Hi there,
My 10 yr old Morgan X swishes his tail constently (even when hes standing by himself in the field) I live in Michigan so the climate is always changing (I noticed it in the summer and thought it might be from flies/the heat) but he is still doing it now that it is 30 degrees out! He appears semi irritaded when he does it, I have heard that this can mean that the horse is uncomfortable.. possibly from a bad back?

any advice!?!?

thanks
Karen

It could be numerous things, Here is a list that you could go over and then go over with your vet.

Silly questions but is he on a regular deworming program and do you alternate the ingredients/type of dewormer?

Does he have summer allergies that he has not fully recovered from?

Has he had his sheath cleaned real good recently, and been checked for a bean? This can be very itchy if he is dirty and swishing his tail he might be trying to get at the itch.

Horses who get mild belly aches will swish their tails. Has his teeth been done recently. I know its the other end but, If he is not chewing his food properly he could be getting small impactions and could be causing some discomfort, making him swish his tail. My old gelding when he has a mild belly ache flips and rings his tail.

He could have some arthritis in his hocks or lower joints causing discomfort. He would also give the farrier a hard time during trimmings if it were his hocks.

It could be a saddle fit issue, causing a sore back. If you have an acupuncturist in the area having them do an exam to see if there is back pain would be a wise idea. Acupuncture helps horses wonderfully with back soreness, but you would still need to figure out what the cause was.

Hopefully this gives you some ideas and helps.