Does anyone know how long a tail block lasts? I bought a quarter horse mare at an auction in the beginning of February, and I think her tail was blocked for the sale. The day I brought her home I had her on crossties, and she pushed her butt against the stall door, then would tuck her butt under and suck in her belly, like something felt weird. My first thought was she was blocked, so I took video of her jogging on the lunge line, and the base of her tail never moved. Now she is constantly rubbing her butt, and is beginning to lose hair in patches on her hindquarters. I have done full bloodwork, thyroid, and a fecal. The bloodwork came back completely normal, and the fecal was negative. I dewormed her with Zimectrin Gold this weekend. If anyone knows how long the block lasts, or if this is typical of how a horse acts when a block wears off, and if there's anything I can do for her, I'd really appreciate any suggestions. Thanks

Hm, not sure! I was under the impression that it was permanant. (I'm sure there are different kinds) We have a QH mare at our barn with a blocked tail and it's been like that the last 2 or 3 years. No one had any idea until the vet was playing around with her tail and realized she couldn't lift it very high. He tickled his finger under her dock and said that they normally move it around or something? And it just hung there. But she never rubs it on anything or acts like it's bother her at all. Like I said, us naive hunters had no idea that QH people even did that!

A tail block can normally last anywhere from 3 to 5 months, be permanent or even ultimately kill the horse via secondary infection. Rubbing the tail IS a sign of blocking, but could also have some other causes. If tickling or massaging the area directly beneath your horse's dock doesn't cause it to lift or corkscrew, I'd suspect a block has been done. A vet or massage therapist can also feel for scar tissue at the dock, which is a pretty reliable sign of repeated blocking. If the block is TOTAL, the horse cannot swish the tail from side to side either. Such a dramatic block is usually apparent by manure and urine in the horse's tail. In that case, they pretty much have to spend the duration of the block (or the rest of their lives) stuffed into a tail bag. ~FH

What is tail blocking, and why is it done?

Jessi

CA, tail blocking is deadening the tail by injecting alcohol into the dock so it hangs motionless for horse sales or judged events to give the impression of a happy, relaxed and well trained horse. And don't be terribly surprised if comments about tail blocking on this thread turn into such a bru-ha-ha that it makes the barefoot vs.shod thread look like afternoon tea with the Queen. ~FH

I figured that was the reason. Sheesh, what people do to win a ribbon or sell a horse :(

Jessi

Thanks FH. I tickled under her tail yesterday, and she only lifted her tail about an inch, and when she had a bowel movement, she lifted it a little, but not nearly as much as most horses do. When I did research on her, she came from a trainer who shows at the World show and Congress, he took her to a sale in December, and the guy who bought her got her for a client of his. She didn't work out, so he took her to the sale in February, where I got her from. I'm pretty sure she was blocked, but I think the original trainer would have been the one to do the block, so I think she was blocked in December. I rubbed a hair regrowth conditioner on the bald spots yesterday, and when I applied some to the top of her tail, there was a spot at the very top center of the tail that seemed a little puffy. I never noticed it before, I only noticed it yesterday because the hair was slicked down from the conditioner. Do they inject the block at the top of the tail, or underneath it? Thanks again, I appreciate the feedback.

pitbull1929:

there was a spot at the very top center of the tail that seemed a little puffy. I never noticed it before, I only noticed it yesterday because the hair was slicked down from the conditioner. Do they inject the block at the top of the tail, or underneath it?

Jeeze, what people do to win ribbons! I had no idea what a tail block was! Why would people actually do that? gosh... Well, hope your mare turns out good! 

Thanks, I'll keep an eye on it. Hopefully, if any infection was going to set in, it would have by now, since the block had to have been done at least a month and a half ago. (I bought her Feb. 2nd) Although I really think it was done before the December sale. Do you know if there is anything I can do to make her more comfortable while the block wears off? Also, I hope to show her in the AQHA shows next year (local open shows this year) and I know AQHA will test if a horse appears to be blocked. If she never gets full movement back, and she's tested, is it possible for it to show up a year later? Sorry I have so many questions, but this is all new to me. Thanks again for the info, I really appreciate it.

pitbull1929:

Do you know if there is anything I can do to make her more comfortable while the block wears off?

