NZ has banned trimming whiskers

[Cocorules]

I agree with magic melon who said about stabling for no real reason. Freedom to move is really important. It is entirely possible to restrict grazing without stabling.

 

[MagicMelon]

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

I dont believe this either. Sorry, but more often than not the horse needs to lose weight, surely the best way is by exercise (by being outside (or in an indoor school etc.) moving around) and not stuck standing about in a box all day. Whats wrong with electric fencing a very small paddock for these horses that need it? At least they're out moving around and their calorie intake is in check. Not a reason to stable in my opinion. Loads of people stable for no real reason, just because it seems to be some sort of never-ending tradition. I just dont get it personally. Sure, stable if the horse genuinely needs it (of course there are times) but I bet 90% of horses are stabled for no real reason other than the owner feels like it. Doesnt exactly benefit the horse.

 

[silv]

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 .

I would agree with you there, on saying that I have never cut the whiskers on any of my horses and have done pretty well in the show ring.

However I digress, over here anyone at all can set up as a farrier, there are no regulations, some of the feet you see are horrendous and often owners judge the blacksmith on how long the shoes stay on for. The long toe collapsed heel is a common sight and the lack of knowledge from owners is frightening. Same applies for "back people" that is a free for all also, So many cowboys out there and gullible people!

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

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

Quite a lot in the showing world - and hunters that are turned out by livery yards. Then there are those novice owners who follow what they see others doing. Look at the number of cobs we see on here that are hogged for no good reason - poor animals.

 

[HashRouge]

I'd support this in the UK, along with a ban on mane pulling, which I find utterly barbaric...

 

[milliepops]

I dont believe this either. Sorry, but more often than not the horse needs to lose weight, surely the best way is by exercise (by being outside (or in an indoor school etc.) moving around) and not stuck standing about in a box all day. Whats wrong with electric fencing a very small paddock for these horses that need it? At least they're out moving around and their calorie intake is in check. Not a reason to stable in my opinion. Loads of people stable for no real reason, just because it seems to be some sort of never-ending tradition. I just dont get it personally. Sure, stable if the horse genuinely needs it (of course there are times) but I bet 90% of horses are stabled for no real reason other than the owner feels like it. Doesnt exactly benefit the horse.

this assumes that the owner is free to manage their grazing as they choose. Lots of us at livery are totally at the mercy of the YO, when it comes to pasture managament.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I'd support this in the UK, along with a ban on mane pulling, which I find utterly barbaric...

And tail pulling!


I have no idea why tail plaiting fell out of fashion in showing, nothing looks nicer than a well plaited tail, imo.


Having said that we did have one mare who enjoyed having her mane pulled - goodness knows why! I have personally never pulled a mane and won't be doing so in future. I like my horses with full manes and tails to give them the protection that nature intended.

 

[MrsMozartleto]

I never understood the urge to trim off a horse's whiskers. They're there for a reason, which one can see when watching a horse pootle about having a nosey at the ground.

Now we just need the UK to follow suit, along with the no obese horses in showing rings, and the stopping of tail docking (I mean really, why the heck is that still happening?).

 

[Sail_away]

I'd support this in the UK, along with a ban on mane pulling, which I find utterly barbaric...

I’d certainly support a ban on trimming whiskers, but why mane pulling? My one enjoys it, his lower lip wobbles, sometimes he starts to fall asleep or start grooming me.
That’s not the same for every horse but I think a bit of common sense can be used - if they dislike it, then don’t do it, but if they do then there’s no reason not to.

 

[ycbm]

I honestly can't get exercised about cutting off whiskers. I'm sure the horse misses them at first but quickly becomes used to their absence. I don't see show horses going around constantly smacking their heads on things.

I don't trim whiskers myself but I think there are far more worthy things to worry about.

