Question

My husband and I own a five-year-old mostly (15/16ths) Arabian gelding that weighs approximately 1,150 lb (522 kg). We ride him three or four times a week, so I would say he’s in light to medium work—nothing too strenuous! He eats predominantly grass hay with a bit of alfalfa, one pound of balancer pellets, and two pounds of rice bran each day. Our gelding has a wry tail, and its crookedness tends to vary from slight to extreme. As a foal, it was straight, but now it seems to bend primarily to the right. Are there any supplements or changes to feed that might help correct this?

Answer

Many Arabians carry their tails off to one side (known as wry tail), and though it’s not aesthetically pleasing to some or ideal from a conformation perspective, it typically does not affect a horse’s health or usefulness. Of course, wry tail has been noted in horses of other breeds as well.

A few problems are thought to influence the tail carriage of a horse, such as excitement, fear, or stress; back pain or spinal injury; and irritation to the underside of the tail or anus. Whether a horse has a wry tail is thought to be genetically predetermined; in other words, it is passed down from one generation to the next, which is probably why it is so prevalent in Arabians.

I know of no nutritional supplement that addresses wry tail specifically, but if the cause is from muscle damage in the back or loin, then perhaps a antioxidant supplement that targets muscles may help. An example of a muscle supplement is KER Preserve PS, which has natural-source vitamin E, vitamin C, selenium, and magnesium.