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Old 11-30-2014, 11:22 AM
 
Location: Chapel Hill, N.C.
36,499 posts, read 53,817,512 times
Reputation: 47906

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I found this video intriguing. Why are their tails docked? Don't they need their tails to swish flies away? I thought at first they were only tied up but it looks like they have been cut drastically.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v...879051&fref=nf
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Old 11-30-2014, 01:11 PM
 
Location: NC
9,346 posts, read 13,945,659 times
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It is totally unnecessary and more historical than anything else. I actually thought that it was a practice that no longer occurs. Originally it was done so that the tail would not end up sitting on top of the long reins with which a draft horse was driven. But to do that, the bone had to be amputated at a young age, so once done it cannot be undone.

There are grooming techniques of knotting the tail hairs that give the same effect (google horse tail mud knot images) so why it would be done today beats me. Not only does the horse use its tail to swish away flies, the long tail bone also lays flat over the dock, thus protecting those tissues as well. The position of the tail is a signal to other horses also.

In some US states and in some countries the practice is illegal. Rightly so.
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Old 11-30-2014, 02:41 PM
 
Location: Chapel Hill, N.C.
36,499 posts, read 53,817,512 times
Reputation: 47906
Thanks luv. Something new to learn today.
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