It seems very strange to me to ban trimming whiskers while still placing grotesquely fat horses in showing, keeping breeding stallions permanently stabled, keeping more and more horses in tiny individual paddock turnout, and routinely injecting dressage horses joints.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

I honestly can't get exercised about cutting off whiskers. I'm sure the horse misses them at first but quickly becomes used to their absence. I don't see show horses going around constantly smacking their heads on things.

I don't trim whiskers myself but I think there are far more worthy things to worry about.

It seems very strange to me to ban trimming whiskers while still placing grotesquely fat horses in showing, keeping breeding stallions permanently stabled, keeping more and more horses in tiny individual paddock turnout, and routinely injecting dressage horses joints.

All this above and the trimming pales into insignificance though, compared to the still ongoing breeding and fly grazing, dumping of dead and dying nondescript, non-passported, non microchipped equines, doesnt it?

(Not aimed at you ycbm but food for thought to those getting hot under the collar about hogging and trimming)

 

[tristar]

anything that draws attention to horses welfare is a step in right direction, like saying lets stop trimming whiskers, but how about farriery, and 24 hr stabling for no reason, opens up the talk for improvement

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

All this above and the trimming pales into insignificance though, compared to the still ongoing breeding and fly grazing, dumping of dead and dying nondescript, non-passported, non microchipped equines, doesnt it?

(Not aimed at you ycbm but food for thought to those getting hot under the collar about hogging and trimming)

As above, take the wins that you can get easily and use that as a jumping off point for improvements in the other areas. I do think we need to be very careful about targetting one particular community to criticise their horse care when actually many 'horse-people' are guilty of casual cruelty simply because 'it's the way we've always done it' and often because they want to win.

 

[milliepops]

All this above and the trimming pales into insignificance though, compared to the still ongoing breeding and fly grazing, dumping of dead and dying nondescript, non-passported, non microchipped equines, doesnt it?

(Not aimed at you ycbm but food for thought to those getting hot under the collar about hogging and trimming)

I'm not feeling particularly hot under the collar about trimming etc, but unlike sorting passports and fly grazing, the affiliated competition organisations could easily put a rule in to say no more whisker trimming and that would take virtually nothing in terms of effort and would have a trickle down positive effect.
Sorting fly grazing and all the rest of it is a much bigger problem that needs other agencies to put time, manpower and money into.

it's not taking anything away from the bigger issues. but it would be a simple positive gesture, esp seeing as how other countries are already leading the way.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

and the stopping of tail docking (I mean really, why the heck is that still happening?).

This has been illegal (along with the nicking of tails) here since 1949. Imported horses maybe?

 

[MrsMozartleto]

Gawd, new laptop and it's so blinking slow! Can't quote you MC, but I've seen a number of Shires with docked tails. Is there some sort of exemption or are the horses just growing very short docks (and why, if the dock is left are people cutting the tail hair short?). I thought docking was illegal now, but thought maybe I'd missed something.

 

[Cortez]

As far as I know the only place that it's still legal to dock or nick tails is the USA.

Mrs M: the cutting or shaving of draught horse tail hair (and before that the docking of the tail) is supposed to be to stop the hair from getting caught up in the harness. Why this should be a problem at all, considering that other harness horses seem to be able to work in harness just fine with their long tails eludes me.

 

[MrsMozartleto]

As far as I know the only place that it's still legal to dock or nick tails is the USA.

Mrs M: the cutting or shaving of draught horse tail hair (and before that the docking of the tail) is supposed to be to stop the hair from getting caught up in the harness. Why this should be a problem at all, considering that other harness horses seem to be able to work in harness just fine with their long tails eludes me.

Strange that the land of the free should be so inclined.

I thought it was to do with the harness, but as you say others are okay with a full tail. Maybe it was, in days of old, because mud and tail hair is a pita and people just didn't have the time to deal with it. If that's the case then it's hardly an issue now, and the practice of cutting the tail hair short (pretty much the same effect as docking) is both pointless and cruel.

