Whiskers or not!

Horses, along with other animals who have similar whiskers (including cats and rats) are animals who are designed to move around and eat in the dark as well as in daytime. As a result, they have different kind of vision to us (less colours but better in low light) and they have whiskers for sensing objects in low light.

No doubt those who clip whiskers will see little difference in their horse's behaviour - because they're not usually with the horse when it's dark.

And that would be why it's illegal in Germany - they've looked at the research and are aware that just looking at your horse standing, neatly clipped, in a stable doesn't really inform you about their whole life when you're not there.
 
Don't take off whiskers, never have, and I can't ever remember it being commented upon the showring (we do have a pretty good 'strike-rate' BTW).

Admittedly have only ever had TBs or Welsh (which of course are shown with whiskers) and both breeds generally have such neat little muzzles that whiskers make no difference to the overall typey-ness.

I do trim hairy jawlines and ear 'tufts' to sharpen up the look of the head but not the whiskers.
 
Brightbay, my cat is fast asleep on the end of my bed all night so might cut her whiskers off too as she won't them either!! haha x

On a serious note, I think the whiskers around the horses eye will help to protect it from damaging its eye but not so sure about the muzzle whiskers
 
I LIKE his whiskers.
I would never clip them off. As others have said, I wouldn't clip the cat's whiskers off , so why do the horse?
They have a purpose, and as such they stay. I appreciate that people whip them off for showing etc, but think it's pointless when I don't "need" to. Same as clipping for vanity rather than workload.
 
Serenity087 said:
That said, never with horse clippers... only with human hair trimmers... I'd never take those nasty big things to a horse's face!
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What difference is there apart from noise? A blade is a blade, they don't cut the skin..


I do wonder about people who only like horses clipped and trimmed to within an inch of their lives - don't you like natural horses, do they have to look like competition horses to make you feel proud of them? Serious questions. To me, a horse is a horse and is how it is. There seems to be a feeling nowadays that if a horse is not clipped, rugged and trimmed it is not being looked after properly.
 
I am a bit on the fence with whiskas see both sides in the big scheme of things it's not a big issue to me either way do what you what with your own horse leave others alone to do theirs.
 
Honey08, my horse wouldnt be looked after very well if he wasnt clipped and then rugged because he would be uncomfortable being ridden and competed as a hairy yak, and yes, I do want him to look the business when we turn up, I am proud of how gorgeous my horse is and I want him to look good which doesnt affect him in any negative way.
 
Honey08 said:
I do wonder about people who only like horses clipped and trimmed to within an inch of their lives - don't you like natural horses, do they have to look like competition horses to make you feel proud of them? Serious questions.
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If I were an old cynic I could answer that maybe it's because the horse isn't quite as well bred as it is supposed to be???..........
 
Honey08 said:
What difference is there apart from noise? A blade is a blade, they don't cut the skin..


I do wonder about people who only like horses clipped and trimmed to within an inch of their lives - don't you like natural horses, do they have to look like competition horses to make you feel proud of them? Serious questions. To me, a horse is a horse and is how it is. There seems to be a feeling nowadays that if a horse is not clipped, rugged and trimmed it is not being looked after properly.
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I like my horse very very smartly turned out when they are in work they get hot they need to sweat effectively they are groomed the old fashioned way daily to remove the grease from there coats and I don't admire hairy cobs I own one and he's kept clipped all year round.
He's my horse I do as I please with him and am uninterested in what chose to do with theirs as long as everyone is happy with their own horse that's what matters
 
Honey08 said:
What difference is there apart from noise? A blade is a blade, they don't cut the skin..


I do wonder about people who only like horses clipped and trimmed to within an inch of their lives - don't you like natural horses, do they have to look like competition horses to make you feel proud of them? Serious questions. To me, a horse is a horse and is how it is. There seems to be a feeling nowadays that if a horse is not clipped, rugged and trimmed it is not being looked after properly.
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I love a nice smart hairy cob or heavy horse - all whiskery and hairy and lovely - but I don't like my competition horses or my non hairy liveries to be whiskery.

Personal preference, just like most things I suppose.
 
Starzaan said:
Off - hate them! Same with hair inside ears, all clipped out whether the horse is clipped or not. Manes and tails pulled, and all lovely and smart.

