Differing tastes in show clipping?

[rabbitsfizz]

Well, luckily for me we think (and I agree) that the "balding" just makes the horse look way too weird for our conservative tasted!! Especially when the horse is a light colour- to see that great expanse of gooped up black nose- well to me it accentuates the horses nose and makes it look bigger. Sorry. Removing the eyelashes on purpose (

) would be illegal- and act of intentional cruelty. Sorry again, it's how things are.

 

[Sun Runner Stables]

Honestly this is all quite silly. Most of you sound like a bunch of hens in a hen house bickering over a dead worm. Susanne had a good point, if you don't like it, then don't do it. However her topic seems to have turned into a "let's bash the horses who win, with the crooked judges who tolerate (or gasp, Prefer!) all this awful animal abuse. " Please.

I Razor my own horses faces, and as Feather pointed out, if done carefully, you will not cut your horses faces. I shave my own legs every day, and find that the removal of my own natural body hair not to be detramental. Razoring their noses slowly and using lotion afterwards so that they don't get chapped, does Not hurt them. Taking appropiate care of their newly fragile faces and bodies is a Must for any show horse. I do agree that with the lack of this care, shaving and razoring my horses would be harder on them, or even down right mean, as we have removed thier natural protection. However, My horses are kept inside almost all the time when they are show clipped except for the few hours of late afternoon turn out.(Weather depending, down here that Thunder storm time) I make darn sure they do not get sun-burnt, (the Nutragena spray sun block is wonderful!!) and as for being cold well, here in South Florida, that's rarely an issue. I see nothing wrong with what I do, and guess what, we win. Alot. I don't believe there was a single horse unclipped/razored at the AMHA Julep cup in Kentucky. It accentuates the horses faces, & bodies, hence why the arab and quarter horse people follow some of the same trends. I have never been to a show that does Not mainly have shaved and razored horses. I feel that those of you who are sitting here gabbing about how awful it all is, and complaining about what awful judges you have in your area should take a good hard look at your horses and not your grooming. I realize that's a harse comment, it's ment to be. Notice the lack of consistant winners in this post yicking about balding and shaving in a 50? The few who are, are simply calling for tolerance and each to his own. This is all silly, you do what you feel to your horses, but please do not assume that I or others that win are abusing ours because we clip and show to win. Any of you are welcome to come and meet both my big kids, and my little ones, at a show, or even here in my back yard to see they are happy, healthy, sun-burn free, Winning show horses and broodmares. Flame away, I am in a cranky mood and welcome it.

 

[Lacey]

Whitney, I absolutely could not agree more

!

To each their own. If you don't like it don't do it, simple as that!

I personally like my horses groomed to the hilt; for me this does include body clipping (closely if needed) and having my horse's faces done. I like the way it looks and as such will continue to do it.

 

[kaykay]

i have tried so hard to stay off this thread LOL. Susanne you know me i dont bald and i dont shave eyelashes. WE did the inside of tinys ears her first year. By that night she had an ear infection. My vet was furious at me. He said it was all my fault for clipping the inside of her ears and removing all her protection. Now we only clean up the long hair sticking outside of the ear. I felt so horrible when that happened. But i was new and listened to everyone that said the inside of the ear had to be totally hairless.

I get teased a bit at the shows by friends who are just dying to razor my horses. I always politely decline. I do appreciate them wanting to help me but i have to do what I THINK is right for MY horses. I cannot tell you how many scabbed and bloody nosed horses i have seen this year at shows, big famous farms etc. Now these are professionals that are supposed to know how to do it correctly and still you will see scabs etc. I just cringe everytime i see the poor noses. Its not easy to be different and follow your own beat. My life would be much easier at the shows if i gave in and did what everyone keeps telling me i need to do. So please dont put down the ones of us that dont want to razor and or bald our horses. Its not easy being us LOL. Also for as new as i am to showing my horses have done very well. Patches made national all star 2 years in a row. Tiny placed at all her regional classes last year with her highest placing being 2nd. So not too shabby for a newbie like us. Rocket also placed 3rd at regionals last year with NO BODY CLIPPING AT ALL.

