# A question of Feathers . . .



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

On another thread some talk of clipping horse's hair, and the appropriateness of it or not got me to wondering about that. First of all, in particular, if a horse has feathers (hair flowing down from the fetlock), is it wrong to trim them? I know that some horses, such as Fresians and Gypsy Vanners have heavy feathers, such that they are hallmarks of the breed, and it is considered a big no-no to trim them off.

But, what about a horse that just as some feathers. ? sometimes mustangs have a fair amount of feathers, and it can look a bit heavy and untidy. But, do the feathers serve a purpose? would it be detrimental to trim them off?

I am pretty much against trimming out the ear hair, and cutting off the nose/chin whiskers and eye whiskers, as so many people do. I am pretty sure they are there for a reason, and to remove them deprives your horse of helpful sensory information.

but, feathers? what about them?


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## BlindHorseEnthusiast4582 (Apr 11, 2016)

I know a friend of mine trims her Clydesdale's feathers because it's wet very often and scratches have become a problem. In that situation, I believe it does more harm than good to leave all that hair and keep the leg away from air.

As far as the purpose they serve, I'm not sure. If I had the choice and was able to maintain them I'd keep feathers on a horse, but I guess a lot depends on the situation


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Heavy horses (cold bloods )evolved in cold climates,thus are thicker hair coated , which often includes feathers
Quite a few feral horses have a good infusion of draft blood, thus the feathers.
They can be a problem when these hroses are moved to hot climates, as they are the perfect breeding grounds for some serious skin conditions, esp serious condition of the coronary band

'Feather Facts

Fungus, bacteria and infection thrive under feathers. Hair holds in heat, moisture and impurities. Something as simple as manure or sweat on the skin can make small abrasions become infected. Once it starts, the feathers offer a hospitable environment for cultivating problems. 

https://www.luckybraids.com/pages/feathered-feet


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

https://books.google.ca/books?id=2i...&sig=J-pGbXDlUBrssxlDrwxfeSbTYUA&hl=en&sa=X&v
So, no to a function, any more then our residual tail bone, and a possible source of problems


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

I would trim a horse's feather if it was in work (as in going fox hunting) far easier to see what was going on underneath all that hair and made the horse look tidier. 
Often first clip, I would take all hair off and after that leave the leg hair on.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

There are feathers and then there are feathers.
My horses, and I don't have drafts, have "feathers" with their winter coats grown in.
Feathers are a form of leg protection for a horse...
Located to the back and side of the leg predominantly, that is the area that most gets cut from wire, branches and debris encountered.
It is also a area of no fat layer so blood vessels are close to the surface and that is a place for cooling or in cold times loss of heat.
Today, we ride more in groomed rings, cleared trails...not traipsing across wilderness areas, through forests and fields of weeds...few today ride "rural" terrain {smilie instantly comes to mind where she rides}
We have improved our surroundings to be cleared of rubble and brush in our pastures too...
Less and less need for those feathers and what they were intended to do.
They are beautiful and for some do really serve a purpose...they are also a lot of work to keep clean and the skin underneath healthy free of parasites and bacteria.
A true dedication from the owner if your horse has them and you leave them flowing and full.

As for face whiskers and "feelers"....
I* don't* whistle-clean my horses ears, period.
My horses are not stalled as many show horses are but live in a pasture with many bugs and flies to irritate them.
Dang pesty things irritate me by my face and ears buzzing around..
No, I *don't* clip insides of ears, I *do* clip edges and take out the long tufts that dirt and ick builds up on though.
The muzzle and eye hairs...Yes, I *do* clip them..._within reason._
Again, not totally off as those hairs do a job same as they do on a dog or cat.
I _do_ clip them so they are able to stand straight out off of the face a small amount.
I see "0" purpose of having them when they laden down with filth, adhered against the face because they re so long around the eye or muzzle.
I also can't see where a horse with muzzle hairs so long they are bent, twisted together, dirty and get caught naturally as the horse moves the face are doing anything constructive to protect the horse from a injury, cut, puncture..no forewarning happening I can detect.
So, yes I_ do_ trim the muzzle hairs so they can do their job of warning the animal of "you're getting close" to something. Completely off...no. 3" of length or so left, yes.
And I _always_ do maintain a bridlepath area. 
My horses have beautiful manes but those manes would not be so nice if every-time I put on or off the halter or bridle I captured a few hairs and pulled them out.
I find my tack fits more accurately which I would hope my horse appreciates too. Aside from it is easier for me and less hair pulling on them...well, that is just a nice side benefit to me that the head is easier to place that poll strap where it belongs in less time or grief. :wink:

