To Shave or Not to Shave
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A well groomed horse is the goal for many people heading to the show ring. And often, part of the grooming process includes shaving off facial whiskers. There are a few different ways to do this, but the end result is a smooth face, with no distracting, shaggy whiskers. But, although this may be regarded as good grooming, is it a good for the horse?
The Controversy
The shaving of whiskers and what we see as extraneous hair around the hooves, legs, ears, top of the tail and elsewhere is common practice in the show ring. But, many horse owners believe that it is unadvisable, if not downright cruel to shave off whiskers. Whisker shaving is illegal in Germany and Switzerland. Horses need those whiskers, argue many. This leads to heated debates and the exchange of many opinions, not all of which have basis in fact. So, what is this all about?
What are Whiskers?
Whiskers differ from body or mane and tail hair in that they are longer, coarser and the root of the whisker goes deeper than the root of regular hair. The root is also more than quadruple the size of regular hair. Their scientific name is vibrissae and horses are one of the many land and sea animals that have them. On a horse, the vibrissae are located above and below the eye, around the nostrils and around the lip area.
Under the skin, the vibrissae is rooted in a blood-rich pocket, and the inner lining of this pocket is criss-crossed with tiny nerve filled tubes. The nerves are of different types, with receptors to sense pressure, pulling or pain. The blood rich root helps amplify the nerve signals that go to the brain. Horses shed out long winter coats and grow in new shorter summer coats, but the vibrissae doesn’t change. Whiskers are of different lengths and thickness, and that may affect the information they transfer. The vibrissae are the first hair-like structures that grow on a foal while still inside the uterus and the horse will have them throughout their life.
The Function of Whiskers
Much of what we know about whiskers comes from studies of marine mammals and lab rodents. So while we have a theory about what whiskers do for these animals - provide sensory information when navigating in areas where vision alone will not be sufficient, we don’t know exactly why horses have whiskers. But, considering their placement, we can theorize about their role. While eyelashes protect the eyes from weather and grit, the whiskers around a horse’s eyes may help them ‘feel’ when they are getting their eyes too close to an object.
Because a horse can not see directly in front of their noses, their whiskers may help them feel whether what they are feeding on is tender or coarse, and whether they are grazing too close to a solid object. Horses often sniff and nose objects to explore them, and their whiskers may aid in giving them information about that object. Foals have more whiskers than adult horses, and this may help them find their mother’s udder, and could aid in exploring their new world. They may help determine the shape, texture, size of an object, and the nose’s distance from the object.
Studies have suggested that sea mammals are able to ‘feel’ the shape and size of an object as well as they could determine shape and size with vision alone. Studies of lab rats have shown that trimming back their whiskers causes a difference in their balance and perception to the point where they were ‘severely disabled’. But, we don’t know enough about horse whiskers to say they can do exactly the same.
The Study Results
Many owners who are pro-shaving report that their horses act no differently when shaved than when they aren’t shaved. Others claim terrible things happen when a horse is shaved - from eating odd things to getting injuries from not being able to feel their way around. But in “Vibrissae of the horse, a pilot study on how to assess the effect of manipulation.” the results were inconclusive. Blame the methods or the horses, but horses did not seem to miss their whiskers if they were shaved off. Certainly, nothing bad happened - like a horse eating the bucket rather than the treat inside. So what do you think? To shave, or not to shave? |
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Caledon98
I clip whiskers off for showing and they horses are fine and don't react any differently. However they are stabled during show season and have sufficient protection if outside
I clip whiskers off for showing and they horses are fine and don't react any differently. However they are stabled during show season and have sufficient protection if outside
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Jun 28, 2016
• 2,238 views
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No Longer Really Here
I'd prefer to let the whiskers grow. Whether or not the horse is harmed by shaving them, it's kind of odd that we've created this concept that the ideal image of horses is where they lack whiskers. Even I see horses without whiskers and think they look better, it's what my perception has been trained to enjoy.
In the end, it's taking away a natural and harmless component of what makes horses what they are - horses.
I'd prefer to let the whiskers grow. Whether or not the horse is harmed by shaving them, it's kind of odd that we've created this concept that the ideal image of horses is where they lack whiskers. Even I see horses without whiskers and think they look better, it's what my perception has been trained to enjoy.
In the end, it's taking away a natural and harmless component of what makes horses what they are - horses.
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Jun 28, 2016
• 2,233 views
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No Longer Really Here
I'd like to see an article about shaving (the inside of) horse's ears. I'm definitely on the "it's wrong" side of the fence, but I'd like to learn more about it from both sides.
I'd like to see an article about shaving (the inside of) horse's ears. I'm definitely on the "it's wrong" side of the fence, but I'd like to learn more about it from both sides.
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Jun 28, 2016
• 2,231 views
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Pastel
Why does the showing world want them shaved?
If it suddenly became accepted to leave, people would leave.
I don't show but the odd class I have done I have left, Mark me down for being independent.
Why does the showing world want them shaved?
If it suddenly became accepted to leave, people would leave.
I don't show but the odd class I have done I have left, Mark me down for being independent.
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Jul 22, 2016
• 2,110 views
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