GYS ban the trimming of sensory whiskers

[minesadouble]

for horses, no mention of cattle or sheep!
It will be interesting to see if this affects entries come July. I'm aware that many people support this and I'm certainly not saying it's a bad thing but until BSPS, BSHA come into line, or all other shows with HOYS qualifiers do, it creates an interesting situation.

GYS do seem to love their controversial rules, the working in rule last year didn't make much sense and whilst I'm right behind the rider weights rule it seemed to be aimed solely at the smaller ponies. I saw some RoRs carrying real hefty riders and nothing was said. At the very least it will take some policing.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

The Welsh Pony & Cob Society have banned the trimming of whiskers and banging if tails in all 5 sections. I can see other societies following suit. It's a good thing in my opinion!

 

[stangs]

Sorry can’t get my eyes past that first line - people trim the whiskers of cattle and sheep??

 

[minesadouble]

The Welsh Pony & Cob Society have banned the trimming of whiskers and banging if tails in all 5 sections. I can see other societies following suit. It's a good thing in my opinion!

Yes, I've seen that. I do think this is a matter for societies rather than individual shows tbh. If you're a producer do you give GYS a miss or go into your other qualifiers hairy??
I also think it's less of a hot topic for native breeds than for SPs, hacks etc.
It doesn't affect me as everything we're getting out and about with is a hairy breed anyway, God knows how that happened!

 

[minesadouble]

Sorry can’t get my eyes past that first line - people trim the whiskers of cattle and sheep??

For showing they do....not for the craic

 

[catkin]

Good for them - there is no good reason whatsoever for trimming whiskers, they are a sensory organ for the horse. I would rather this was a universal rule.

 

[AmyMay]

Don’t quite get the banging the tail rule though.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Don’t quite get the banging the tail rule though.

That's the problem - the wording. I expect that they mean the excessively short, stripped down tails of Welsh C's and D's but that is not banging in the traditional sense. That's feathering or any other number of words. Banging is straight across so the Welsh community will get around that one.

 

[ester]

yup I wondered about the wording on that one when it came out as it didn't seem to cover either pulling the top of feathering the bottom which is the status quo.

 

[humblepie]

Must admit (and sorry H&H) the picture they used of a horse in a gag bit to go with alongside the article made me think, I may have trimmed the odd whisker or two in the past but my horses go in simple snaffles or double if showing. I haven't trimmed whiskers this year or last year and it hasn't made any difference to placings. Rules do need to have clarity about them though.

 

[Birker2020]

We had a horse whose owner trimmed her mares whiskers off and she refused to eat for a couple of days afterwards, it was most bizarre, I expect she felt lost without her whiskers.

 

[J&S]

Taking off the whiskers of any horse would effect them, for sure, but I cannot see how banging their tail would affect their mental or physical health. My native companion pony came with a tail so thick and long that she could hardly lift it to poo or wee! She looks smarter and more comfortable with it a foot or so shorter. However she is not a show pony of any sort as very mixed breed so it hardly matters for "rules".

 

[Leandy]

What is wrong with banging a tail? In fact I'd say it is the normal sensible thing to do. Much more sensible than the current trend for overlong tails trailing in the mud and being a health and safety hazard.