That being said if ever I encountered a horse who couldn't cope with their whiskers off, I would leave them. My mare didn't cope at all when I took hers off, so they stay on, but she's the only horse I've known so far that has had a problem.
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I agree with this, I like mine trimmed and neat but my old boy is slightly head shy so he has hair ears as he doesnt like being pulled so we have a tail rake and im pretty nifty with a pair of scissors. wheres theres a will theres a way ;)

Honey08 said:
What difference is there apart from noise? A blade is a blade, they don't cut the skin..


I do wonder about people who only like horses clipped and trimmed to within an inch of their lives - don't you like natural horses, do they have to look like competition horses to make you feel proud of them? Serious questions. To me, a horse is a horse and is how it is. There seems to be a feeling nowadays that if a horse is not clipped, rugged and trimmed it is not being looked after properly.
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I spend ALOT of money on my horses so why cant I keep them that way? I like them to be kept tidy/neat (mane/tail pulled, beard and feathers trimmed, clipped if in work etc.) so what if i dont like them being hairy? I dont own a cob or a native for this reason because a long flowing mane and big hairy feathers dont appeal to me personally.

catkin said:
If I were an old cynic I could answer that maybe it's because the horse isn't quite as well bred as it is supposed to be???..........
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AH and here you are wrong (well in the case of my horses anyway!) they are not kept neat and tidy to make up for poor breeding, quite the opposite!
 
Oh crikey, not again (please take the time to search on forum for this debate previously) - sitting back to absorb backlash.

I show both of mine to a County level and when I am doing so ...... off off off!

When they are chilling in the winter, they stay on.

I does not affect their ridden performance either way, nor does it affect my welsh a's ability to stuff his face at every opportunity and to try to escape through little holes whenever he gets the opportunity. Neither of them are very good mousers/ratters though so perhaps I should leave them on??

Rileyboy said:
Actually they do

http://www.reinholdshorsewellness.com/horsegroomingguidelines.html
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!!! Believe most of us have broken at least one rule from that web page. I have a show cob so have broken every one!
 
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Reg is possibly the most likely horse to be affected by anything at all (he is a walking accident, I have no idea how he's got to 12 in one piece...) and yet he's always had his whiskers off over the summer because he shows at a decent level. He has them on over the winter when he's not being competed. And there is no difference at all in the way he behaves- if there was, they'd stop coming off straightaway!
 
I used to show so all whiskers off. Don't show anymore so all whiskers left on :) I do clip however and pull manes and tails - will trim beards etc as well but I think whiskers look nice... especially in this frosty weather and they come in with sparkly, icy whiskers :D
 
Pale Rider said:
A friend of mine is obsessed with keeping her horse 'smart'. She insists on clipping off her horses whiskers as she says they are untidy. I think this is wrong as the horse needs its whiskers and clipping them is uncomfortable for the horse as they grow back, only to be cut again.
Anyone care to comment?
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I hate seeing horses with their whiskers removed! I am quite obsessive about clipping (nothing smarter than a clipped horse!) but even so, I still leave whiskers and the ones around the eyes on. I also don't clip ears out (that's nearly as bad as clipping whiskers IMHO), and I leave feathers on mine in winter too. I don't have very hairy horses so it's not as though they get thick muddy dreadlock feathers (up until recently I had an ISH who wasn't v hairy and now have a Connie x who has a bit of feather but not loads). In summer I will often clip off the feathers. But never the whiskers. They need them!
 
Personally I don't like whiskers on horses. Especially when the are stupidly long. Theres no harm trimming them down abit shorter they will still do there purpose. I like mine off and I don't think it makes any difference as my horse Is domesticated not wild so they wouldnt be used to the full effect as when he goes out it is daylight and comes in when daylight and over night he is stabled and I think he know his hay is in the hay net and his water is In the bucket.
 
I used to clip my TB's off in the showing season but I shortened them a bit each day over a week so no sudden shock as first time I did this my mare was not happy. Once they got used to no whiskers they were fine. Unfortunately if I did not do this, I was marked down.

I now have a gypsy cob and clydesdale so they are left alone as they should be. I hate seeing trads with clipped out ears and whiskers off - they are meant to be hairy. I do remove the long ear tufts and tidying the jawline but keep them looking as natural as possible.

I never have and never would clip out the inner hair on any horse's ears - the hair is there to protect them and I have seen so many unhappy head shaking horses with clipped out inner ears in summer.
 
