Clipping a new foals face

[MindyLee]

OK, so whats the reasoning for clipping a new born foals face?

I see new cute baby photos being posted but where's their baby fuzzy faces?

I thought it's way to cold (unless in warmer states) to do something like that if a foal already has a hard time controling its body heat. I mean dos'nt your body heat leave your body from your head? And the foals are being clipped almost right away, it seams like they would catch a cold more quickly this way.

I mean its cold outside here and I could never go out and cut my foals face and expect it to stay warm when its 20 degrees or less at night.

Thanks guys for future info.

 

[Maple Hollow Farm]

I have wondered this too, foals look amazing and adorable without being clipped, I understand the purpose of the clip (to make the head and neck look prettier) but I dont think it is necessary, the foals are amazing on their own! It is too cold here to do any clipping on foals yet too and I wait until they are at least a month old, generally if they are going to a show would they get clipped that early.

 

[Knottymare]

Honestly, one of the things I love about minis is the fuzzy time. My little girls are so darn adorable all fuzzed up. I'm anxious to see how pretty they are without the fuzz but I am not taking it off till it warms up considerably here. It's blowing and raining here. March came in like a lion and is going out like a BEAR!

 

[Ashley]

I once had a foal that I sold as a pet cause I thought she was ugly. I didnt clip her until right before she left. Big mistake that was! There was one amazing filly under all that hair and I def wouldnt have sold her as cheap as I did had I clipped her first.

I havent had foals for a few years. Even then I didnt clip until like June sometimes later as our weather isnt nice around here any earlier then that.

 

[Holly at WhiteTailsMinis]

It too cold here to clip also. We are still having night time temps in the 20s. Even though the foals are all inside the barn, its just way too cold. They will all get clipped ONCE SPRING ACTUALLY ARRIVES HERE!

 

[RockRiverTiff]

I don't clip our foals until summer, but I understand why some farms do, and I respect their commitment to good presentation. Most of the farms I see doing various trace clips on foals are heavy into showing, and if they are going to be offering those foals for sale at a premium price then it only makes sense that they do their best to present their foals as show quality. All babies look cute when they're new and fluffy, but all that hair can hide the true shape of a face or some of a horse's refinement. I'm sure they have proper facilities to keep the babies warm - if they are putting that kind of prep work into presenting their foals then you can rest assured they are protecting the investment.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I do not see the point myself, and I do not do it.

Foals should be left to be foals, to run and play and just be babies,and they need their coats as protection form the sun as much as from the cold.

I can see why people would clip a foal's head at around three- four months, as they have become super fluffy by then, but, honestly, if you need to clip a head to see it's worth, IMO, it really can't be that good.

 

[txminipinto]

We clip our foals when they start to sweat under all that hair. While that hair is good protection against biting insects, it can be fatal in our heat.

 

[HGFarm]

Not only are fuzzy foals cute, but foals cannot really regulate their body temperature for weeks after birth, so their hair helps act as insulation, whether cold or warm. I dont think foals should be clipped (and have seen some clipped at just a couple of days old!!) for a few weeks until they have more stability to the elements.

 

[Lil' Horse Lover]

Personally I don't like the way it makes them look when they only have half their face clipped, which I see more of during the cold months. But that's just my opinion, I'm sure other people see something in it. I would be afraid to clip in the cold weather too, I mean, the foal has that fuzzy warm coat for a reason. I do clip my minis but not until summer, and I definately wouldn't clip a baby so early in the year or quite so young. I say let the babies be cute fuzzy babies

 

[Allure Ranch]

It's really simple....

 

It's all about marketing.... and that SPECIAL little clip that a lot of individuals are doing helps either accent of camouflage.

 

Accent a tiny muzzle, give an illusion of a dish, along with a long neck and there you go.... Of course some foals already have it and some foals may not. But either way it helps the horse appeal to the eye.

 

My personal observation.... It's the same cut that they do on baby Cria's.

 

 

[Riverrose28]

Allure Ranch is right on, it'a about marketing. Funny story, Last year in July, my daughter and I decided to clip the weanlings faces, get some shots and post on our site. She held the babies while I started to clip. I just clipped the muzzle, up the nose, and the front of the neck. She said what is this? Clip the rest, I said well all the big farms are doing it this way now to give the face more of a dish and smaller muzzle. She said if I didn't clip the whole head she wasn't helping any more. Ha Ha! I finished clipping.

 

[HGFarm]

It may be about marketing, and I am sure it is, however I can't see doing that at the foals expense/health. My own opinion, wait a few weeks... it's not going to kill anyone to wait.

 

[Becky]

I agree with Allure.

As a breeder, the majority of my foals are sold to other breeders looking to enhance their breeding programs or to others looking for show horses. The buyers are needing to see if a particular foal/horse is what they want for their needs. Doing some light clipping (around the muzzle, the underside of the jaws and under the neck) will enhance the horse and enable a buyer to visualize that horse without hair even when the weather is too cold to warrant further clipping.

Horses are not clipped on here unless the weather is moderate and all young foals are kept in the barn as needed due to weather.