Feather---first i want to say i am not picking on you since you always think i am

but i have to comment on the pics you posted. It is my understanding that the balded part of the nose should go to the nose band on the halter. When done correctly you should not see the line where the balding stops. In your pics you can easily see it stops underneath the line of the nose band. Also I cant see putting all that baby oil on and then standing a horse in bright sunshine. Oil attracts sunburn. All i can think looking at that pic is how his poor nose must feel in bright sunlight with oil on it. Your face is very red in the pic so I have to think it was pretty hot and sunny.

Kay

 

[Fred]

Honestly I am not bashing anyone. On occasion I do razor certain horses of

mine who look better razored. I prefer a clean neat well groomed animal and

it really shows how much effort is put forth. What I meant was if a certain clinician

is telling people one thing and doing another I find that very hypocritical! I have

one particular mare that is pre-cushings and this heat is awful for her so she HAS

to be clipped with a #30. My black horses also suffer from the heat so they are

clipped close as well even if not shown. In case some people don't realize it a lot

of large horses are also clipped as we do to our minis. I go to many barns on a

daily basis (these are show barns) and a lot of these horses are clipped. Halter is

like a beauty pagent and I doubt the girl with hairy armpits or legs would win!

Linda B

 

[user 488]

I cannot tell you how many scabbed and bloody nosed horses i have seen this year at shows, big famous farms etc. Now these are professionals that are supposed to know how to do it correctly and still you will see scabs etc.

Well, I am sorry to say that I don't care if they call themselves professionals or not or if they are a big farm or not. If there a scabs somebody does NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING. Most of you know I show Arabs......we razor everything and we NEVER have scabs or sores like you are talking about.

Now that being said I just cannot believe this whole mess has started over again. This whole thing is RIDICULOUS............

Whitney, I absolutely could not agree more

!
To each their own. If you don't like it don't do it, simple as that!

I personally like my horses groomed to the hilt; for me this does include body clipping (closely if needed) and having my horse's faces done. I like the way it looks and as such will continue to do it.

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And if anyone has ever seen Laceys horses........they look gorgeous and they are groomed to the TENS!

I cannot believe this thread turned into another Flame Fest again. Do you people not get it? If you don't like razoring DON'T DO IT.................but leave the other people who do alone. I am seeing a definite trend here.

Honestly this is all quite silly. Most of you sound like a bunch of hens in a hen house bickering over a dead worm. Susanne had a good point, if you don't like it, then don't do it. However her topic seems to have turned into a "let's bash the horses who win, with the crooked judges who tolerate (or gasp, Prefer!) all this awful animal abuse. " Please.

Yep Whitney you are right! This whole thing is disgusting............didn't we just go thru this the other day? What is so difficult about minding your own business? If you don't like it DON'T DO IT.................GEESH people................get a life!

And if you do wind up going to a show and lose......don't cry politics just because your horses did not look the part. Just remember..........that is why they call it a "HORSE SHOW".

Halter is
like a beauty pagent and I doubt the girl with hairy armpits or legs would win!

Linda B

No kidding!

Edited to say......

So please dont put down the ones of us that dont want to razor and or bald our horses. Its not easy being us LOL. Also for as new as i am to showing my horses have done very well. Patches made national all star 2 years in a row. Tiny placed at all her regional classes last year with her highest placing being 2nd. So not too shabby for a newbie like us. Rocket also placed 3rd at regionals last year with NO BODY CLIPPING AT ALL.

Kay........that is the point.......nobody was bashing the people that did not want to razor. I am ELATED you are doing well. I do not care if you do NOT want to razor. The choice is YOURS! That is where this thread and the others have gone wrong! Everyone should do what THEY WANT TO DO! Forget the bashing period. I am sure Susanne did not start the thread with any intent on bashing. But it is so tiresome to here that the people that do want to razor are wrong too........Why don't we all just try to LIVE AN LET LIVE?

