Hairy M&M. How much trimming can I do for in-hand showing?

S

SpruceRI

Well-Known Member
Joined
3 July 2006
Messages
5,370
Visit site
I have a rising 3yr old Welsh Sec D and intend to do some In-hand with her this Spring.

Her tail is extremely thick, bushy and touching the floor.
Her mane is almost below her neck and she has very long thick hair under her chin and cheek bones. (Looks like a Wildebeest!!)

How much trimming can I do?

Can I chop the lot off under her cheek bones/throat?
Can I thin her tail?
Should I shorten her mane?
And should I pull the top of her tail to give it some shape?

Thanks

p.s Can anyone recommend a good Showing book for M&M's? Preferably with lots of pictures
grin.gif
 
you can trim under her jaw,
you can thin and tidy her mane (there are very few section d'S with very long manes how ever do not pull it to plaiting length. about 8 inches or so depending on the horse is normal.
as for the top of the tail, very very discreate pulling can be gotten away with, however it should not look pulled and should still be full.

showing secrets by carolyne henderson is good, not that many pics but good for a newbie to read.
showing native ponies by clive richardson (published by allens photographic guides) has some good advice.

The best way to lear to be honest, is read every book you can lay your hands on, then go to shows and watch the proffesionals do it. Have a wander round the lorry park and ask questions, most showing people are more then happy to help if your polite and dont catch them just before they go in the ring. Grooms watching from the edge of the ring are often brilliant sources of information (just be prepared for them to cut you off midsentance if they ave to go into the ring)..
 
Welsh should be trimmed up well for showing , trim ears, jaw and whiskers, pull mane to acceptable length to show off neck, a long mane will make neck look weak, Tails personally i dont touch the top, but c & d should have it slightly shorter to show off hock action, but never banged straightm feather with a blade to acheive a natural length. Welsh are shown very trimmed unlike dales, fells and highlands, another one that should be trimmed up are new forests
smile.gif
 
Showing, by Jane Holderness Roddam. Very good for M&M's and lots of pictures.

The tails the main thing, thinnned and feathered at the end so it finishes in a point rather than flat.
 
All the beard can come off you'll be relieved to hear
tongue.gif


Mane length depends, some horses can carry off a longer mane, most have it around 6-8 inches and pulled lightly so it lies flat. There are often fashions in mane length that you might want to watch out for, at the moment I think the short pulled look seems to be popular.

Tail should be feathered to a point rather than banged straight across and again length depends on the horse; stallions often have theirs above the hocks to make them look more cobby and punchy. My mare has hers so that in movement it is about an inch or two below her hocks (remember that when they're moving they carry the tail higher and it will look shorter, trim with that in mind!) Yes you can thin it and also pull a bit at the top, just don't make it too obviously pulled. A tail bandage and a lot of hairspray can have the same effect as pulling if you're unsure how much to take off.

With a youngster I would be tempted to trim more than I would with an older horse purely to give a neater appearance, as three year old Sec Ds are still often quite gangly and leggy. When they're grown up and filled out they can carry off a longer mane.

There is a photographic guide called 'Showing Native Ponies' which you can get from amazon for a few quid which is a good starting point. Also 'The Welsh Cob' is a fascinating read in itself and has lots of pictures for all disciplines.

Like said above the best thing is to go to a few shows, take in the competition and have a chat with a few people. Try and snag the judge at the end of the day and ask if you can have a chat, they are very busy people but only a very mean one doesn't have time to give you a few pointers.

Now we must have pictures of said Sec D in all her hairy glory.
tongue.gif
 
Speak to the Welsh Pony and Cob Society - they will tell u the rules for showing, trimming etc. It's becoming more common for Welshies to be trimmed but technically they still shouldn't be trimmed and I have seen several people at shows with good horses loose because the judges weren't impressed at M&Ms being shown trimmed short. Also - it depends on the level you're doing.
 
Technically their should be NO trimming aloud for m&m showing, as per rules, but sadly not many judges seem to adhire(sp?) to the rules, and seem to allow some ponies to be trimmed.
 
spitchwick. rules dont state no trimming and certainly the welsh rules dont state no trimming.
WPCS rules actualy state "Long hair under the jawline and those protruding from the ears may be trimmed off leaving as natural a line as possible. The whiskers around the muzzle may be trimmed" and "If the mane and tail are very thick, they can be discreetly thinned to show off the topline and the hindquarters. The tail should look natural and should not be “banged” (leveled
off square)."

The only ones you cant do any trimming on is the fells, dales and highlands.
 
Wow, thanks everyone!

So glad I can have a bit of a chop at the Wildebeest!

I'm pretty sure the show I'm going to says no youngsters under 4 are allowed to be clipped, which is fine, but I wanted to hack off the hairy bits under her cheeks!

Her tail is touching the floor so will have a good go at that and make sure it ends in a point, not banged.

Will try and do before and after piccies

emmajanerushton - your pony looks so clean! Don't think mine will ever!!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top