Sorry OP, bit derailed, just makes me so mad to see a poor horse trying to swish flies away with buggerall tail.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Don't worry about the derail MrsM, you are quite right to be concerned about docking.

I personally think that this is a good option for Shires. The tail isn't docked and the hair is just plaited up and fixed out of the way. When the show is over, it is undone and the horse has its fly swat back.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Mrs M, they are not docked, but a good number are shaved close in then the top piece left, still not good management tho.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Strange that the land of the free should be so inclined.

I had to leave a model horse forum (of all things) over this issue. What is hard to grasp as a UK person is that we apparently live in a quasi socialist state. They are more free because they are free to chop bits off their horses with gay abandon. I don't understand it myself but there you go. Oh and mentioning that it's illegal where you live is 'virtue signalling' and calling it mutilation despite it coming under anti-mutilation laws in the UK is bad. Very bad. People who show Saddlebreds or Tennessee Walking Horses could be offended.

The culture is completely different.

ETA - the think that really shocked me was that because much of this stuff comes under the umbrella of equestrian disciplines that is called 'English' in the US (meaning non-western) there were people who genuinely thought that this happened in England the country because it's 'English' don't you know.

 

[Lois Lame]

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.

Good.

 

[HashRouge]

I’d certainly support a ban on trimming whiskers, but why mane pulling? My one enjoys it, his lower lip wobbles, sometimes he starts to fall asleep or start grooming me.
That’s not the same for every horse but I think a bit of common sense can be used - if they dislike it, then don’t do it, but if they do then there’s no reason not to.

I'm surprised that you'd support a ban on trimming whiskers but seem surprised I'd support a ban on mane pulling, given that it involves pulling out hair by the root. It's great that your horse enjoys it, but the vast majority of horses just about tolerate it and some find it excruciatingly painful and are still forced to tolerate it with twitches etc. I'd rather it were banned outright, otherwise every other person will just say "oh but my horse likes it" and how on earth would you prove it unless you actually tried pulling it?

 

[CanteringCarrot]

Whisker shaving is not allowed here. Occasionally I do trim one that gets really wild. Growing up we always shaved them off. I thought having a horse with whiskers would bug me (from a shallow aesthetic standpoint), but I hardly notice. Less for me to do and keep up with too.

When it comes to shaving off manes and tails, for me, a tail is an absolute no. A mane, I'm flexible with that. One time I was trimming the mane on my jumper and someone said "he needs a long mane to protect him in the rain" but I don't follow that "logic" and said horse was fine in the rain ?

I'm also on the fence about the PRE's and shaving of the tails and manes when they're young. Granted, it's only the first few years, and the clip job on the tail changes with age, but I'm not sure that it really leads to a thicker mane and tail as they claim. I think the little shaved fellows are cute with their little stick tails, but it also makes me wonder if it actually accomplishes anything as the breed generally has "good hair genetics" I think. One of those things where it could be "function" or tradition.

I do think there are bigger fish to fry than banning the shaving of whiskers, it's something I suppose.

 

[COldNag]

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

I know some that show, who are trimmed.

I would like to see it banned here too.

 

[palo1]

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.

This is true but if whisker trimming was banned it would signal a clearer intention to focus on horse welfare in competition and that would certainly help to promote better general welfare -including issues around obesity. Banning whisker and ear trimming really would be a simple win that doesn't stand in the way of other welfare related actions.

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

I think we should ban it too. It doesn’t stop other welfare issues being addressed.

I’ve done some showing not HOYS level but I’ve never trimmed whiskers and only have trimmed ears flat not the inside. I’ve been judged by proper judges and have won two Sunshine Tour in-hand Championships with my old boy one for turnout and condition and one mature veteran and having whiskers hasn’t affected the result negatively.

 

[Pippity]

If it was a choice between banning either whisker-trimming or obese horses from the show ring, I'd be in favour of banning obese horses. Thankfully, it isn't an either/or, so let's ban both.