Do it if you want but it’s just a sign of poor horsemanship to me. If you keep on top of it and keep them clean they can have very fluffy and healthy feathers.
bumping up an 8 year old thread to make your first post accusing people of having poor horsemanship. Welcome to COTH. You may want to read a little more before developing a reputation you have to work to undo.
On a fun note, I read the first post and thought “shave those bad boys but braced for big very non TB type legs” and saw that eight years ago I’d said about as much. Glad to know some things stay the same
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I’ve worked with drafts, mainly Friesians in particular for over 10 years. Proper care really is the best way to prevent scratches. I don’t know why you took what I said out of context, I wasn’t accusing anyone though rereading it I see how someone could have not read enough and assumed what I meant. I apologize for any confusion…
Friesians aren’t draft horses.
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@ssandraar I have a Friesian and a Gypsy Vanner …my Friesian came to me with some minor scratches on his pasterns …I clipped underneath the feathers on the pasterns and that’s all I had to do …my Gypsy has quadruple the feathering as my Friesian…I haven’t had to clip anything on her …she just has some mild flaking behind her knees but otherwise is fine…when I bathe them I make sure to wash and get down to the skin , rinse well and dry them well.
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Friesians are light draughts (light drafts)
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No they aren’t.
They have draft feet.
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No. They are harness horses. There is a difference.
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It’s different horsemanship, not poor. In fact, if someone recognizes they don’t have what it takes to maintain them and would not do what’s necessary to take care of them, it’s better horsemanship to clip the excess hair than to leave it and cross their fingers that their horse won’t have issues with infections.
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Actually they where originally bred to supply commanders with an intimidating and powerful but also nimble war horse, they later became carriage horses.
How hard is it to wash and dry your horses legs after you ride? That’s all it’s takes if you’re consistent and stay on top of it
I did it once to mine. Honestly in the end I think he (and many others) are most susceptible to skin issues when their diet is out of whack. Got the copper and zinc in line and I never had an issue after.
This shows a bit of ignorance about different climate conditions
I live in the PNW. Horses here are going to be basically damp 6 months of the year unless you keep them inside 24/7 which is not good horsemanship. Other people live in Florida where the damp heat causes all kinds of skin issues and Friesian really suffer in the heat. Folks with grass fields can get scratches even in summer from heavy dew over night.
And no I am not going to wash my horses legs and use a blow dryer on them every time I ride. Getting that extra water on them every day is going to exacerbate fungi.
That said, my Paint gets just enough fetlock hair in the winter that years when she’s been out 24/7 in the rain, the hair really does direct the rain off her leg and her heels (which don’t have long hair) stay dry and healthy.
Feathered horses get some nasty chronic conditions like hyperkeratosis.
Anyhow I’m not a fan of leg hair, past what’s functional in winter. If you’re actually using a horse or letting it have turnout, you can’t keep it dry.
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Um, in northern climates, it’s not easy about 7 months of the year.
And it’s not so much after riding that’s an issue, it’s about every damn day after coming if with frozen, muddy, or frozen and muddy legs.
How hard is it to understand that clipping legs is not damaging to anything but your delicate sensibilities? LoL
You do you. If you’re happy to deal with frozen muddy legs in a barn that may not have hot water and then take a half hour to towel or blow dry them every damn day, that’s fine. You do you. For a lot of people doing you is not practical or sensible so they do them instead.
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Im in New England and I’ve managed through nasty cold and boiling hot. I’m realizing it could be more about how I was taught to care for them, I’ve been taught my horse care by A rated ponyclubbers and BHS members, they would have shot me if they noticed scratches starting on my horses legs. And since every time I comment someone takes it personal, this isn’t to diss anyone or their instructor it’s just something I’ve noticed.
It’s just hair. Cutting it off isn’t a moral failing. If it makes the horse easier to manage then by all means clip its legs. I’d probably roach its mane too.
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Pony Club is a very nice program, but it’s the start of learning horsemanship, not the absolute final frontier. It’s good you’ve been around horses for ten years, but realize there are lots more experienced people than you on this board, including pro trainers and breeders in all disciplines. This isn’t the other horse forum full of 14 year olds asking what color their horse is.
Over here we like to listen to the wide range of horse keeping styles, and climates. It’s nice that you have the time to wash and blow dry your horses feathers 365 days a year and in sub zero temperatures. Not everyone has the facilities to do that. Not everyone has hot water in their barns. Not everyone wants to use the limited hours in a day to fluff their fetlocks. Some people ride multiple horses, do their own barn work, maintain their own farms.
I’m not a fan of Friesians for multiple reasons, but if it came down to shampooing and blow drying a horse’s feathers 7 days a week for health reasons, or just shaving, I would go with shaving. That’s just an insane amount of work no adult has time for.
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And that is your choice. It does not make it better horsemanship than clipping. It merely shows you’re willing to put yourself through more work than necessary for something YOU find aesthetically pleasing, something someone else (breed club/pony club) has told you is necessary when it’s not actually necessary.
I don’t fault the breed club, if they want horses shown with extra hair, so be it - you sign up to show within the breed, then that means you sign up for taking care of stupid amounts of hair. People who do not sign up for that malarkey are free to take a less time-intensive way by clipping.
Shame on pony club for not teaching that there is choice. Otoh, as a poster above said, pony club is a stepping stone, not the pinnacle of all equine and equestrian knowledge.
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I remember reading that Gloria Austin had to clip the feather on her Morgan/Friesian horses due to health issues in Florida. If she couldn’t deal with it, I’m not judging anyone else. For those that don’t know about her, she has completed at the highest levels, has owned and run truly top level facilities in NY and FL and she has more money than most of can imagine having.
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