Removing their whiskers

[maplegum]

I had my friend help me clip Willow for the shows we have been attending. I didn't remove her eyelashes as I can understand that they need them to protect their eyes.

We did remove her whiskers and my husband noticed this and commented on how cruel this was. He says that they would use their whiskers just like cats do.

Now I feel terrible! I didn't remove her eyelashes for that very reason.

 

[disneyhorse]

I'm not sure that horses "need" their whiskers as much as cats do. I keep my horses clipped year round... bridlepath, beard, and whiskers... and they never seem to notice. I think once they get used to the "feeling" of not having the whiskers, they are just used to it.

I don't think it is "cruel"... it's just hair. I would guess most hair serves a purpose... but are human men deprived of anything without their mustaches?

Andrea

 

[Marty]

Your husband is correct, the whiskars are horse's "feelers"

I'm guilty of that too for showing and even around the barn I like to keep my horses clipped up and looking their best, however in winter, I don't shave the whiskars off at all; they need them in my humble opinion in the cold temps; ice/snow etc.

 

[krissy3]

here in Europe it is totally forbiden, a quick DQ if you show up in the arena with clipped wiskers. Even when I showed in the US (california) I didnt clip the wiskers. They do need these feelers, its their guide for where NOT to stick their muzzle so it wont get stuck somewhere, remember they can not see directly in front of themselves.God made those wiskers for a purpose , keep them on , no matter what the "Holy Book" says IMO. (that would be the rule book)

 

[JWC sr.]

Yes they do use them to feel with and yes in Europe it is forbidden. But here in the USA I have till yet see a horse of any breed that is really competitive enter the ring and not have the whiskers removed, except at wooly shows.

While I hate the shaving that goes on with mini's and I much prefer the clipping of the muzzle with a close surgical blade which gives almost the same appearance when blended properly. We have on occasion shaved the muzzles in order to be able to give the horses the best chance to compete.

As a general statement we humans have changed the entire life style and system of what a horse is and does in its life. (Herd animals, stalling, selctive breeding etc. etc. ) So I personally would not worry about it and move forward. I guess this is a to each his/her own type deal.

 

[Margaret]

I also have noticed on my "very young ones" when it was warm enough to shave them down,... if I shaved off their whiskers,..they inevitably would bang up their face somehow afterwards..

It would always happen just before pictures....

So I leave them on as their protection now.

 

[minimomNC]

I dont know what most people do, but we do clip whiskers and shave muzzles but I don't usually have anything in with my horses that they would need to make sure it was big enough for their muzzle. Unlike cats, my horses don't wander and get into things they shouldn't. I keep my pastures cleaned up and all of their buckets and feeders are big enough for a couple of muzzles at the same time. Its not the end of the world that you clipped them off, the one true thing about most hair, it grows back. Now with show season over, everyone is a hairy mess, whiskers and all. But mine will never go in a show ring with whiskers.

 

[michele80906]

I guess I have just been plain mean all my life then

. I have shaved horse's whiskers off and kept their faces clean winter and summer. Never seemed to be a problem. I live in Colorado...lots of cold winters and they grazed in pastures their whole lives without incidence. Michele

 

[wildoak]

Yep, guilty here too.

We've done a lot of things to change our horses' environment - show horses these days don't live on the prairie foraging for themselves, I think the loss of whiskers probably isn't going to put them at risk. I don't shave much of anything in the winter though, other than bridle paths and sometimes the "goat" hairs under their chins but show horses in this country - minis or otherwise - are shown clipped. Razoring is another conversation LOL, not all breeds do that.

Jan

 

[Zora]

here in Europe it is totally forbiden, a quick DQ if you show up in the arena with clipped wiskers. Even when I showed in the US (california) I didnt clip the wiskers. They do need these feelers, its their guide for where NOT to stick their muzzle so it wont get stuck somewhere, remember they can not see directly in front of themselves.God made those wiskers for a purpose , keep them on , no matter what the "Holy Book" says IMO. (that would be the rule book)

That is so neat!!! It does say that miniature horses should be shown as natural as possible, so it makes sense not to clip the whiskers.

 

[~Lisa~]

I have yet to have a horse injure itself for lack of it's whiskers and I surely do not consider it cruel in any way. The great thing about clipping or cutting any form of hair is it grows back and in the case of whiskers grows back pretty darn quickly as well

 

[krissy3]

here in Europe it is totally forbiden, a quick DQ if you show up in the arena with clipped wiskers. Even when I showed in the US (california) I didnt clip the wiskers. They do need these feelers, its their guide for where NOT to stick their muzzle so it wont get stuck somewhere, remember they can not see directly in front of themselves.God made those wiskers for a purpose , keep them on , no matter what the "Holy Book" says IMO. (that would be the rule book)

That is so neat!!! It does say that miniature horses should be shown as natural as possible, so it makes sense not to clip the whiskers.

hey thanks... I was relieved to know it was forbiden...I think its very cruel to shave the muzzle, eyelashes and wiskers. extream showing to win tends to be for the human and not with consederation for whats best for the horse. Id rather take 2nd or third and allow my horse to live a stress free , natural life .. but I am not into it for money, just the love of horses at their natural state.

