Clipping foal for inspection

[ise]

Thanks Alexandra!! Really enjoyed your post.

I cannot fathom the concept of having horses treated like “poodles” that need to have so much clipping to some how make them look better. I don’t think they do and it ABSOLUTELY doesn’t improve their performance. We breed to have our horses and ponies COMPETE.

And the Hunters were NOT like this when I started riding and showed in the Hunters years ago. And I can say they were just as successful back then without being clipped to the skin with no hairs or feelers.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

@alexandra;5762727

I also take the comment of someone ooffensive that the europeans lack horsemanship because they turn their horses out differently !

My point was that NOT all things in Europe are perfect…just as not all things are perfect in the US. They are different cultures, different land and very different weather. I take offense when people throw out statements like “well this is how they do it in Europe so this is the right way”.

There is more than one way to keep a horse well and have good horsemanship…and I see good and BAD horsemanship everywhere. And having grown up where horses had very little turn out because of where they are (little available land)…I don’t consider that the ideal way to keep horses. It doesn’t mean those horses are mis-treated (you do the best you can with what you have)…but that if given a choice, I do think it is better to give a free-range animal more free range but also understand why in certain locations this isn’t feasible.

I DO think it is ridiculous to have such an indepth dispute about clipping. It isn’t as if people here are talking about breaking tail bones or cuting and setting ears. Whether you clip a few hairs/whiskers or not…or like the look or not…is NOT an indication of good or bad horsemanship…and honestly find it SAD that there is a law on something like this. What a waste of time IMO. There are far more important things that could be addressed rather than something like clipping whiskers on a foal/horse.

[alexandra]

Actually the rule not to clip an animal’s hairs that are working as a sense and this is what the hair around the muzzle is part of the law “for” cruelty against animals. So I gather it is well researched and not just made out of the blue.
And I do not say this as I am from here and you are from there and I do not think that al we do is great and what others do is bad. But clipping hair thats purpose is working as a sense is an absolute no go for me.
Clipping of foals is not really liked because as far as I know it was found out that the foals body has to cope with the clipping in our climate quite a lot. Not that they are freezing and that it is freezing over here, but they seem to suffer. Hence forbidden from the registries. The law does not forbid to clip the “normal” hair.

[JB]

@ise@ssl;5762857

And the Hunters were NOT like this when I started riding and showed in the Hunters years ago. And I can say they were just as successful back then without bing slipped to the skin with no hairs or feelers.

Just curious - when and where?

I’m only asking because when I started spectating at more local (to me) A shows about 30 years ago, ALL the horses had the whole ear trimmed.

Now, it’s much more common, again in my local area, to see the inside of the ear hair left and just anything sticking out trimmed off.

What I hate most is white legs trimmed so short they are pink and obviously tender. Leave enough hair to keep it a WHITE leg.

[tabula_rashah]

Coming from the Arab and Morgan world, I just can’t imagine taking my horses out in public at any age without at least muzzle, bridlepath and face clipped and ears and eyes trimmed. I don’t even trailer to the local park to trail ride without having my horse presentable. I don’t body clip because I am not showing but I would definitely do so if I was. The only thing I don’t clip on my horses is their fetlocks as I live in a very humid and wet area where scratches are quite common. I have never seen a single horse regardless of age have an issue with not having muzzle hair-

[Laurierace]

Slight hijack: do more people do the rubber band type button braids or the sewn in braids? If I can do an adequate rubber band type braid is that good enough or would you spring for the pro braid job?

[amastrike]

Laurie, sewn-in braids are actually really easy. http://eventingnation.com/home/2010/04/the-sunday-jog-up-tips-from-a-groom-13.html

[EquusMagnificus]

[QUOTE=Laurierace;5763801]
Slight hijack: do more people do the rubber band type button braids or the sewn in braids? If I can do an adequate rubber band type braid is that good enough or would you spring for the pro braid job?[/QUOTE]

I do rubber band button braids and it actually didn’t look bad, IMO.

[Laurierace]

Maybe I am being silly but it seems to me that the inspectors tend to prefer the dressage bred babies. Maybe if I put dressage type braids in my foal won’t look as huntery? Just a thought.

[Home_Again_Farm]

I have used both types of braids and I do not think that it imapacted scores in any way - either negatively or positively. They are looking at conformation, gaits, balance. A beautiful grooming job will never hurt, but it won’t influence the inspectors in a big way.

