I’ve owned a horse that got scratches chronically if his legs weren’t clipped. Same horse also got an insect caught in his unclipped ear hair - TWICE - and damn near killed us both as a result each time. I realize these incidents might fall into the “freak accident” category for some, but I’ve seen enough of these issues to cause me to become a clipping advocate. While I’ve been able to attribute all the aforementioned incidents, and more, to NOT clipping, I’ve yet to see ANY data linking adverse effects to clipping. So I clip. Thoroughly and often.
There is a fair bit of science on it. Very little of it is equine specific, but seems to be pretty conclusive that many animals are affected by the lose of their vibrissae (technical term is “barbering”)
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02213989 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168159104001704
Anecdotal evidence isn’t the best indicator, as we likely also all know a horse that is blind in one eye, or has hearing deficits, but is still seemly fine. I have very little feeling in my fingers, but nobody would know it to see me.
That said, I do have clients that clip whiskers, and when judging I am fine either way, but I do not clip my own, unless their eye whiskers are curling into the eye. I don’t think it is as much that clipping hurts them, it just reduces one of their many senses.
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I stopped trimming whiskers several years ago, though I do trim the wild ones when they try to curl inward. For what it’s worth, my horse manages to nick his face just as much as he did when he was clipped. 
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I don’t clip my cats whiskers and I don’t clip my horses whiskers. Two sides of the same coin.
My horse eats from the ground most of the time and is turned out in a big field with anything between 3 and 15 other horses, clipping her whiskers would be downright cruel. Horses that live confined in stalls and tiny paddocks are ok without them I guess, but to me that’s not ok in general. Horses like to pluck on the ground a lot, to do that without ingesting a bunch of dirt they need whiskers. Them not “needing” them is a symptom of a way bigger problem in most cases, is my experience.
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I’ve found that when a hairy horse is clipped, he does get bangs on his face, until he gets used to being clean shaven.
I don’t clip any more for the reasons so many countries ban it and I’m past showing these days.
BTW, when Euopean stallions are prepped for their photo shoots, they are done up to the nines with braids, bridle, etc, BUT they do have very whiskery chins. Takes a while to get used to it.
I don’t even ride my horses lately and still prefer them clean shaven. I also roach manes since my hunter days are well behind me. Legs have to be clipped and oiled regularly to prevent mud fever. I tried leaving hair on their legs and it was a nightmare. Minimal hair plus regular oil is a must for mud season.
A few years ago a colleague and I were going over some photos for a marketing campaign. She was in the Netherlands and the shoot was also done there. I made a comment that the horses looked terribly unkept due to all the whiskers and she was horrified that we were still allowed to trim in North America. She truly felt I was a terrible person for doing so. I maintain its pretty low on my scale of cruel things we do to horses.
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Drafts and draft crosses are prone to scratches. It takes meticulous care and often internal a/b’s as well. Horses have
been put down due to the condition getting so bad. Google it.
I still show occasionally and stopped trimming whiskers and ears. Ears I will fold in half and clip whatever sticks out, but everything else stays. Horse can be full clipped and done up to the nines, but now mine keep their whiskers.
Seemed to me there’s a reason for the whiskers and it’s probably best for the horse to have them. Also because I’m an adult and I do what I want.
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I don’t think I’ve ever trimmed whiskers, or even thought about it. It is against the breed rules for showing the breed I own in this country. I don’t show mine, but if anyone asked why I don’t trim I could always point them to that if I don’t want to get into the whys and wherefores of my own personal opinion.
When producing an Arabian for the show ring it is to be left natural with no pulled or plaited manes or tails. No whiskers or tactile hair are to be removed, and no coloured make up or hoof oil is allowed. Only clear highlighter may be used and chalk can be used to enhance the natural white markings. Foals should be shown in their natural state.
https://www.ahsshowsandevents.com/Forms%20to%20download/Guidelines%20to%20showing%20booklet.pdf
I even like moustaches on Gypsy Cobs, so I think I’m a lost cause when it comes to primping and preening a horse. 
