# Thing about arabians that I have always wondered about...



## sullylvr (Aug 13, 2009)

I always thought they shaved it to showcase the dish without the foal fuzzies hiding it


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## Hoofprints on my heart (Apr 27, 2011)

There are specific breeds that shave their heads and necks to show off the skeletal structure and refinement of their foals. This is especially so with the Arabian.
You will see little foals with wooly bodies and naked necks and heads. It does look odd, but to those who breed and show Arabian, it’s their way of letting potential buyers see what’s under all that hair. These breeders are very conscious of the facial structure of their foals, as many people buy Arabians for their faces as much as the rest of the body. 20-30 years ago it was all about the body and legs, and the face was important but the horse had to be substantial. Then about 15 years ago, their heads became
the focus of the horse.
Other breeds do this as well so that buyers can see the horses heads. While it may help sell a horse, I personally have never ridden a horse’s head in my life, so I focus on the body and the legs. Pretty is in a horse that is willing and capable.
Each breed gets it’s own little traditions and ways of doing things that often seem illogical. In some cases those ways become so obsessive that we create trends for trend sake more so than any improvements made.


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## dressagebelle (May 13, 2009)

I could be wrong, but I was told a while ago that it also helped show what color the foal would most likely shed out to be once it lost its baby coat.


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## candandy49 (Jan 16, 2011)

Well Color Me Mortified at the revelation of some breeders, especially Arabian breeders clipping a foal's face to enhance their facial features. Understand I'm not flaming anyone, just taken-a-back with a revelation I never knew.


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## SEAmom (Jan 8, 2011)

It's a little of both. It shows their face better under all that hair and it helps gauge what color they'll shed out to be. Like hoofprints said, it becomes more a tradition and a way to help sell a horse. Like giving a horse a bath before a potential buyer shows up. It doesn't hurt the foaland w always used it as a desensitizing thing. Our babies had the best clipper manners as they grew up.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Heatherloveslottie (Apr 12, 2010)

Hoofprints on my heart said:


> While it may help sell a horse, I personally have never ridden a horse’s head in my life


 this made me laugh out loud

It is somewhat wrong to showcase facial structure and not confirmation. But you can see why breeders do it, when you see that foal, the first thing you would look at is its face.


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## Trinity3205 (Dec 21, 2010)

I once rode my ponys head (well, and neck too) when I was 11.But only for about 5 seconds before the pony ducked and I finally fell the rest of the way off


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## ArabGirl (Mar 30, 2011)

Lots of people who aren't familiar with the breed find it odd to see a foal's face clipped ----but it's very common in the Arabian horse industry and not harmful to the foal at all.

SEAmom has it spot-on. The reason behind clipping a foal's face is to show facial definition and bone structure as well as helping a little bit to gauge the foal's color. We do a face-clip on all of our foals - mainly just so we can see what the head 'looks like' --some of those foals come out soooo woolie and fuzzy! It also does help desensitize the foal for future clip jobs...like SEAmom said. We have certainly noticed that the horses we clip as babies are much more willing to accept the feel of the clippers again later on


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## Juna (Apr 4, 2010)

I agree with ArabGirl, except for one point. It's not reliable to judge a foal's color based on the clipped face/neck ---- it's not the foal's true color, and actually when you shave ANY age horse, the underneath clipped coat is not the natural color of the horse. 

Everything else I agree with. :lol:


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## Eliz (Jun 16, 2010)

D'aww, I think its cute!


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

Ah yes, I've wondered of that myself xD I just kinda went with it, haha. Now the answer has had light shed upon it ^_^


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