Clipping whiskers off!

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rowy

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I know alot of competition people on here believe that clipping whiskers off is necessary and in magazines, especially in the showing world. They say it is compulsory to do this to do well even at small local levels. It gets me angry because i feel clipping whiskers off is like Cutting dogs and cats whiskers off as they use them for the same thing!
My appy boy is going to be competing in dressage and showing at a reasonably high level and I don't really want to clip his off lol. So discuss, is it really necessary ??
 
IMO no. I don't clip mine off, although my best friend always threatens too as she is obsessed with taking a bic razor to her horses face and she's an eventer, not even a show person. I think they look a bit weird without tbh, like a person with no eyebrows. And yes when I compare it to taking her dogs whiskers off, she doesn't know what to say :D

She has just realised though that her and my instructor also leaves her horses whiskers on, I lol'ed when I found that out :D
 
I never clip whiskers off! Well ifI could get the clippers anywhere near my horse I still wouldn't they wouldn't be able to see that well in the dark and they wouldn't be able to tell when the electric fence on.

I also agree that tey do look a bit silly without, the only thing I don't like is the little moustache they sometimes get.
 
EVERYTHING OFF!!! Lol

Mine have all extra hair trimmed off, and they look very smart when they are all plaited up.

As for knowing if the electric fence is on, its always on, and if they are stupid enough to put their nose on it, they will get a shock with or without whiskers!
 
CrazyMare said:
As for knowing if the electric fence is on, its always on, and if they are stupid enough to put their nose on it, they will get a shock with or without whiskers!
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Have to say, ours are incerdibly cautious about the electric fence (as they are all so silly) so I don't think whiskers would make a difference to that - I just like them on :)
 
currently, nose whiskers off, eye whiskers on. looks neater IMO, and they dont give a hoot either way. Bruce has been whiskered, and whisker free and is absolutely no different in any repsect either way.

the show ponies used to have their eye whiskers off too, and again-no problems, no injuries, no stress.
 
Bloss has her whiskers at half level - so i keep them trimmed short-ish so they are neat and tidy.

Jupi has everything trimmed and hes only 2yrs old. Just makes them look a lot smarter IMO especially for showing. Il probably leave Jupi more natural over the winter and trim him again come spring time :)

Its never made any difference to any of mine whether they have their whiskers on or off.
 
Twizzy has hers on, she hates it when they have gone they are her ''feelers''. when they have gone, shes really funny she wont eat her dinner, got near her haynet or anything and shes normally in your pockets and everything, but without them, she hates it:(
 
Yup, everything off!

We take both muzzle and eye whiskers off and none of our ponies have ever, ever encountered a problem, nor have I known any to.

For show ponies and the like we also take out the ear hair, and despite people on here before shouting about how cruel that is, again we've never had any problems in the many years we've been doing it.
 
Nope, they are left on. I do feel it's a bit mean and unnecessary to take them off purely for vanity purposes. Clipping body hair to keep them cool and comfortable is different. I take off her beardy bit under her chin ('cos that gets sweaty!) but whiskers are left. I think they look quite cute!
 
All on, apprently removing them is now banned in somewhere like Germany?
MY lad has lost a few front teeth so needs his whiskers to warn him of what he's about to grab with his gums.
With an appoloosa you can probably get away with saying it's a breed requirement to keep them on ;)
 
mum qualified search for a star a few years ago and went to the prep day they ran, and they said ears have to be completely trimmed inside, NO EXCUSES and nose hairs OFF with no stubble at all.

I always trim my horses nose hairs for eventing, just looks smarter as theres none at odd lengths. Ive just bought a 5yo and hes still got his, as hes not doing anything other than 1ft9/2ft little sj shows so not much point trimming them off. however for our first ODE they shall be gone.


I dont clip mine, i trim then with scissors then i have a horsey razor for neatening up.

http://www.equinesource.com/browseproducts/Horse-Shaver.HTML
 
Whiskers definitely on, beards trimmed, and ears trimmed on those that will allow, one mare barley lets you touch her ears to put her bridle on let alone anywhere near to trim!
 
up until this year i showed at county & affiliated level with whiskers on, not one judge said that they should be off tbh i dont think they look close enough - however i got so much stick about it i took my yearlings off and boy what a difference it made to her head so much neater so i took a razor thing to my ridden horse and took his off too even mum said it looks far neater and i have to admit i think it is nicer off, i dont take the eye ones off just round the muzzle/nose only drawback you have to do them every few weeks as they grow back quick
but if you dont want to take them off i wouldnt bother
 
whiskers definately off. personally i think they look a right mess with them on.
but am on a showjumping yard so we take clippers trimmers and scissors to every bit of the horses - they must look perfect at all times !
 