 

[Feather1414]

  Feather---first i want to say i am not picking on you since you always think i am

but i have to comment on the pics you posted.  It is my understanding that the balded part of the nose should go to the nose band on the halter.  When done correctly you should not see the line where the balding stops.  In your pics you can easily see it stops underneath the line of the nose band.  Also I cant see putting all that baby oil on and then standing a horse in bright sunshine.  Oil attracts sunburn.  All i can think looking at that pic is how his poor nose must feel in bright sunlight with oil on it.  Your face is very red in the pic so I have to think it was pretty hot and sunny. 
Kay

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I understand you don't always agree with me Kaykay, although I have never considered it "being picked on"

This was only my second time baclding this horse. This was his 2nd show with m over and I am still learning. He was honestly only in the ring for about 7 minutes since it was a class with 4 other horses. Then he went back inside his SHADED and fanned stall-after being cleaned up of course.

I would also like to point out the fact that my face is red, because we happen to have a pool in my backyard, and the week before the show, I decided I wanted to tan, although I ended up really sunburned. Plus my cheeks are naturally red, and I have kinda this red/brown complexion in the first place.

My horse was NOT suffering in this show. He wasn't kept in the sun, he wasn't constantly oiled up, and the temps never even got into the 80's up there. This was a show in the mountains, and it was cooler up there.

It also wasnt baby oil, but peppy spray.

 

[minimomNC]

I have to agree with Vertical Limits, if you see horses with bloody faces and scabs, they don't know what the he** they are doing. My daughter just started showing seriously this year. She does all of her horses, she also went to people that know what they are doing to learn. We have been to 8 shows already this year and not once has she cut a horse with a razor. If you choose to razor just make sure you know the correct way to do it. Find someone to teach you. Its only fair to your horse.

 

[runamuk]

Can anyone say PEER pressure.......ok for the kids it might be harder as they are just learning how to deal with this problem.......

If I choose to clip my horse moderately or I choose to go the whole nine yards and razor and goop.......is it not my choice? Last I checked NO ONE had it written in the rules that I must do this.......

If you say the only way to win is to do what everyone else is doing you have just suffered from PEER pressure....it is all very ridiculous......

My horses live like old fashioned turned out to pasture horses they need protection which nature has quite nicely given them.......when I show (which is rare to non existant now) I groom according to my horses needs not what everyone else is doing.......I do know people with national titled horses that NEVER razor and bald for qualifiers and only for regional or national competition.....and the reason is they have to come back to the barn and be turned out and be horses.......in a training barn the whole point is they are in training and are competing and are living a bit different of a life and usually have plenty of extra care to make sure nothing does happen to damage them........not gonna get alot of clients if you keep damaging their horses......

 

[kaykay]

well i didnt realize i bashed anyone?? Im only giving the reasons why i dont do it. I thought that was what the thread was for? See this is why i knew i shouldnt post on here. But there were numerous posts that hinted that people who dont bald dont win and thats why they arent posting on this thread. So i had to jump in there and post ughhh. Weve never won anything huge but we have won and sure have a good time.

And these horses that i have seen all summer are from the TOP names in this industry. I guess that is what scares me about razoring. I figure if their horses get scabs and sunburn and bloody noses then a newbie like me would for sure screw it up LOL. The worst one i saw was a 3 month old colt that had a reaction to the shaving cream. It was horrible!!

One thing we all have to agree on is that people who dont razor are definately in the minority. I guess thats why i feel so picked on about it. It comes up at every show i attend. But i never walk up to someone at a show and say "hey you shouldnt razor that horse" but they feel quite free to walk up to me and say "you should really razor that horse"

Feather---this is what you typed in your post

I just razored him and put on a light layer of baby oil.

Kay

 

[capall beag]

Linda, That is funny about the hairy armpits and legs!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I, personally think people on both sides of this argument are telling it like it is on this thread. I think we should live and let live on the threads too!!!!!

