Who clipped my horse? (It wasn’t me?)

[ponynutz]

Hey there!
Brought my pony in the other day to find what looked like a clip mark (like someone had run horse clippers against the coat to create a thin line). In the darkness (and I guiltily admit the tiredness I was feeling) I assumed it was a scuffle with my Dad’s big mare and carried on with my
evening.
But yesterday upon closer inspection it really looks like a clip mark!
How could this have happened?
Any theories?

 

[ycbm]

Many bites and scrapes look like clip marks. Horses seem to me to have an ability to shed the hair instead of breaking the skin. One of mine has quite a big bare patch on his leg at the moment where he's been kicked.

.

 

[ponynutz]

@ycbm It’s much less like a big patch though, its literally a very thin line and very straight with what I would call “clipper marks” on the thin coat below. If I can get a picture tomorrow I will, although it’s grown back slightly!

 

[Mule]

Hmm, either ycbm is right or you have a ghost who enjoys clipping 👻 I'm going with the ghost explanation because it's more fun

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

Our boys leave marks like this on each other with their teeth.

 

[scats]

If there a clipping ghost going round, could you send him my way!

 

[ponynutz]

Thanks guys, I'll stop worrying. I've heard horror stories about gypsies marking horses but doesn't sound like this is what it is.

 

[Landcruiser]

I imagined you had arrived to find your pony with a full hunter clip or something, lol. (I wish someone would sneak in and clip my hairy beast and save me the trouble )

 

[Gloi]

You aren't at a yard where someone else might have been wanted their pony clipping, the wrong one being fetched in and only realising at the last minute

 

[D66]

Thieves don't mark ponies before they steal them.

 

[hopscotch bandit]

Thieves don't mark ponies before they steal them.

Of course they don't.

Thinking about it logically, why would you plait a horse to mark it? Why not just take a picture of the horse using a camera phone. It takes less time, is less intrusive and you don't have to go rooting for a plait to confirm identification at a later date.

Why spend the time plaiting a horse when you could just steal it? You also risk being seen and potentially being bitten or kicked. And you'd also want a fairly quiet horse to stand while you do it, I know mine would get bored and walk away

How would horses with hogged or short pulled manes be marked. It just makes no sense to me to use plaits as a method of identification and it leaves the owner on high alert.

Save worrying just get your horse and your rugs marked with a freezemark number.
If you don't have your horse freezemarked then just paint a number on his rug.

 

[Leo Walker]

Thieves don't mark ponies before they steal them.

That's because no one steals ponies full stop unless its some sort of ownership dispute.

 

[Nudibranch]

Indeed. I'm far more concerned about my trailer and carriage than the beasts!

OP I have seen those marks, I'm pretty sure they come from random scrapes - tree branches or whatever. They do drop the hair without leaving skin marks somehow

 

[Floxie]

Of course they don't.

Ugh, thank you. The 'marking horses' scaremongering really winds me up the wrong way! It's utterly ridiculous, but people don't pause to give it a moment's logical thought (cos if they did they'd realise how ridiculous it is!). And I can guarantee you that if that 'definitely isn't a wind plait!' then it's a plait some joker has put in to wind you up because they've ALSO heard the marking horses scaremongering!

 

[ponynutz]

Ugh, thank you. The 'marking horses' scaremongering really winds me up the wrong way! It's utterly ridiculous, but people don't pause to give it a moment's logical thought (cos if they did they'd realise how ridiculous it is!). And I can guarantee you that if that 'definitely isn't a wind plait!' then it's a plait some joker has put in to wind you up because they've ALSO heard the marking horses scaremongering!

I'm sorry didn' mean to cause any offence! Thanks for everyone's replies, always good to put my mind at rest and learn something (mainly how to not piss people off haha)! x

 

[D66]

You’re fine Ponynutz, but there is a lot of rubbish shared on social media that worries people unnecessarily.
Stick around.

 

[supsup]

My question the other week was "Who trimmed my pony? It wasn't me (or my farrier)!"
Turns out it was indeed another livery's farrier who picked the wrong horse out of the group. This, despite mine having a very obvious freeze mark on his shoulder, and the other pony (being elderly) having a lot of grey hair around the face and fetlocks. The hooves on them are quite different as well (other horse needing regular trims due to uneven wear, which mine doesn't have). Don't think I'd be impressed with a farrier who doesn't recognise the horse from one trim to the next. (And the other owner has indeed now changed farriers.)

 

[hopscotch bandit]

My question the other week was "Who trimmed my pony? It wasn't me (or my farrier)!"
Turns out it was indeed another livery's farrier who picked the wrong horse out of the group. This, despite mine having a very obvious freeze mark on his shoulder, and the other pony (being elderly) having a lot of grey hair around the face and fetlocks. The hooves on them are quite different as well (other horse needing regular trims due to uneven wear, which mine doesn't have). Don't think I'd be impressed with a farrier who doesn't recognise the horse from one trim to the next. (And the other owner has indeed now changed farriers.)

I assume they had to pay or did the farrier let them off as it was his fault he picked the wrong horse?
Luckily it was just shoeing - remember not long ago that tragic story of the knacker man taking the wrong horse and shooting it?

 

[Floxie]

I'm sorry didn' mean to cause any offence! Thanks for everyone's replies, always good to put my mind at rest and learn something (mainly how to not piss people off haha)! x

Oh no sorry, I didn't mean to sound like I was having a go at you! It was a general rant at the hysteria surrounding the whole thing - I don't doubt your pony looks to have a clip mark (though I think some replies are on the money with possible natural causes). Ours have had their manes and tails cut off two summers running, so it's not that I don't believe people can and will mess with horses. I just think the 'marking them for theft' argument is as watertight as a colander! I wasn't having a go at you x

 

[Happy Hunter]

My question the other week was "Who trimmed my pony? It wasn't me (or my farrier)!"
Turns out it was indeed another livery's farrier who picked the wrong horse out of the group. This, despite mine having a very obvious freeze mark on his shoulder, and the other pony (being elderly) having a lot of grey hair around the face and fetlocks. The hooves on them are quite different as well (other horse needing regular trims due to uneven wear, which mine doesn't have). Don't think I'd be impressed with a farrier who doesn't recognise the horse from one trim to the next. (And the other owner has indeed now changed farriers.)

Actually for me that's a cardinal sin!!!! But then I'm a fussy hoof geek. I would be hunting down said farrier with a sharp stick!!

 

[Mule]

I wonder where the belief about plaiting manes and horse theft came from?

 

[Equi]

I feel bad for the farrier. To us we know every horse on the yard and they are all SO different. To a farrier they are all a foot. They see horses day in day out and they all look the same. I have used my farrier for 6 years and i still would not expect him to pick my horse out of a line up...lucky for me all my horses bar two are different colours so in a real pinch i can describe them like that but the two bays....well some days i have to double check them.