NZ has banned trimming whiskers

[sharni]

NEW ZEALAND EQUESTRIAN ORGANISATIONS BAN THE TRIMMING OF WHISKERS AND INNER EAR HAIR
Equestrian Sports New Zealand and the New Zealand Pony Club Association will no longer allow the trimming of either the whiskers or inner ear hair of horses and ponies competing at their events and activities.
The two organisations have joined their French, Swiss and German counterparts in banning this trimming on welfare grounds. Well done New Zealand!
The horse has whiskers – or 'vibrissae' – to help him navigate his world. They are super-sensitive, multi-functional sensory organs with densely packed nerves at their root that send sensory messages to the horse’s brain.
These whiskers are so sensitive to vibration and changes in air current they can instantly inform the horse about his environment – for example helping him avoid injury by detecting nearby objects, differentiating between different textures, judging wind direction and identifying food. The horse has a blind spot beneath his muzzle and so his whiskers are a vital aid to his vision.
From the horse’s point of view, removing these whiskers reduces his spatial awareness and leaves him partially handicapped.
We in the UK are still very backward in many aspects of horse welfare and it’s time for us to catch up, we should have made this ruling long ago...
You can read about the New Zealand ruling here: https://bit.ly/3kn5h34



898You, Vicki Jayne Yates, Liz Oxford and 895 others

66 Commen
about time the UK banned this practice too.

 

[milliepops]

I would support this if introduced in the UK.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

I was guilty of doing this when I was younger and showing my coloured. I had no idea how important they are to the horse (stupidly). I would not trim them know I know.

 

[Goldenstar]

OP if you think the UK is backward in horse welfare you have not been out and about in the world much.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

This is a good ruling and I would welcome it being introduced here.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

This is a good ruling and I would welcome it being introduced here.

Me, too! And yes we do animal welfare better than some countries but there is certainly room for improvement. I wish that the Breed and show societies would stop producers 'trimming'. I also hate to see cobs hogged - it is completely unnatural and unnecessary.

 

[Goldenstar]

Would effect very few horses .
and there’s much more to worry about than whiskers .
I would start with robust continuing professional development for farriers worked into a system to weed out the bad .
the tide of equine misery being caused by bad shoeing is appalling .

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Would effect very few horses .
and there’s much more to worry about than whiskers .
I would start with robust continuing professional development for farriers worked into a system to weed out the bad .
the tide of equine misery being caused by bad shoeing is appalling .

That is certainly important, although I would start with training for horse-owners, so that they can differentiate between good/poor foot care - and any other professional intervention. However I think a ban on trimming would send an extremely important message to those who seem to think that animals are a fashion accessory, or a machine. There is no reason to choose between the two improvements.
Do you trim your horses' whiskers?

 

[milliepops]

That is certainly important, although I would start with training for horse-owners, so that they can differentiate between good/poor foot care - and any other professional intervention. However I think a ban on trimming would send an extremely important message to those who seem to think that animals are a fashion accessory, or a machine. There is no reason to choose between the two improvements.
Do you trim your horses' whiskers?

agreed
it would be a quick win and would not stand in the way of any other improvements towards better horse welfare.
I'm actually in agreement about hogging too, I know lots of people like the look and I think there can be a case for it in some cases where bad skin is easier to deal with without the hair, but I do feel terribly sorry for horses that can't flick flies away etc. The way that spanish youngsters have their tails shaved off also makes me pretty uncomfortable.

 

[Tiddlypom]

I don’t ever get the ‘don’t worry about this, worry about that instead’ argument .

Moving against poor farriery would be a great step forward (my horses have sadly been a victim of that in the past), but that doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t also welcome a ban on whisker and ear trimming.

 

[Buster2020]

People are just going to ignore it and do it’s anyway and judge will still let the people win . I think there there is more things that should be banned like obese horses should be banned from showing it can lead to death . Btw I don’t trim or shave whiskers but I think other issues that should be look at in the competition world.

 

[Orangehorse]

In the classes that my horse used to take part in, the horses had all facial hair removed - ears, around the mouth and even around the eyes.

I was always a bit wary of that, and I left the ones around his eyes, and only lightly trimmed his ears. I can't say that it seemed to do him or the other horses any harm, as the hair regrows. I suppose if all horses are the same then it won't make any difference to judging.

 

[MagicMelon]

OP if you think the UK is backward in horse welfare you have not been out and about in the world much.

Of course there are many parts of the world where horse welfare is horrific, but I do agree the UK could easily improve on a lot of things (like getting away from this culture of stabling horses for no real reason... etc). I already support this and have never cut whiskers, I find it quite sad that this has to become an actual ruling in a country before people stop and think about it.

 

[Nasicus]

Most people would be horrified if you suggested cutting their cat or dogs whiskers. Weird how the same doesn't apply to horses for some.

 

[Goldenstar]

But it’s only a ban on horses competing Under certain jurisdictions within NZ it’s not a ban it will only effect a tiny percentage of the population of horses .

 

[Goldenstar]

Really how many horses do you see with their whiskers trimmed .