An alcohol block is not like Novocaine or some other topical anesthetic. It doesn't really "wear off". In high enough doses or with numerous injections it kills the muscle tissue and nerve bundles that initiate movement of the tail. If the horse is young enough and/or healthy enough, that damage MAY be eventually overcome with regenerated tissue. But the damage can easily be permanent. It would probably require your vet doing a tissue biopsy to be certain. As long as there are no visible signs of pain at the dock area, the most you can do to make the mare comfortable is to provide for lots and lots of fly spray and/or a turn-out sheet to limit fly bites she can't defend against. You may also run into some occasional trouble "reading" this horse, since an important and expressive part of her body language has been silenced, too.

As for showing and "testing", alcohol injection is not something that "shows up" like drugs. That's why people use it. Determining if a horse is tail-blocked this way is a judgment arrived at with the same methods you did when you first suspected it. I have no recent personal experience with AQHA competitions or rule enforcement. I left those pinheads (the ORGANIZATION, not the members) in 1985. I know tail blocking is SUPPOSEDLY illegal in Western Pleasure. And I've heard they DO occasionally disqualify suspect horses in that class. But I've also heard they turn a blind eye to it in reining and cutting. Like most sanctioned events, it probably depends upon the level of competition, the integrity of the judging staff or another competitor ratting you out as to whether a tail-blocked horse gets discovered or disqualified. There are some excellent AQHA competitors on this forum that should certainly have better insight about what your sanctioned competition prospects are with this horse if the tail doesn't come back. ~FH

pitbull1929:

Thanks, I'll keep an eye on it. Hopefully, if any infection was going to set in, it would have by now, since the block had to have been done at least a month and a half ago. (I bought her Feb. 2nd) Although I really think it was done before the December sale. Do you know if there is anything I can do to make her more comfortable while the block wears off? Also, I hope to show her in the AQHA shows next year (local open shows this year) and I know AQHA will test if a horse appears to be blocked. If she never gets full movement back, and she's tested, is it possible for it to show up a year later? Sorry I have so many questions, but this is all new to me. Thanks again for the info, I really appreciate it.

You could always have your vet out to examine the tail and if the vet does infact think the tail was blocked get a paper from the vet stating so and have it dated.  The sooner you do it the better.  Then you would have that to provide if you were ever questioned about it.  Was there a pre-purchase exam?  If so maybe you could get a hold of the vet that performed it and talk with them about the lack of tail movement and they might be able to add that to their report.  Then there would be no doubt the horse was like that when you purchased it.

If she gets enough function back in her tail to pass a tail test, then you could take her to AQHA shows. However, if her tail never regains that much function, then you're out of luck. It doesn't matter who actually performed the tail block--the HORSE in ineligible for QH competition.  I would pull out a copy of the 2008 AQHA rulebook to double check that, but I recall that being the case.  If you do take her to a show, she gets pull for a test, and fails, I don't know what the ultimate repercussions are.  Also, read the front of your sale catalog.  Most reputable auctions have a stipulation about fraudulent behavior by sellers, so it wouldn't hurt to at least see if this fits.

You can probably still use her as a broodmare.  I would check with your vet to see what special treatment she would need to help with delivery.

Thank goodness for tail extensions!  I'm seeing less and less blocking on the paint circuit since you can just use a heavier tail.  At least that's a very temporary thing.

Actually, today when I was unhooking the leg straps on her blanket, she swished her tail back and forth at me. (I think I tickled her leg).  I was happy to see she's able to use it again, especially with fly season just around the corner. Thanks though!

Good to hear she's swishing it. There was an article in H&R a few months back about tail blocking. It described the ways they do it, how long it can last, etc. There was a list of the different breed and show rules and how much they are, or are not enforced. I just tried a search for it but I'm getting an error message.