I leave the whiskers on my cob. He isn't a full heavy traditional, but he has feather and a lovely long mane, so I think it 'goes' with the look :)

I think that whiskers, ear hair etc have a function - or the horse wouldn't bother growing them. I do trim his jawline and any long guard-hairs round his back legs though - it looks smarter than completely au naturel, and since he sleeps in at night and wears a rug, I don't think he'll miss those bits too much :)

If I ever clipped out and hogged for showing, I might consider taking the whiskers off if we were doing something high level, but for local showing I wouldn't, and the dressage judge can't see then from the box anyway!
 
Personally I tend to leave on, if I can help it (its not generally me who clips my horse hence the flakyness!) but I do recognise, generally, they don't have to deal with any real hazards in modern horse keeping, so that potentially negates the need of them.
I don't have an opinion on people who take them off or who leave them on. Bigger problems in horse keeping in this world, than that IMO.
 
Interesting the posts on here. Broadly they seem to fall into two types. Some folk seem to be very aware of the fact that a horse's whiskers are a sensory organ and are important to the horse.
Others seem to think that the horse's whiskers should be removed irrespective of their purpose. Showing seems to be an excuse to do whatever you want, never mind the horse.
 
amymay said:
I hate the clipping off of whiskers - they are there for a reason.

Interestingly it's illegal in Germany to do this....
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Not going against you on this Amymay but your post made me think...

1 costs are there for a reason too but we get rid of those

2. Germany... There are so many legal and cruel practices over there that we in England would not hold with, yet clipping whiskers is illegal... Says more to me about Germany than the practice of clipping whiskers off... They have some serious priority issues there.

Interestingly bens whiskers are all off... He seems to be absolutely fine, although he did at one point have a slightly dicky runny eye, but I reckon it's because the fields are so exposed, it's fine now :)
 
Goldenstar said:
I like my horse very very smartly turned out when they are in work they get hot they need to sweat effectively they are groomed the old fashioned way daily to remove the grease from there coats and I don't admire hairy cobs I own one and he's kept clipped all year round.
He's my horse I do as I please with him and am uninterested in what chose to do with theirs as long as everyone is happy with their own horse that's what matters
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You keep your cob clipped all year round because you don't admire hairy cobs?!! Or have I read that wrong? Sorry if I have. Plus, I am confused by the comment onf they need to sweat effectively, and they are groomed to remove grease. It's important horses have grease in their coat, plus what is classed as 'sweating effectively'?
 
mturnbull said:
I agree with this, I like mine trimmed and neat but my old boy is slightly head shy so he has hair ears as he doesnt like being pulled so we have a tail rake and im pretty nifty with a pair of scissors. wheres theres a will theres a way ;)



I spend ALOT of money on my horses so why cant I keep them that way? I like them to be kept tidy/neat (mane/tail pulled, beard and feathers trimmed, clipped if in work etc.) so what if i dont like them being hairy? I dont own a cob or a native for this reason because a long flowing mane and big hairy feathers dont appeal to me personally.



AH and here you are wrong (well in the case of my horses anyway!) they are not kept neat and tidy to make up for poor breeding, quite the opposite!
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This post irritates me. You really think that just because you spend a lot of money on the horses YOU CHOOSE TO KEEP that it doesn't matter what actions you may want to take could affect their welfare and happiness?

Your second comment/paragraph makes you sound a bit like a spoilt brat!
 
I love a neatly clipped, trimmed horse with a 'pulled' mane & tail (I don't pull I do a very good job with scissors/thinning scissors & a hairdressers razor to stop the ends looking cut)
I always leave whiskers on & never take them off. They don't effect me & are needed by the horse.
I event so these aren't hairy cob ponies out in a field.
IMO if you need to trim the whiskers to make your horse look smart then you should polish up the rest of your turn out techniques ;)
 
It is not illegal in Germany to cut horses' whiskers off. It's not done much, but not because it's frowned upon - nobody really cares.

I personally can't stand whiskers on my horses, I think they look untidy. This goes for my Hanoverian grade A showjumper and my welsh-cob-mix-whatever-she-may-be. The first time I do it to a horse I don't clip them off entirely, just to check they're okay with it, which in my experience, all horses have been. If they're fine with it I leave them clipped. Nothing worse than a horse with a beard!!!!!
 
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