Reviving this thread since after the last post in 2019 the FEI banned whisker trimming in all international competition, and I am curious to
see how that has trickled down to mostly the show hunter world in the US. Anecdotally I have noticed some whiskery muzzles at some big shows from some BNT barns which I am happy to see, but I was wondering if the tradition is really starting to change. Personally I have decided I will probably no longer clip any whiskers on mine from now on even at rated shows, but I was wondering how other hunter folks were feeling about it.
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Show season is just starting around here, and fully clipped muzzles and ears (insides) are rare.
And at dressage shows, it’s a real no-no.
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From my experience over the 2022 show season, it’s still pretty rare for hunters. More common for jumpers, but even then, only a small percentage.
I do think it will become more common. It’s hard for folks to let go of the “neat” look of a clean nose and shaved ears, but they’ll change.
It would be very nice if USEF made a clear ban on the practice. Animal welfare doesn’t always seem to be at the top of USEF’s priority list though.
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Personally I have never trimmed whiskers, I just fold the ears and trim any hair sticking out. We don’t trim at my current barn, and we show on the As. However, the majority of our horses (expensive show horses included) live out 24/7, so we’re not quite your typical h/j barn.
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I don’t think it matters.
I trim, but generally don’t clip to nothing. Long long whiskers around the eyes are a no, especially in summer time when they’re going to get folded by a fly mask.
Long long whiskers on the muzzle are a no, where they’re constantly getting in the way of the bridle etc.
About 1"-1.5" seems to be my sweet spot for all whiskers.
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If you’re horse went well, I’d assume you had your reasons. If things weren’t going well. I’d assume you have more important things to worry about (like a green/retraining situation).
I clip occasionally, whiskers get shortened but not shorn, same with ears and pasterns, I generally do it about 2-3 times a year, not including body clipping (bc I have never clipped his head).He goes to plenty of shows with a decent amount of whiskers. My horse is EXTREMELY sensitive, as in you could use him as a weather vane, he will tell you when the storms are rolling in. He’s also got no problem letting me know when things are NOT ok, and he has been happily letting me clip whatever part of his body I want (I seriously expected body clipping to go horribly, and he seems to love it…). His spatial awareness is amazing, and I’ve never seen him struggle on way or the other.
As an aside, I was at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show this past year and had the opportunity to present some awards to the professional divisions. A few of the top placing horses still had their whiskers, and some were quite long. Many were still clipped, but I can promise you that, while I noticed, the judge and the rest of the audience certainly would never have known.
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My dad has a retired Clyde, we have to clip his feathers (it looks horrible) because he gets fungus like you wouldn’t believe. He is miserable if we don’t clip and treat them, It’s an on-going battle. He almost never gets washed, but he of course is out in the rain and weather as it occurs. We would love to leave his feathers alone, but he would be miserable and it would likely eventually lead to infection.
I just realized that this was an old thread, oh well lol.
What about it is cruel?
I can see if you are manually pulling them out one by one that would be downright cruel but nothing wrong with a nice trimmed and tidy horse. I do not trim out the ears though, just the long outside tufts.
I just ride for pleasure but my 3 are always clipped. I like it that way, always have and in my days of showing you always clipped. I hate shaggy heads on horses.
Is trimming optional now in all disciplines?
ETA: If we want to talk about cruelty then mane pulling would be right there. I used to on the Appaloosa gelding I showed but he had a thin mane but he still hated it.
I have used old, dull clipper blades to " pull " manes for several decades now. No pain and looks just as good. I read an article on it somewhere and it made it pain free for me and my horses who have enough mane to need it shortened / thinned.
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Does the action of shaving whiskers hurt the horses? No, I don’t think so. You are however taking away a sensory element for your horse by shaving their nose.
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Nope haven’t clipped them for 10 years or so. Doesn’t impact placing anyway. My horse is turned out to the nines otherwise. I do A circuit on west coast USA and not a single person has ever commented.
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Agreed with mane pulling being cruel.
So many horses hate it so much, that no one can tell me it’s painless. And those that do it when the horse is sedated so they “can’t feel it” are still doing something the horse hates for the sake of vanity.
I do hope the people who put fly masks on their horses shorten the eye whiskers. It must be so uncomfortable to have whiskers in constant contact with the fly mask.
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