Its so that you can bite on it to make it go faster.
What's the Use of a Horse's Tail?
11–20 of 41 posts
Re: What's the Use of a Horse's Tail?
#12At least some animals use their tails to balance when running fast.
Re: What's the Use of a Horse's Tail?
#13My opinion: long mammals like cows, horses, camels, etc can't reach their behinds with their limbs. They can use their head (especially when the tail doesn't reach the fronter part of the behind), but it's not efficient because their head is heavy (and they're heavy animals in general) and has more inertia. Therefore, a tail is their swift efficient defense for the behind. By contrast, smaller mammals like cats, dogs…
I saw a lemur (in a zoo) without a tail once — it couldn't jump.
Re: What's the Use of a Horse's Tail?
#14My opinion: long mammals like cows, horses, camels, etc can't reach their behinds with their limbs. They can use their head (especially when the tail doesn't reach the fronter part of the behind), but it's not efficient because their head is heavy (and they're heavy animals in general) and has more inertia. Therefore, a tail is their swift efficient defense for the behind. By contrast, smaller mammals like cats, dogs…
Horses tend to kick if they're trying to get at something behind them. According to a quick internet search, dogs have tails for the same reason as cats, to help with balance and inertia when running.
you're right, they do kick. they also can shake their skin.
i was thinking more in terms how people or primates can use their hands or feet to basically reach all parts of the body, while cows/horses cannot to the same degree.
Re: What's the Use of a Horse's Tail?
#15tl;dr: “Our work shows that a horse’s tail isn’t just an ornament. It’s their main line of defense against biting insects”
That's interesting considering it can really only swat away insects around it's behind and is useless for the rest of the body.
Don't forget they're herd animals. They also protect each other (using their tails) when insects are bad.
Re: What's the Use of a Horse's Tail?
#16tl;dr: “Our work shows that a horse’s tail isn’t just an ornament. It’s their main line of defense against biting insects”
That's interesting considering it can really only swat away insects around it's behind and is useless for the rest of the body.
I've noticed that when a fly lands on a horse's front area, the horse will twitch its muscles in that area (sort of like if a fly lands on your are and you jerk your arm to get it off), but in the back area it will swish it's tail. Maybe it can't twitch its muscles in the back area like it can in the front area.
Re: What's the Use of a Horse's Tail?
#17No cows in zoos. So the biologists didn't study them.
Because of cow patties, there are always lots of flies in cow pastures.
Anyone who has been in a cow pasture in summer would easily notice that cows use their tails the same way as horses do: to chase away flies.
Re: What's the Use of a Horse's Tail?
#18Balance?
Re: What's the Use of a Horse's Tail?
#19tl;dr: “Our work shows that a horse’s tail isn’t just an ornament. It’s their main line of defense against biting insects”
That's interesting considering it can really only swat away insects around it's behind and is useless for the rest of the body.
According to the article, the goal is not to hit any insect with the tail but rather to create an air wave that is impossible for insects to navigate.
Re: What's the Use of a Horse's Tail?
#20My opinion: long mammals like cows, horses, camels, etc can't reach their behinds with their limbs. They can use their head (especially when the tail doesn't reach the fronter part of the behind), but it's not efficient because their head is heavy (and they're heavy animals in general) and has more inertia. Therefore, a tail is their swift efficient defense for the behind. By contrast, smaller mammals like cats, dogs…
Showing someone (or another dog) that you're excited or scared ("tail between his legs") is a very potent social mechanism I think. I don't think it adds much to the motor skills of the dog, besides maybe giving it a tool to keep flies and insects away from the ol' pooper.