# Thoughts please ...mare always has poop in tail



## llamahorse (May 26, 2015)

My mare always has a dirty butt and poop in her tail. When her poop comes out its pretty solid, not runny. She is getting a small amount of grain (kalm n ez), hay and is on pasture. She has this problem even in the winter when she is not on grass. She has been wormed, when I asked my vet she said some horses just have more "poop juices". But I feel like there must be something going on? Any thoughts welcome


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## Mulefeather (Feb 22, 2014)

It could be that she just has exactly what the vet said - slightly runnier poop than normal. 

Have you wormed her recently, or had a fecal egg count done? If her poop is solid, she may also just not be lifting her tail out of the way fully when she goes. Some mares also have runnier poop when they are in season, my old trainer's mare often had loose stools about that time. 

If it's in the outside hairs, it may be that she's laying or rolling in it by accident, especially if she tends to be messy in her stall, or if your pasture needs cleaning (you or whomever is in charge of it at your barn need to pick up manure periodically as it also helps prevent the spread of worms and flies).


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## karliejaye (Nov 19, 2011)

My appy gelding gets runny poop very easily and even when normal, tends to have a lot of "juiciness" for a lack of better words.
I noticed when he lifts his tail to poop, he doesn't lift it very high, and thus, gets a very messy tail. Doesn't help that, despite being an appy, he has the thickest, fullest tail around, so the hair gets everywhere.

Have you seen when your mare is pooping if she is lifting her tail very high? If not, it might just be her thing, but it could also signal nerve damage or pain somewhere.


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## kenda (Oct 10, 2008)

Another thing to consider is blankets. When my mare was wearing a fly sheet last summer, every time she'd go into heat she'd get nasty down her back legs and the fly sheet's tail cover prevented her tail from going up as high as normal, so more got on her tail and dock.


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## llamahorse (May 26, 2015)

Thank you for the replies! She does have a really thick tail, I know the pic doesn't show it well. I have thought it was just she didn't get it out of the way but didnt know if that was even possible. I wonder if I should braid it? Or wrap it and see if that helps? She is never stalled (other than this past winter when it was -37 here) or blanketed. I'm wondering if I could put something on her to help it roll off? It creates quite a funk in the winter I'm using wipes to get it off and hosing it off about every other day weather permitting in the summer.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

If the feces linger on her skin she could develop a skin irritation from it.
Try coating her body where she is covered in "poop" with a thin layer of Vaseline or any generic petroleum jelly.... slather it on. 
_{You can use a baby diaper rash ointment too but they might be a lot more conspicuously white on her butt..:shock:}_
It will give her a barrier to protect her skin and allow you to rinse her off easier too.
I would try wrapping her tail carefully, not to tight not to loose and not to long a wrapping as she needs her tail to ward off the flies.
Braiding her tail is great, but you will be a slave to taking it down and re-doing it every second or third day at most or she will rub it out and destroy her thick lovely tail..:-x
Wrapping you can unwrap, brush, clean, condition as needed and re-wrap a lot quicker...

My immediate thought also was some type of nerve damage or infection if she can't or won't raise her tail, arched enough to avoid the excrement.

What about when she urinates?? she needs to lift her tail out of the way for that too...

And when you ride her or she is moving at a good pace most horses carry their tail in a natural arch up, out and away from the body.... does she do any of those things???

Some things to watch for and look into...

Good luck...


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## Nikkibella (Mar 10, 2012)

I second the idea to coat her backside in Vaseline. I had a mare much like yours who for no reason just had wetter "toots" than most. Poop was solid but when she had gas it was never just air. She was a pinto with a ton of white so keeping her white bottom white was a pain but she also started to get some funk going on in the sensitive area around her vagina and down on the backs of her hocks. A thin coat of dollar store petroleum jelly fixed the "funk" problem. 
Eventually sold the mare but still keep in touch with her new owner and her poo problem hasn't gone away, it's just her thing.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## llamahorse (May 26, 2015)

I took this picture while she was walking around the other day when I took the other one. You can kind of see. She does lift her tail when she walks a little and more so when she poops or squats to pee.


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## kapbob8 (Mar 18, 2015)

llamahorse said:


> Thank you for the replies! She does have a really thick tail, I know the pic doesn't show it well. I have thought it was just she didn't get it out of the way but didnt know if that was even possible. I wonder if I should braid it? Or wrap it and see if that helps? She is never stalled (other than this past winter when it was -37 here) or blanketed. I'm wondering if I could put something on her to help it roll off? It creates quite a funk in the winter I'm using wipes to get it off and hosing it off about every other day weather permitting in the summer.



If you wrap the tail, make sure that you start the braid at leasttt 4 inches past the tail bone. I normally do about five. Any less will cause irritation of the tail bone and it is more prone to breaking the closer to the tail bone you start the braid.


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## llamahorse (May 26, 2015)

Yes! Whenever I braid I start really low and keep it really loose which is why I don't think it has been helping. I think I am going to try wrapping it but will have someone come show me the first time.  thank you!


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## BarrelracingwithSkipper (Sep 25, 2014)

If you spray show sheen in the back of the tail where the poop gets stuck it wont get stuck as easy and will be easier to brush out.


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