I'm on a very liberal, and fairly hippie yard, where people do Parelli, and Monty roberts, and dressage and hunting......anything goes, but the one yard rule- and I really do mean the ONLY yard rule, is NEVER ever to go anywhere near your horses whiskers with scissors or anything else....
 
Llanali said:
I'm on a very liberal, and fairly hippie yard, where people do Parelli, and Monty roberts, and dressage and hunting......anything goes, but the one yard rule- and I really do mean the ONLY yard rule, is NEVER ever to go anywhere near your horses whiskers with scissors or anything else....
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How odd for that to be a yard rule. Why, can I ask?
 
PrincessSparkle and teagreen- sorry, I can't quote two people!

It IS considered a welfare issue on our yard PrincessSparkle...and that's why it's banned teagreen.

Certainly in the past I have trimmed whiskers, but it is something YO feels very strongly about. It is a private yard, YO's three horses, myself and mine, and two other liveries. I am effective YM and look after the owner's horses as well as the yard. She rarely gets involved, but this is one area in which she is fully inflexible upon.
 
Off, he looks 10 years younger without them :)

I don't think it's a welfare issue. He has his feed in a bowl and a field full of grass so don't think there's any issues with feeding - and he certainly couldn't care less about them being done!

However, I do believe everyone's entitled to their own view and I wouldn't think of somebody any differently just because they don't trim their horses whiskers.
 
Everything off :D Although i used to be obsessed with not removing wiskers etc but am a complete convert now and trim everything off apart from inside ears but keep them tidy with scissors
 
I am rather a dab hand with scissors and I get a little OCD :o however the only thing on his head I trim are his ears and the long hair he gets on the bottom of his head.
 
Llanali said:
I'm on a very liberal, and fairly hippie yard, where people do Parelli, and Monty roberts, and dressage and hunting......anything goes, but the one yard rule- and I really do mean the ONLY yard rule, is NEVER ever to go anywhere near your horses whiskers with scissors or anything else....
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Sorry, that would pee me right off. My horses. My choice.

Disposable razor, whip them straight off - very easy to do while you are washing faces. My horses never notice, never bash themselves any more than normal.

A YO trying to tell me how to keep my own horses would make me leave - DIY is DIY, not do it my way but do it yourself.
 
CrazyMare said:
Sorry, that would pee me right off. My horses. My choice.

Disposable razor, whip them straight off - very easy to do while you are washing faces. My horses never notice, never bash themselves any more than normal.

A YO trying to tell me how to keep my own horses would make me leave - DIY is DIY, not do it my way but do it yourself.
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i agree.. it a very bizarre rule. if a horse doesnt let you near them and is genuinely scared i wouldnt remove them, but if theyre being silly/naughty i would take them off. i hardly do showing but i event, and i think it just looks smarter when youre doing a BE novice and your going down the centre line looking glamourous then you get infront of the judges car, i know they can hardly see them, but i do whatever i can to look and feel smarter and with that i feel more confident with my appearance.
 
My boy's a Traddie Cob and I would never, EVER trim his whiskers. Oooh, the very thought of it, my poor man! I couldn't, I really couldn't, and wouldn't ever want to coz his lovely hairy whiskers and little moustache are so totally endearing! Its just part of him and I couldn't bear to do it to him!

The only thing I do have to watch with him, and trim sensitively, if necessary, is the whiskers round his eyes, as one of them occasionally grows in a bit of a funny direction and gets around his eye, so I watch for that and deal with it if needed.

My personal view is that horses were provided with whiskers for a reason and that's presumably to use as a kind of antennae to know where they are, especially in the dark, and also as their vision isn't all that brilliant straight ahead of them, to check by feeling that its OK to proceed forwards. Also I guess in checking whether something is OK to eat or not, i.e. whether its got prickles or whatever. So if nature has provided something, I wouldn't feel right about trimming it.
 
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