 

[Buster2020]

Of course there are many parts of the world where horse welfare is horrific, but I do agree the UK could easily improve on a lot of things (like getting away from this culture of stabling horses for no real reason... etc). I already support this and have never cut whiskers, I find it quite sad that this has to become an actual ruling in a country before people stop and think about it.

People stable to prevent weight gain and to stop horse from developing laminitis. there is a lot more grass in Ireland and uk than in most countries . A lot more horses would have laminitis if they were out 24/7

 

[Goldenstar]

That is certainly important, although I would start with training for horse-owners, so that they can differentiate between good/poor foot care - and any other professional intervention. However I think a ban on trimming would send an extremely important message to those who seem to think that animals are a fashion accessory, or a machine. There is no reason to choose between the two improvements.
Do you trim your horses' whiskers?

No never .

 

[Goldenstar]

People stable to prevent weight gain and to stop horse from developing laminitis. there is a lot more grass in Ireland and uk than in most countries . A lot more horses would have laminitis if they were out 24/7

correct these masses of horses about who would benefit from less grazing more stabling

 

[milliepops]

But it’s only a ban on horses competing Under certain jurisdictions within NZ it’s not a ban it will only effect a tiny percentage of the population of horses .

I think banning whisker trimming in competition would make it less of a "thing" in non-competing horses though.
People trim them because it's the done thing, quite often, not because there's any benefit to it. so if it stopped being a tradition or something you had to do for some classes, then the done thing changes and more people would leave them natural. JMHO

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I never trim whiskers - eyes or nose - or the hair inside the ear. I do not see the reason why it would make a horse look better aesthetically.

We had a horse come from the sales that the head lass couldn't get a headcollar on, wouldn't eat it's food or drink any water. I took one look at it and noticed the poor things whiskers had been shaved off completely and with the way he behaved it had clearly only been done just before he went through the sale ring the day before. It took him weeks to acclimatise and trust whilst they grew back. I felt so sorry for the poor wee beggar!

 

[Gingerwitch]

Mine are all fully whiskered, including the eye ones too

 

[Gloi]

Germany banned it in 1998 France and Switzerland also have
https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/features/trimming-horses-whiskers-cruel-633499

I wish the dressage associations were more strict about noseband tightness checks too, at local shows almost all are cranked in as tight as possible.

 

[Marigold4]

That is certainly important, although I would start with training for horse-owners, so that they can differentiate between good/poor foot care - and any other professional intervention. However I think a ban on trimming would send an extremely important message to those who seem to think that animals are a fashion accessory, or a machine. There is no reason to choose between the two improvements.
Do you trim your horses' whiskers?

I think goldenstar was more concerned with bad shoeing?? Bad trimming is a different thing. There are some excellent trimmers out there. Banning all trimmers and putting horses solely into the care of farriers who have limited understanding of a barefoot trim would surely be a bad thing?? Better professional regulation maybe, but my horses feet are in much better condition now I'm using a trimmer who knows not to pare back the sole and frog.

 

[Marigold4]

Germany banned it in 1998 France and Switzerland also have
https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/features/trimming-horses-whiskers-cruel-633499

I wish the dressage associations were more strict about noseband tightness checks too, at local shows almost all are cranked in as tight as possible.

Agreed. No one checks this but heaven help you if you turn up with no noseband!

 

[milliepops]

I think goldenstar was more concerned with bad shoeing?? Bad trimming is a different thing. There are some excellent trimmers out there. Banning all trimmers and putting horses solely into the care of farriers who have limited understanding of a barefoot trim would surely be a bad thing?? Better professional regulation maybe, but my horses feet are in much better condition now I'm using a trimmer who knows not to pare back the sole and frog.

think PAS meant trimming as per the context of the OP - of whiskers and inner ears.

Agreed. No one checks this but heaven help you if you turn up with no noseband!

at regionals and national championships you can certainly expect to have your noseband tightness checked, along with your spurs and bit.

 

[ycbm]

..

 

[PapaverFollis]

Erm. Beast is much much much happier hogged than she was with a mane.... she didn't even like her mane being touched or the reins touching her mane or it being brushed or cut. So keeping it neat and short or plaiting it out if the way on hot days or for work were also distressing for her. Seems like it was either hog or leave her actually feral to keep her happy. She wears a fly mask when the flies are bad to compensate for the lack of hair. And she dislikes being body clipped but will stand happily while we hog her so I think she approves!

I never trim whiskers or inside ears and would welcome moves to make that less common-place/acceptable here. But I think we're heading that way anyway.

 

[Marigold4]

think PAS meant trimming as per the context of the OP - of whiskers and inner ears.



at regionals and national championships you can certainly expect to have your noseband tightness checked, along with your sp


Oh ha ha. Got wrong end of stick. Apologies. Must be the heat!

 

[MagicMelon]

Most people would be horrified if you suggested cutting their cat or dogs whiskers. Weird how the same doesn't apply to horses for some.

But this is the same with many things. Always my debate with people who stable all the time, yeah I know some people put their dog in a crate for whatever reason, but most would be horrified if the person kept that dog in a crate for 23 hours a day for example. Yet with horses, thats seen as acceptable somehow. There's so many things in the horse world seen as ok when if you really think about it, it isn't.