What are your feelings about whiskers?

I would never cut off my horses whiskers, in the same way I would never cut off my cats or dogs whiskers! They are sensory hairs and serve the same purpose. A horse cannot see the end of his nose so uses his whiskers to feel. In my opinion cutting them off IS cruel and IS a welfare issue, there is no advantage for the horse but it pleases the humans!
 
Not into showing but usually take the cob to a few for a fun day out and being fully whiskered has never affected his ability to come home with red ribbons at each outing.
If whiskers were the crucial deciding point between two horses in a class, then the win isn't really worth so much.

Leave them on.
 
Snowdrop said:
I would never cut off my horses whiskers, in the same way I would never cut off my cats or dogs whiskers! They are sensory hairs and serve the same purpose. A horse cannot see the end of his nose so uses his whiskers to feel. In my opinion cutting them off IS cruel and IS a welfare issue, there is no advantage for the horse but it pleases the humans!
Click to expand...

Do they serve a purpose? I have never seen my horse staggering round the field in a blind panic when I have trimmed her whiskers. What use does a man's beard have? It must have had a use at some point? We all shave our legs and armpits (well some of us do!!) does this affect us in some detrimental way? I really think that saying this act is cruel is going a bit OTT - lets all just do what we feel with right for our animals and stop pushing our opinions on to others? I don't look at a whiskered horse and say yuk ugly - in fact I like whiskers but NOT IN THE AFFILIATED SHOW RING!
 
Even though I don't personally agree with taking whiskers off, calling it cruel & a welfare issue is going overboard, & does nothing for the argument of leaving them in place.
 
I told my yard where they clip everything that every single scrap of hair on Bree's body is vital for Friesian Breed Standards and that I am taking her to the Keuring to be graded next year.

The keuring bit is true, but you actually do clip the chin and excess on ears for it Although not the whiskers.. I just love my hairy how she is. :)

I will also let them trace clip her if she's hot in the winter, but that's for her welfare. She hates rugs though.

Paula
 
I would never ever take the whiskers off a horse, they are there for a reason....just as they are with cats. My lad is totally au natrel and I am proud of it...cob feathers, long tail and mane, full whiskers and beard in the winter...right billy goats gruff! Sometimes he even has tufts coming out of his ears...!
These things keep him warm and keep the worst of the winter elements off him.
 
Personally have never taken them off, just doesnt seem right to me... however have only done local level showing...

wouldnt get photos like this if i did either!
DSC_0277.jpg
 
i agree with the post about not ramming you opinion down the throats of others, also all of you who do not trim whiskers because they have a function;

do you hog/pull the mane/forlock/tail?
it is there to protect from the elements (as mentioned) also from flies and insects.

some of you have said you clip for your horses benefit;
it is for your benefit so you can ride/play with your horse, if it was for the benefit of the horse wild horses would need it done.

i could go on but just wanted to say a question was asked people have answered it honestly and others are being so over the top
 
I agree they have a purpose....but that can be said for many things.

Show horses which do have everything trimmed over the season, tell me, with the amount of stabled time/extra rugging/hoods/ and everything else that goes in tow with producing of County level horses, you'll find the 'need' for them is drastically reduced. But again, that's a whole other kettle of fish with opinions on it! It's all fine and dandy saying they're there for a reason, but when the environment is changed, then uses change also. But jmo.
 
jools1234 said:
i agree with the post about not ramming you opinion down the throats of others, also all of you who do not trim whiskers because they have a function;

do you hog/pull the mane/forlock/tail?
it is there to protect from the elements (as mentioned) also from flies and insects.

some of you have said you clip for your horses benefit;
it is for your benefit so you can ride/play with your horse, if it was for the benefit of the horse wild horses would need it done.

i could go on but just wanted to say a question was asked people have answered it honestly and others are being so over the top
Click to expand...

I have to say I completely agree with your comment on the ramming opinions down the throats of others,

however i'm not sure I agree with the comment about clipping - I do clip my horse to prevent her from becoming overly hot when exercised in winter when she has a long thick winter coat, to prevent the chance of her catching a chill when its cold at night (as she could if she got very sweaty), so actually its for the benefit of me and my horse... I actually see no benefit for me or horse (other than looking right according to some unknown rule in showing) in trimming wiskers...? or maybe there is a benefit? (and this is not me ramming my opinion down anyones throat, but more of a question/observation :D
 
Beautiful photo, Hedwards.

Germany is years ahead of us in banning the trimming of whiskers. How ever, I do think that whisker trimming is a small issue, having had the misfortune to have been on yards where showing was a principle occupation and saw some unsavoury and outdated practices.
 
I didn't realise this would be such a contentious issue. :eek::p

horserider said:
I do think that whisker trimming is a small issue, having had the misfortune to have been on yards where showing was a principle occupation and saw some unsavoury and outdated practices.
Click to expand...

It certainly has to be more acceptable than leaving horses stood in with side reins for hours on end which I have heard happens. :(
 
jools1234 said:
i agree with the post about not ramming you opinion down the throats of others, also all of you who do not trim whiskers because they have a function;

do you hog/pull the mane/forlock/tail?
it is there to protect from the elements (as mentioned) also from flies and insects.


I do but I add a fly fringe/mask if need be. Our horses come in during the day in summer anyway, partly for flies.

some of you have said you clip for your horses benefit;
it is for your benefit so you can ride/play with your horse, if it was for the benefit of the horse wild horses would need it done.

