Because it does not benefit the horse or the score.
Well it appears people do what they feel is best for them…No hard set rules good to know.
It doesn’t hurt the horse either and I guess the hunter world feels it looks clean and slick:) I guess it’s like banking the tail and shaving the top part…things hunter people don’t do because we braid the tail…to each is own:) one is not better then the other…
Now - how exactly would you do that?
I came to dressage from hunters and was surprised that the show turnout was not as meticulous in dressage. I still turn my dressage horse out like a hunter; it just feels awkward going to the ring fuzzy!
Wait a minute…I guess I was behind on this! I had no idea and clip my pony’s whiskers for shows! :eek:
I don’t clip is fetlocks, but not because I don’t want to…because he won’t let me!
So then, what am I supposed to clip, and what am I NOT supposed to clip?
You don’t clip them because…
…it annoys the horse.
I did see a groom snipping eye whiskers with a pair of scissors…she had way too much time on her hands!
You can clip and bank anything you find suitable.
[QUOTE=Denali;3123992]
When I got involved with some breed show stuff and made some friends in the Arabian horse world I was shocked to see ears “scooped” clean, eye whiskers gone (this REALLY freaked me out!), shiny blacked hooves and baby oiled heads. Strange.
:D[/QUOTE]
I know someone who quit either showing or judging at Arab shows when people started using eye make-up on horses.
I must disagree. My TB loves to be clipped…he falls asleep when I clip him!
[QUOTE=Wild Oaks Farm;3124228]
I must disagree. My TB loves to be clipped…he falls asleep when I clip him![/QUOTE]
Most of my horses would fall asleep when I’d body clip them:)
I hate fuzzy muzzles, don’t know why, I just do. I use that cheap little purple thing you can get at most feed and tack stores. I will trim fetlocks, and ears–but not inside the ears, I never do that.
Guess I am in the minority because I clip muzzles for shows. Always have and I think it looks SO much better. I will also clip for a big clinic. I will SHORTEN the hair by the eyes but not clip them totally off. (I leave an inch or so around the eyes.)
I USUALLY don’t clip the inside of ears but recently did so on one mare. She will NOT let me clip her ears so when she got her teeth done last week we clipped her hears while she was tranq’d. We got a bit carried away and her ears are definitely ready for the hunter ring. But, it will be another year before I can clip them again - LOL.
I’m with you Inca - I clip everything. I think it looks neater…ok wait, I don’t clip the fetlocks cuz I have a Friesian - but her face is fair game!!! My trainer and most people I know who show dressage clip their horses. Just depends on what you like I guess. I think saying it’s “cruel” to shave them is a bit of a stretch (IMHO). Our show horses are kept in stalls and turned out in very pristine and safe enclosures so I’m pretty sure they are ok without a full face of hair. There’s not a whole lot for them to run in to. In the wild it’d be a different story obviously.
I leave the muzzle and the insides of the ears; I clip the fetlocks, the jawline, the bridle path. I am now wanting to let the dock grow out (for a fuller tail), but it looks really stupid at the moment, like wings. I don’t know what to do with it. I have seen a trend in some elite riders to let the dock grow out as well. But I am doing it because I want a fuller tail and modesty for my mare. 
I clip lower legs, muzzles, jawline, bridlepath, and at least the outside of the ears. The mane is pulled short and maybe braided. If the mane is long it is always french braided. I have never seen a horse run into a wall or his bucket from having his nose clipped. I think it makes a polished performance and falls in line with a clean saddle pad, white socks, and clean tack with all the keepers fastened.
That way when my dressage horse rears at X and bolts during the canter circle at least the judge can write down “nice turn out” so they have something nice to say on my score 
Doesn’t clip muzzle, because horse likes to eat clippers
banking? are we having a regional disonnect? do you mean “banging”?
From my experience I feel that the natural muzzle became more common when you started seeing photos of the tip top International horses at the big competitions with all their fuzzies.
My horse lives out 24/7 and I prefer his muzzle and ear hairs stay on.
I do trim fetlocks but only with scissors. I do not back shave and would not if he had white legs. I also trim the bridle path and dock and the under jaw bone fuzzies. I trim the jaw fuzzies to make the cavasson more comfortable and not to get the long hairs caught up in the buckles
My horses love their muzzles clipped - even the foals. They play with the clippers while you do it. I also “shape” the jaw line, clip bridle path and the ears flush (not inside). I clip the fetlocks and the tails a bang, bit a bit longer than fashion. I don’t bang babies tails.
I have never had a problem with clipped muzzles, but I will absolutely NEVER pull or clip the top of the tail. Those hairs, like the ear hairs are for protection against bugs on their tender parts. It is really easy to get the same look without taking away their protection. If you just do a loose (hunter type) braid on the top of the tail, the evening before a competition, and lightly damp the braid and wrap, the hairs will “set”. Before the class, remove the wrap and braid, and brush a bit. The hairs will stay close, and curve around the dock a bit.
The Europeans don’t clip muzzle hairs, and when we started working more closely with them, importing their horses and ideas, many stopped clipping them here too. Personally, when I see a horse not clipped, it looks to me like a person that never combed their hair in the morning.
I would bet there is a strong correlation between those that call them “feelers” and not clipping, or call them “whiskers” and clip. :lol:
There is no “supposed to” for the dressage ring. While in hunters, the judge is formally evaluating the entire presentation, including horse and rider turnout, in dressage, what is judged is only the horse’s way of going, not his appearance. While a neat and clean turnout is respectful of the judge and venue, lack in this area is not scored. Therefore, you will see uniformly clean and shiny horses and tack, but a wide variety in terms of “fuzziness,” depending on individual competitors’ preferences and backgrounds.
Personally, though I do have a slight background in hunters, I prefer a “fuzzier” look. I present my horses sleek and shiny (thanks to good genes and regular vigorous grooming), neat manes and tails that are tidied at top and banged at the bottom. Bridle paths are neatly trimmed and ear hairs tidied, but left intact. I do dislike the goat hairs along the jaw, and will trim those away if the horse has them. Fetlocks I leave alone unless the horse has unattractive scraggly feathering, then I will tidy them. But it’s all personal preference. I don’t think even the most extreme trimming qualifies as actual cruelty; I might think some things look a little odd, but I’m sure there are people who think the same of the way I like to keep my horses trimmed.
