry skin can be the root of a tail rubbing problem. Part the hair on the horse's tailbone and examine the skin. Is it bumpy? flaky? scabby? If the skin is dry and flake you may want to start adding oil or flax to your horses diet. If the horse tail's skin is bumpy or scabby you need to keep the tail clean and begin treatments with an anti-fungal treatment such as Muck Itch. Muck Itch sooths skin, relieves itching, and will treat minor fungal and bacterial infections. 

Tail Rubbing Due to a Dirty Sheath or Teats - Some horses, more frequently geldings but sometimes mares, rub their tails because of dirt built up on their genitals. Geldings should be cleaned once or twice a year and can be done yourself or by a vet for a nominal fee. Tail rubbing due to a dirty sheath usually stops after the sheath has been cleaned.

An allergy called Sweet Itch can also be the culprit in tail rubbing. Sweet Itch is an allergy to gnat bites. Your vet can diagnose tail rubbing from sweet itch but if you've exhausted other alternatives an allergy is probably the cause. Unfortunately, once a horse develops Sweet Itch it's difficult or impossible to cure- as it only takes one tiny bite to restart the cycle of tail rubbing. The best way to treat tail rubbing from sweet itch is, if possible, to move the horse to a living situation away from damp or swampy areas. If a move isn't possible, insect control in your horse's living area is a must, and to keep tail rubbing to a minimum you may want to use a fly sheet with a flap that covers the top of the tail. 
These three reasons are usually the cause for a horse to rub their tail. If you take proper care of your horses skin and tail, and minimize insects around your horses you should notice an improvement in your horse's tail rubbing. To help rubbed tail hair grow back faster use Muck Itch several times a week and make sure your horses is on a healthy diet, preferably with enough fats and biotin to produce healthy skin, hair, and tails. 
You may want to apply a topical spray to the horses tail to keep it from itching. One well reviewed remedy and treatment for horses rubbing itchy tails is a product called Muck Itch. Muck Itch was designed for horses who have rubbed their tail on fences and posts due to fungal or skin irritations.


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## katybear985 (Jan 2, 2008)

My pony rubs his tail alot in the summer or fall-he seems to get dead skin more at those times, but all the other ideas-the sheath cleaning and ticks and pin worms are all plausible. 

What i used to help the itching, and since i knew it was dead skin-if thats what it might be in your case-is Shapley's MTG, it works great with dry skin-i use it right out of the bottle on his tail and mane where he gets it most, and then i dilute some in a spray bottle (however much you want, but to get through the spray nozzle, it has to be quite diluted) and use it all over his body for itching and dead skin. Although tis quite oily, so i only use it once a week usually. It does smell really bad i find-a friend says it sells like bacon grease-but i don't think so cause i like the smell of bacon and it doesn't smell that good lol if you don't want the smell on you, wear latex of plastic gloves to put it on, cause its oily too-so it stays on for a while


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## JumpingJellyBean (May 22, 2009)

Thanks for the advice everybody!


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## LadyDreamer (Jan 25, 2008)

External parasites can be helped by using an insecticide powder that you can buy at TSC and other livestock/horse supply stores.


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## NikkiB (Jun 26, 2009)

My horse did this last year. It is likely either Pinworms or ticks. Start by using a dewormer that specifically lists that it treats pinworms and then remove any ticks. You may want to treat it with medical shampoo aswell and tea tree oil to sooth itching. If it is pinworms check under your horses jaw, if it is raw or there is anything unusual looking about the skin you'll want to treat that aswell, another affected area may be the horses mane, proceed to treat that in the same way as the tail.


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