What about mane pulling and tail banging…isn’t that artifice too? Aren’t braided manes itchy and uncomfortable for the horse? Left alone they will relish rubbing them out.
Um Sure there is artifice in all disciplines.
Not everyone likes the muzzle shaved. Not everyone likes the bridle path shaved half way down the neck as is done in some disciplines. Not everyone likes the pulled mane, etc etc.
Different styles. Different disciplines.
[QUOTE=egontoast;3127859]
It’s not a burning question in the dressage world because for the most part, no one cares.
I used cat whiskers as an example to show by analogy that it’s odd to hear someone posting on a dressage board OMG what’s wrong with you people that you don’t shave your horses’ faces. It’s just not important in dressage.
Oh and the horses are turned out almost everyday and, no, I don’t clip my cat’s whiskers.:no:
The armpit stuff was a joke . Didn’t realize this was such a serious issue for some people. hehe[/QUOTE]
If you don’t care I ask why are you in this thread… We don’t care that you think this is a stupid thread if it’s so stupid stay out of it…Glad to hear your horses are turned out every day I’m sure there are many that wished they had that life…
We don’t care that you think this is a stupid thread if it’s so stupid stay out of it…
Hmmm. I didn’t say it was a stupid thread .
Funny thing about discussion boards. You don’t get to determine who posts on your threads.
Who are “we”? 
[QUOTE=egontoast;3127907]
Hmmm. I didn’t say it was a stupid thread .
Funny thing about discussion boards. You don’t get to determine who posts on your threads.
Who are “we”? [/QUOTE]
Originally Posted by egontoast
It’s not a burning question in the dressage world because for the most part, no one cares. "
I guess I took this as you thinking this was a stupid thread forgive me if I misunderstood. You misunderstood I’m fine and happy to have you on this thread I just asked why you are on it since you’ve made it clear by being a smart a** that this thread is beneath you;) Enjoy your evening…
Egon is often a smartass; I personally enjoy it and look forward to her postings. Don’t take it so personally.
And it’s true, no-one much cares about others’ clipping or lack thereof in the dressage ring. Personally I hate long, flowing manes – and if I were to own a Friesian or Andalusian or some other “hairy” beast, the mane would be pulled and all those annoying feathers shaved off! But some people love that look. I think it’s cool that all sorts of trims are acceptable in the dressage arena; spend a day at a show and you can see all sorts of different attractive horses with all varieties of “show trims.”
It is definitely a European thing. I was in a serious dressage barn back in the late 70’s (yes, there was such a thing 
) and everyone clipped muzzles.
I came from the American Saddlebred show horse world, to hunters and jumpers, thence to dressage. American Saddlebred show horse people trim everything- and they think you are just not getting it if you take a horse to a show with fuzzy legs, muzzles ears, etc.
I do not trim my horses whiskers because somewhere along the way, I decided that they really do use them as feelers, and I won’t deprive them of that use. When I take a horse to a show, I trim the edge of their ears, and the stuff that is sticking out, leaving the protection inside of the ear.
Are we going to talk about any correlation between waxing and trimming muzzles next? :lol:
[QUOTE=coloredhorse;3128015]
. . .Personally I hate long, flowing manes – and if I were to own a Friesian or Andalusian or some other “hairy” beast, the mane would be pulled and all those annoying feathers shaved off! But some people love that look. I think it’s cool that all sorts of trims are acceptable in the dressage arena; spend a day at a show and you can see all sorts of different attractive horses with all varieties of “show trims.”[/QUOTE]
In breed shows – Friesian, Spanish, Lipizzaner – the horse has to be shown unpulled and unshaved and unbraided.
I once mentioned off-hand to some Lip people that I was thinking of pulling my mare’s mane and I thought they were gonna have a coronary 
Boy, did I get a verbal slap-down. Heh.
Eileen
[QUOTE=Roan;3128114]
In breed shows – Friesian, Spanish, Lipizzaner – the horse has to be shown unpulled and unshaved and unbraided.
I once mentioned off-hand to some Lip people that I was thinking of pulling my mare’s mane and I thought they were gonna have a coronary Boy, did I get a verbal slap-down. Heh.
Eileen[/QUOTE]
When we had both a dressage trainer and a HJ trainer at the barn, the hunter barn groom used to stand there with his clippers and a funny look in his eye when the Friesians walked by:lol:.
It just depends on what you do. As far as the ear hair goes, my mom would never clip out the inside when I was growing up, then once I was old enough I decided to clip it all out, know what? My horse had much cleaner ears! Weird I know, maybe it is because it was easier for me to see when they got dirty? Not sure, and I do clip his eye things off, and my horse doesn’t run into things and doesn’t get hurt and yes he gets turned out, it doesn’t bother him for me to do so either. Now pulling a mane I HATE that, but I think that is because I have a sensitive head :lol: Now I do like the way it looks afterwards but I hate doing that!