What each person does or doesn't do is a personal preference.._.fine by me._
To clip or not on horses... is all good by me! 
Your horse, your decision.
:runninghorse2:...
_jmo..._


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Ducati is pretty much Au Natural 97% of the time. We do Ranch Horse Versatility with him and they don't want too much trimming done. Now, if he were to come home to stay, he'd lose MOST of that mane, I'd clip his coronet band area and the feathers on his feet would be gone. Having to braid the mane and tail every week is a colossal PIA, but since he's for sale it stays long because the buyers in that discipline want the mane & tail hair left alone. When trimming him up for the World Champs, I would have tidied up his feet, removed his feathers, clipped muzzle and long hairs around the eyes, and trimmed the long hairs off his ears but not clean clipped them. Trainer clipped out the ears, did eyes & muzzle but not feet. Especially in OK Clay, those fetlocks and pasterns start to turn pink and are difficult to get the stuff out of if you don't clip. I also clip feet/feathers as a matter of routine because a lot of horses here get scratches and keeping the hair on the feet short helps to eliminate that problem. 

Oh, HLG mentioned the bridle path! Ducati doesn't have one and with all that long mane & forelock, it's a freakin' mess. I HATE it. But again, Versatility want it all left alone, so I deal with it. I would NOT have more than 1 horse left the way he is though, that's just way too much work. And you're not ever going to convince me that a REAL cowboy would spend the time it takes to keep that mane/tail/forelock and no bridle path area looking good.


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## Dehda01 (Jul 25, 2013)

My ARABS and half-Arabs often have a bit of hair on their fetlocks.... I would get you a picture.... but I clip it off after they shed out It looks like unicorn tufts. After grooming on the A-circuit for so many years, it bothers me... so off it goes. It also gets in the way if I need to wrap or boot them. 

My friesian is full feathered. It can be a royal PIA when she gets muddy or it is raining to make sure that I fully blow dry her legs dry
afterwards. I have to stay on top of mud management 100%. If I don't, she gets a NASTY case of scratches. Which, left unchecked, could turn into lymphedema. 

Shown on A-circuit, she needs to have as much hair as possible if she is showing in breed classes. But if I show her in dressage, or not in the circuit- I could pull her mane, shave her legs and she would just look like a fancy cob.... and I know of a few people who have done this to simplify management.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

I live where heat/humidity prevail. Every Spring my horses get a crew cut in their fetlock joints, clear up the backs of their legs if needed be.

I clip their jowel hair but NOT the chin and nostril hairs they use as feeler gauges. I also leave the ear hair alone. Mine wear fly masks nine-ten months out of the year so sadly their eyelashes aren't as long as they should be.

It would just kill me to cut the feathers on a Draft, if I had one, but in this humid environment I would. I don't show so that wouldn't be an issue.


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

I trim the feet of a mustang gelding and he must have some draft in him as he has "feathers" very drafty feathers. The owner is a mess and not up on horse care - this poor gelding has scratches so bad most of the hair falls off of his feathers and his fetlocks are sore to the touch.

So if I owned him - he would not have feathers at all!


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## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

I clip off the tufty winter feathers in the spring. For winter, I leave them alone as they help keep snow and ice off the backs of the pasterns. If the horse is sore, then of course, clip them clear, but I've never had an issue. If no feather, I leave the legs alone as the hair is protection against flies and bugs.

I clip a bridle path (usually the length of the ear laid back) just for neatness. Since I don't have a show horse right now and ride for pleasure/trails/ranch work, I leave the coronet band, whiskers, and ears alone.


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

We see all "extra" hair as just hair, but there are two very different kinds of hairs. Vibrissae are all over the muzzle and eyes. They are sensory organs connected to nerves, they are not just hair. I would never remove those for any reason whatsoever. Ear hair protects from dust and insects, so I would never remove that either, although neatening up doesn't hurt anything. Feathers? I think it depends on the environment the horse is in. 

The point, in my opinion, is to do right by the horse, not make him look a certain way because you like that look.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Every now and again I do leave Honey's mane and feathers to grow but they're such hard work to keep in good condition they always end up coming off
I have a UK friend who's got a gypsy cob for showing and he looks amazing but the effort she puts in every day to keeping him that way is way more than I could want to do - pig oil and sulfur rubbed into his feathers to prevent 'scratches and mites and if she rides anywhere muddy (ha ha, its England when is it not muddy!!) he now wears some sort of leg wraps to protect the feather, mane and tail have to be braided all the time to stop them getting into a broken, tangled mess.................I love her dedication but its not for everyone
Clipping doesn't hurt - just have to remember that if you remove hair that might be needed for protection you have to replace it with something


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