I keep checking this thread because I think it is interesting and if I disagree with someone Big Deal, I think people should be able to say what they think and not have people get put out and offended by their opinions.

I mean does anyone really care how I groom my horse, so long as it is not cruel, ie the eyelash thing!!

Now if I post a pic and say what do you think of this grooming it would be very boring if everyone replied with "How nice!", some people would like it and some people would not. I would post to get opinions, good, bad and ugly not to have everyone agree.

I like debate and can't stand when everyone just nods in agreement, I like this thread it has been an interesting debate on the pros and cons of showing and the grooming requirements that go along with it.

Do I think some take it to an extreme, sure! Do they really care what I think? Of course not!!!!!!!! and that is fine too! No offense taken!!

Why is it ridiculous to debate something passionately??

 

[user 488]

well i didnt realize i bashed anyone??

Kay if you are referring to my post I truly did not mean that it was you bashing anyone. Sorry if you thought so.......that was not my intention.

I think everyone should make up their own mind what they want to do. No skin off my nose......no pun intended..........

Really and truly I do not care!

I just have seen so many of these threads that to me it's so tiresome. If people drown their horses in oil and cut them to shreads its just IGNORANT. It should not happen. And with that said......I am totally over it. I just don't know why this is such a big deal all the time.

 

[kaykay]

Carol i so agree!! and thanks for the laugh i needed one.

its been a stressful week.

Live and let live right??

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

Let me start out by saying that I think clipping is the most boring, tedious job there is around minis....

.... BUT...

I'm competitive. I LIKE to WIN. And if it takes razoring to be competitive, I do it. (I do NOT do eyelashes, or even those silly bald spots above the eyes... I think that looks gross) If it will not threaten his health, then it's OK with me. I'd rather not have to razor, as I'm petrified about cutting him, but, when in Rome....

I wander around the grounds before a show, and if horses are razored, my guy gets razored. If they aren't, he doesn't.

Hopefully it's a trend that will die soon. Or even better, my guy gets his last two HoF points and goes strictly to driving, so I don't haveta bald!

Lucy

 

[midnight star stables]

Question: do driving horses get balded? (& gooped) do obstacles or jumping minis get balded?

Is it only halters?

I really don't know!

 

[Neil]

Question: do driving horses get balded? (& gooped)  do obstacles or jumping minis get balded?
Is it only halters?

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Since many horses are shown in halter and performance classes at a show they would probably be shaved (I hate the word balded because you shave a horse and not bald it. balding is a natural event for some people but I don't think horses). My gelding is shown in halter and performance classes so he is shaved for the performance classes. It would be hard to grow the coat back for the performance classes.

As for the oil and mane and tail hair products I see no reason to use them in performance classes. However, having said that, at most shows that I attended this season I found that I would have to go out of a Gelding Grand class right into a driving class. When this happened I always tried to have a towel handy to wipe my gelding off before he went into the driving class. Good thing the give us a tack change break before the driving class.

 

[Fred]

Question: do driving horses get balded? (& gooped)  do obstacles or jumping minis get balded?
Is it only halters?

I really don't know!

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If I'm just driving I do not razor my driving horses. Also

depending on what suits the horse best for halter will determine whether I razor

or not! Linda B

 

[luvmymini2]

I agree with Rabbitsfizz...I like a natural looking horse..It does get tiresome looking at a magazine and they all look the same with all the goop....but to each their own preference

....mine ..is natural.

 

[lyn_j]

[SIZE=14pt]It depends what kind of show it is. I have shown both clipped and razored at nationals and have shown unclipped at qualifiers. I think that in order to be placed in a class of 50 you better look as polished as the next guy! I dont think that you can make a silk purse out of a sows ear so know that there are somme horses that no matter what you do wont look like the rest but when there are 10 good ones out there in the 50 yours had better shine! My horses have never been sun burnt or had peeling skin or eye troubles either. Grooming by the hands of an experienced person is artistry but someone who doesnt know what they are doing it can look like putting on a clown face on your horse.[/SIZE]

Lyn