[QUOTE=Peggy;3128122]
When we had both a dressage trainer and a HJ trainer at the barn, the hunter barn groom used to stand there with his clippers and a funny look in his eye when the Friesians walked by:lol:.[/QUOTE]
HAH!!!
I know that look! My trainer gets that look every time she sees my mare’s fuzzy nose :lol:
Actually, soon as it gets warm enough for me to get the girl all white again, I’m going to trim her whiskers a tad and clip down the goat hairs and fetlocks. Probably add a wee bridle path as well.
Heh, maybe I’ll roach her mane :yes: That’ll give all the h/js a coronary, won’t it? It’s gonna be a couple of years before I haul my girl to any shows, so lots of time for it to grow back. CACKLE!
Eileen
As far as the ear hair goes, my mom would never clip out the inside when I was growing up, then once I was old enough I decided to clip it all out, know what?
I’m guessing your hearing improved?
[QUOTE=egontoast;3128140]
I’m guessing your hearing improved?[/QUOTE]
OMG I sprayed my monitor with gingerbread latte!
EVIL!
Eileen
We don’t have the Hunter fraternity over here (there is the odd bit of junior equitation, but it remains firmly part of the showjumping world). However we DO have show hack and show arabian People - who would Brazillian their horses if they could. Everything is clipped and shaved up the great wahzoo.
Maybe that’s why we dressage/eventing people tend to clip out horses extraneous bit a lot less - so as to distance ourselves from the crazies… rather than aligning with our European brethren.
Another point is - from a distance of about 10-15 metres, you can’t really see the stray hairs and fluffy bits anyway.
I DO get rid of goatish beards, and the extra bits of hair coming out the ears that end up full of wax, but have stopped even clipping out legs. When ours get a full body clip, their legs are clipped “backwards”, only using the clippers in the direction of the hair.
And one of my horses has has a patch of white on his bottom lip, and so has long grey/white muzzle hairs in a sea of black hairs. I shorten the white hairs as they look really weird. Otherwise the whiskers stay on all our horses.
A few years ago, I let the clipper do a complete number on an older FEI level horse. The weather turned nasty the day of the big competition, and he was really distracted by rain in his ears, and the feeling of sandy water spattering up onto his face without being warned by his whiskers.
I understand the feeling about Fresian fetlocks - but only when I see people put white bandages over the top, with a strange outpouring below - makes me want to go snip snip snip. And regarding roached manes - you should see the looks the polo ponies get at the Royal Easter show when the show hack people can deign to glance at them. Shaved heads! Priceless!
Clipping the inside of the ears isn’t just about how clean the inside of the ear looks to you - it’s about the inner part of the ear that you CAN’T see and having insects and dirt get into that part of the ear. This can cause some serious problems and also be very uncomfortable for the horse.
[QUOTE=Equibrit;3127584]
The UK is in the EU.[/QUOTE]
Technically yes but they never ever seem to process any of the EU-guidelines LOL At least they still don’t accept Euros in any of their stores, haven’t got the equine passport thingy resolved and sure enough they insist on driving on the other side hehe. Besides just about every Britain I know refers to the continent as ‘Europe’ while they consider the Commonwealth as being ‘us’.
I can’t blame them. Many Germans would like to do the same but somehow our government doesn’t comply LOL.
In Denmark clipping muzzles and inside ears is considered cruel. I thought it was prohibited, but I’ve just checked, and it isn’t actually illegal by law or rules. But the common perception is that it’s not allowed, and it’s definitely not accepted.
No matter what we do, the fact that we ride them and keep them as pets is unnatural for horses. Everything we do with horses is a compromise between whet we want and what the horses need, and different people make different compromises.
There will always be differences between cultures and discipline, not only with hair, but fashion, tack, feeding etc. There are lots of people who think a double bridle is cruel, and we thinks it’s a refining tool. Or shoes are cruel. Or feeding grain is cruel. Or individual turn out is cruel.
Re: hypocrisy - Denmark has just passed a law regarding the welfare of horses. This law specifies a set of minimum requirements. For ex standing stalls are banned, minimum size requirements for stalls, the amount of natural light and air circulation in the stable, ceiling height, access to turn out of a minimum size, horses must be turned out or exercised a min of 2 hours daily 5 days a week etc.
:lol::lol::lol:That would be me!:lol::lol::lol:
Seriously, I just hate all the extraneous hair. There would be no breed shows for me if I owned such a beast. But I have no problem with people who do like hairy horses; if that floats your boat, fine. Just makes my fingers itch for my pulling comb. :winkgrin:
there are those who will say CLIPPING the inside of the ear is what lets all the bugs and debris get into the ear!
And I think that’s true. I never clip the insides. I do clean the inside of the ear, and actually, when grooming for others, I thought the horses with the insides of their ears clipped had FAR more debris, plaques and irritation inside their ears than my horses did.
