The germans decided for what ever reason to dock the tail of the GSP and few other breeds developed there.
I have hunted with English points have see them come in after a day of hunting with blood soaked tails. And this where they were hunting in wheat fields and prairie grass. Can you imagine what they would have looked like if they were hunting in heavy thorn brush.
I think the shorthairs, wirehairs, visalas, wiemeraners and few other Europeon breeds were meant to have there tails docked because of the type of hunting they did and where they did it. Besides they look great with their tails docked.