 

[~Lisa~]

It is not about being extreme to win or for money.. i have known many a vet who clipped whiskers which are different then eyelashes I have not known anyone who made money off of whisker clippings

I have yet to see or hear any amount of scientific reasoning to show that it is extremely dangerous to clip a horses muzzle. Heck we have leg/armpit hair for a reason I am sure and I have yet to hear of a woman whose cause of death was shaving her armpits and legs.

In some cultures they do not shave and live equally as fine. It is about choice not about cruelty when discussing muzzle clipping

 

[RhineStone]

We trim eye whiskers (not eyelashes) year round on our driving horses, as the whiskers bumping on the blinders/blinkers/winkers (whatever you wish to call them, all are correct) are irritating to the horse, like an extra long eyelash bumping your eyeglasses.

 

[Relic]

We clip them all the time they grow in real fast within the week you'd never know they were clipped no one has died yet without them l know of....l plugged some nose hairs on myself for Christmas so no one has to look at them at the table....now thats cruel no nose hairs to ice up and keep hay dust out

 

[txminipinto]

Comparing cat whiskers to horse whiskers is a little bit of a jump. Clipping horse whiskers is not painful to them nor does it affect their balance. HOWEVER, clipping a cat's whiskers IS painful and DOES affect their balance.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Husbands can sure lay the guilt on you!

Mine thinks I am cruel to clip my horses in the spring. Even though they are uncomfortable with the warm weather before they shed out naturally. I blanket them on cool days/evenings, but he has laid plenty of guilt on me for clipping.

I hope he never notices they are missing whiskers or I'm in big trouble!

 

[ohmt]

Your horse will 100% ok without its whiskers, I promise!

Once during a show, there was a handler that asked a judge what he could do to improve his placings (this was for halter) and the first thing the judge told him was to make sure all of the horses whiskers on the face were shaved. I feel it was a bit over the top to a lose a placing over something like that-a good horse is a good horse-BUT its something I've always remembered and I'll make sure I have those whiskers clipped if I ever get the time to show!

 

[krissy3]

Lisa clipping or no clipping of facial horse hair does not make money. If it did, we could all make a little extra money. Some of us go to extream measures to win .... the things people do in order to win is sometimes not in the best interest of the horse.I will give you some examples of things that I have seen . These things ,in my oppinion is not in the best interest for the horse , as it is uncomfortable , irritating ,annoying and sometimes painful to the horse.

1. sweats neck ,belly wont kill them, but I think the horse would rather NOT be forced to work up a sweat on a hot day to have a thinner neck ...this is "for the owner not the horse"

2. How about those blankets left on day and night so the sun wont shine on them

3. not letting the horse have a turnout during the day to avoid sun bleaching...thats real nice ...my horses love a sun bath , I will never deprive my horses of a sun bath

4. not giving hay to avoid a "hay belly" sorry guys , I need you to be thin so you have to eat hard food.

5. trimming the hooves too short so they will fit into a height class (ouch) (ouch)

6. using a pin at the end of a measuring stick so the horse will arch its back to avoid pain and measure shorter. (another ouch)

7. using weights hooked to the mane to force the mane hair to the other side to hide a crest on the neck. irritating...you know how it feels to wear a heavy barrett in your hair all day , now hook a weight to it and leave it in for 2 months

8.Using a stud chain on a 31 inch refined mare to get its attention for the showmanship pose ( or halter class) yes I see this too

9.Tieing a horse to its pen at a show all day long so it cant roll and get dirty, give the horse a break

same goes for making the horse sleep in a trailer with deviders...cant sleep laying down or take a load off its feet

10. keeping a slinky on a horse all day long in hot weather so it wont get dirty (god forbid)

these are just a few things i see all in the name of "presentation" all of this is done for the owner NOT the horse

, I am bringing this to everyones attention for the horse , as he she can not speak for him -herself. I have witnessed all of this more than once , all of these things are done on a regular basis. If you tell me this is not true you are burring your head far into the ground.If you think your horse enjoys any of this you are mistaken , and have very little empathy. These things will not kill your horse , wont even cause a lot of harm, just irritation mentally and physically , the excessive trimming however will cause pain and damage. For those of you that thought that I was not sympathetic towards horses because I said they reacted to pain differently than humans, (and its important not to mask pain with bute , banamine before a vet is called ) , I am a lot more sympathetic and empathetic then you think. I clip my horse for shows, she tolerates it , but would rather not. I do it for me , not the horse, the horse gets nothing from it. I am guilty of putting my horse through stupid things too. I also blanket my horses in -10 c weather they dont need it , but it makes me feel better. I would like people to just admit that the things we put our horses through are completely for ourselves, so please try to limit the behavior to what is completely nessessary.

 

[Reble]

I also clip for showing but did find

the reason for Whiskers if interested :

Whiskers are not just present for the heck of it – they also serve a purpose! Like a cat's whiskers, horse whiskers are particularly sensitive to touch, so horses use them to help detect dangers or obstructions that their eyes might miss.