Recently I saw three farm horses: one with a short tail, one with a medium length and one with a long tail… Why are the tails clipped short? Is this for an aesthetic or practical reason? Or is the horsehair still used for eg. bows and hydrometers?
Answer
Best,
In the past, block tails were done for an obvious practical reason. When farm horses were hitched to the plow, cart, or whatever, their tails were quite a nuisance when driving these animals. During labour, they often swing their tails, partly to scare away flies. If the reins got stuck under the tail, these animals could ‘steer their way’ themselves and they became uncontrollable. However, there is currently a ban on tail docking of these animals. It can only be removed for veterinary reasons (veterinary certificate required). What happens to the horse hair, I don’t know.
Best regards
lennert steukers
Answered by
dr. Lennert Steukers
Veterinary medicine large pets Virology of the large pets, more specialized on ruminants
http://www.ugent.be
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