[Commander_Cody]

Wow seriously? I have always body clipped foals that are holding on to baby coats too long here in VA. Had one with issues regulating body temp. and clipping him was the only solution. Did one a couple weeks ago for the GOV inspection ( he is grey but his foal coat was an ugly ecru/mud brown blend - he looks great clipped). It is EASY if done right. No fights, no injuries. I leave ears, muzzle, legs alone except to trim a few long scraggly hairs. And what’s wrong with a little PRIDE in how your horses are presented anyway??

I do NOT use sewn in braids because a) I’d rather not handle a needle - even a not sharp one - braiding a foal and b) I have had horses rub the entire braid off with them sewn in - and you know the foals are going to rub. Rubber bands are fast to get in on wiggly babies and look fine.

I don’t think this is worth getting so excited about.

[tabula_rashah]

[QUOTE=Laurierace;5763801]
Slight hijack: do more people do the rubber band type button braids or the sewn in braids? If I can do an adequate rubber band type braid is that good enough or would you spring for the pro braid job?[/QUOTE]

Rubber band braids are fine as are sewn in- it’s really just your preference. I think the rubber bands seem much easier to do on the babies.

[ise]

Commandar Cody - PLEASE don’t infer that those of us that don’t clip or braid our foals don’t take PRIDE IN THEM. That’s just hooey. PM me and I’ll send you photos of my foals at inspections - no clip, no braids and they show extremely well.
I’ve hosted ISR/OLDNA inspections for over 15 years and I’ve seen far too many foals with braids that spent the entire time with their heads stretched down shaking their heads and wrenching their necks. And we had to work very hard to get them to trot out to get a decent score.

[CZF]

[QUOTE=ise@ssl;5759952]

Correct me if I’m wrong but in the EU, I don’t believe face clipping is permitted and they are not permitted to clip inside the ears. [/QUOTE]

That’s what I thought too! It’s seems we North Americans have a thing with body hair :lol:

I’m lucky in that my gelding is not overly hairy, I never clip his whiskers, ears or fetlock hair. My dad’s filly has tufty old man ears, so I trim only the hair that sticks out, I leave the rest for fly protection.

We never clipped the foals for their inspections and they always did just fine. Just bathed and braided, nice clean halter etc. The judges are professionals, they just want to see a foal with nice conformation and movement, they can see past the baby fuzzies.

Good luck!

[Mkelle11]

Considering most of the Warmblood breed registries in the US seem to aspire to be European, it’s probably best to do as they do. Look up pictures from European approvals of foals of your breed, and go from there.

I found some pictures from a Trakehner inspection in Germany. http://www.trakehners-international.com/breed_foalwebel09.html
Fluffy (In patches) and untrimmed. Some are braided, some aren’t. I’d just get them clean.

[TrinitySporthorses]

As others have said, clipping the foal isn’t done for the inspectors sake (we know they can see through that), it is for the PICTURES. This will probably be the best my baby will look for at least 2 years and I want buyers to be able to see them like that. I don’t always body clip but I think it looks nice. My foals are clipped at the end of July (inspection is mid-August), so I am not worried about them getting chilled or not growing enough of a winter coat.

I honestly had no idea that some people disagreed with this practice. This has been a very interesting thread and certainly made me think twice about whether I’ll be clipping next year. I do like the fact that they become very accustomed to the clippers at a young age, though. I never even have to halter them to clip them as babies.

One of my foals has a VERY thick mane and there should be plenty to braid. The other one is very thin and I want to leave it natural but there is one section that has a “wave” (for lack of a better term) that curls to the side and looks funny. Any ideas on how to fix this so it all sticks up uniformly??

[anon68314200]

[QUOTE=Mkelle11;5771257]
Considering most of the Warmblood breed registries in the US seem to aspire to be European, it’s probably best to do as they do. Look up pictures from European approvals of foals of your breed, and go from there.

I found some pictures from a Trakehner inspection in Germany. http://www.trakehners-international.com/breed_foalwebel09.html
Fluffy (In patches) and untrimmed. Some are braided, some aren’t. I’d just get them clean.[/QUOTE]

Hah hah!! Some of those foal photos are a hoot. One bay out of a flea bit mare looks to have hardly had their feet on the ground at any time !!

[amastrike]

I put training braids in my filly’s mane yesterday to see how she tolerated standing for it and if she minded having them in… she didn’t care at all! Now she just has to finish shedding and we’ll be all set!

[alliekat]

[QUOTE=amastrike;5772316]
I put training braids in my filly’s mane yesterday to see how she tolerated standing for it and if she minded having them in… she didn’t care at all! Now she just has to finish shedding and we’ll be all set![/QUOTE]

I do this with our foals too. While they eat their dinner, I practice my braiding. They never seem to mind and come time for the inspection they are all set.