A Lost Tail

This is a photograph from WZZM 13 online of the remains of Star's tail. The 18 year old horse, belonging to Rachal North of Grant, Michigan, had its tail cut off by thieves, presumably intending to sell the horse hair. Before it was clipped, the tail in question was "all the way down to her feet," according to North.

Star now has to wear a blanket to stay warm and the family is worried that North's 11 year old daughter's pony, named Bandit, may be next.

Horse hair, apparently is valuable to people who use it to make such things as belts, instrument strings and certain types of jewelery. At one time, horsehair was a prized stuffing for furniture and mattresses, but I always assumed that the hair in question came from shedding coats, not clipped tails.

According to information North found on the Internet, horse hair sells for between 37 to 80 dollars a pound and Star had at least 2 pounds worth. Since reporting the incident, North also discovered that other horse owners in her neighborhood also have horses who lost their tails to thieves.

These truly must be desperate thieves to resort to clipping horse tails for cash. That hair is worth so much more to the horses who use their tales to swat flies in the summer and keep warm in the winter. Star's tail will eventually grow back, but it will take 2 to 3 years.

In the meantime, here's hoping they catch the thieves with their tails between their legs.