People clip ridden horses because they sweat and then get chills from standing around wet... Its functional, not for asthetics (although a lot of people take far more than needed off - most of them because they can't do lines and shouldn't really be allowed near a pair of clippers!)

i could go on but just wanted to say a question was asked people have answered it honestly and others are being so over the top
Click to expand...

So not quite the same as taking whiskers off.

I always thought that horses used their whiskers to communicate, which is why I don't take them off. They're just part of the horse. If you don't like hair or stubble etc, why have a horse really? Its part of them!
 
I trimmed my pony's whiskers when I was showing her. Never bothered her.

Would never ever trim my eventer's whiskers - he only has one eye so think thatmwould be cruel! His whiskers on his eyeless side have actually grown a bit longer, to compensate?
 
I am a self confessed whisker trimmer :o

Although I only trim maybe two or three times a year as I am far too lazy to hand trim his entire face every few weeks!
He is such a selfish pony for not letting me use clippers on him ;)

I am actually pretty devastated as his winter coat has come through already and he get's huge and super thick beards, literally you could plait them!
His head is fat enough without adding thick hair to make it look even bigger, he looks really top-heavy in the winter months :(

He doesn't have little long whisps of hair, he has a complete goat beard!

Then again he is a part-bred goat :cool:...

004.jpg
 
Whoever compared a horses whiskers to a cats whiskers has made me chuckle - I am picturing whiskerless horses getting stuck in small spaces :D
 
Hiding behind the Great Dane while I type this... but off, every time. The only one on my yard who gets to keep her whiskers is my little blind mare, who is retired, and needs them.

Everything else has whiskers off, ears clipped out (inside and round the edges), manes pulled (one of my liveries is hogged, and the Friesian is left au natural but kept tidy), tails banged, tails pulled on the majority, feathers off, beards off, and clipped according to workload.

I love smart, whisker free hosses....


I'm going to run away now.
 
Honey08 said:
So not quite the same as taking whiskers off.

I always thought that horses used their whiskers to communicate, which is why I don't take them off. They're just part of the horse. If you don't like hair or stubble etc, why have a horse really? Its part of them!
Click to expand...

many vets are now starting to question the safety of fly masks as many horses/ponies are damaging their eyes on them when they rub, this is thought in part to be because they are in constant contact with the eye whiskers-i would rather leave a forelock

also as yourself and another poster have stated one more politely than the other:rolleyes: you clip so that when you ride your horse it does not get sweaty-if you did not ride you would not need to clip! that was my point you do it to enable you to enjoy your horse, i enjoy a non-whiskery horse so i trim whiskers (i dont like beards on men either:eek:) not that i like men much at all at the mo:eek:
 
I pull manes and tails, cut bridle paths and clip BUT, the whiskers stay ALWAYS :)

A friend went away on holiday once leaving her horse in the care of another livery. When she returned the livery proudly told her she'd groomed and trimmed her horse up... which included trimming all whiskers off :O Friend was devastated.
 
I do trim her whiskers as they are very long (longer then I have ever seen on any other Horse) however I only trim them to a regular length and never take them off completly. She falls asleep whilst I do it.
 
It's a good job that there are plenty of bells here for all these whisker choppers. ;)

CS. Sorry - the HHO bell of shame only comes in regulation HHO brown. :(

SZ. You will never run again I'm afraid, - your bell is rather large and heavy. :( :(
 
3BayGeldings said:
I think they're essential to the horse. We cut off their hair but we can rug them up, we cut off their feathers but we can put them in well fenced & cut back paddocks..we could cut off their whiskers but we can't change their eye placings on their head so they can see where they're putting their nose.
Click to expand...

Exactly! I've actually seem my horses gentley run their whiskers over the ground, trying to find bits of food.

No need, ever, to take whiskers off. It's not nessesary for showing, in any class, and has no health or comfort benefits for the the horses (unlike clipping off legs (mites, comfort, mud fever etc) or clipping (too hot etc). I feel the same about pulled tails too: quite apart from looking like the horse has got sweetitch, it could quite easily be plaited instead and they use their fluff extensively to keep the wind out.

Whiskers are also cute :D :

301699_10151748611260437_1274859008_n.jpg
 
Faracat said:
It's a good job that there are plenty of bells here for all these whisker choppers. ;)

CS. Sorry - the HHO bell of shame only comes in regulation HHO brown. :(

SZ. You will never run again I'm afraid, - your bell is rather large and heavy. :( :(
Click to expand...

if they only come in regulation brown can i have some pretty ribbons on mine please?
 
Faracat said:
HHO bell of shame for you! :mad: :mad: :mad:

P.S. - I was given a bell of shame for putting black tack on a chestnut. :o
Click to expand...

I'll share it :D

Get em off I say :eek:

Obviously I'm not out there brandishing a bic at every opportunity - but for showing my personal opinion is that it looks scruffy if your horse is not shaved

I do however only remove the mouth whiskers I do not agree with taking off the eye whiskers and I also do not clip out the ears, I just trim these up to make them tidy

I await the bell and hate mail :D:D:D

PS my chestnut has black every day tack - so yar boo sucks to everyone on that too :D
 
I like them, I also think they need them for feeling etc so dont trim or remove them.

My friend is anti whiskers and all 3 of hers dont have them, shes always going on at me to get rid but I wont! :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top