Should I trim my horse’s feather is an oft asked question. Whether to trim feather or not is a personal choice, especially if you own a heavy breed with lots of magnificent feather. Trimming or clipping can be done for both aesthetic and health reasons.
Applying medication may be easier if you’ve clipped your horse’s feather. Gypsy cobs are renown for their beautiful long feather, so clipping is frowned upon. However, a show cob should be hogged and feathers clipped to be show ready. Lighter-framed horses often have their wispy feather removed for ease of grooming and to look smarter.
If you’re thinking of clipping off your horse’s feather then read on to discover the pro’s and con’s before brandishing the clippers or sharpening your scissors….
Why Should I Clip Feather?
There are several reasons that you might wish to clip feather from your horse:
- Aesthetics/Looks: If you’re hogging your horse, trimming or clipping the feather is standard practice. Lighter-weight horses simply look smarter if straggly feather is removed.
- Medical reason: If your horse suffers from mallanders, sallanders, or other skin condition, then clipping the feather means that you can administer creams far more easily.
- Heat: Some feather is so thick that in the summer moisture can’t escape and can cause skin conditions that aren’t immediately noticeable. Clipping allows moisture to escape and the skin to remain healthy.
- Mud: Clipping over the winter months means that mud has less chance to cling to the feather and create sores.
- Cleanliness: Its far easier to look after clipped legs than legs that are covered in long, thick, hair.
There are many reasons to clip your horses legs, the choice is entirely yours. If you’re intending to show a traditionally hairy breed though, you may find that clipping off the feather has a negative effect on your position as the more hair the better is normally the case.
Some people believe that clipping the feather means that the hair grows back stronger and longer. There is no scientific evidence to this belief, indeed, there are people who have experienced an almost total lack of growth once the feather has been clipped for the first time.
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When Should I Clip Feather?
Depending upon the reasons behind clipping the feather, it can be done at any time. If you’re clipping for medical reasons then the answer is simply ‘as soon as possible’. Removing the feather means that you can get to the skin more easily and start an effective treatment regime.
If you’re clipping for ease of looks, then clipping can be done whenever it’s convenient for you. If you have a hairy horse, then clipping at the end of the summer, at around the same time as you may clip to reduce sweating under a winter coat would be about the right time. That way, the hair ‘should’ have grown back in time for the beginning of the summer showing program. Each horse grows hair at different rates, so this cannot be guaranteed!
How Often Should I Trim My Horse’s Feather?
This will be decided on how quickly your horse grows feather, it may be that you need to clip once a month all year round. Some horses though just need one clip a year to keep their hair in good order.
How Do You Groom A Horse’s Feather In Winter?
If your horse as very thick feather then simply washing at the beginning of the winter season, brushing out, and applying pig oil and sulphur liberally through the winter should be sufficient to keep them in good condition.
Washing too frequently should be avoided as the hair is unlikely to dry out fully and this could lead to skin complaints later on.
Using an oil should mean that the mud slides off more easily, and the hair is kept well conditioned. Make sure that you do a skin test first before using pig oil and sulphur as some horses have been known to react badly to this combination. If your horse is one of these then most oils will have the same effect, but just avoid applying in strong sunlight as it could potentially burn.
How Long Will It Take For Horse’s Feather To Grow Back?
How long it takes your horse’s feather to grow back is entirely dependent upon your horse’s genetics. In some horse’s 6 months is all it takes, whereas some horses struggle to grow back their feather at all.
Will Clipping Stop Mallanders?
Clipping in itself won’t stop or improve mallanders. However, clipping will make applying creams and ointment more simple. If you’ve ever tried to put sudocrem or the like onto your horse with feather you’ll know that most of it simply coats the hair and gets nowhere near the skin. It also then attracts dirt and makes your horse’s legs look dirty and unpleasant. Furthermore, it’s quite difficult to remove once ingrained in the feather.
Mallanders symptoms can be reduced by clipping simply as it allows any medication to penetrate deeply into the skin and therefore work more effectively.
Will Clipped Horse Get Mud Fever?
Clipping your horse won’t necessarily lead to mud fever. However, the feather has grown through generations to protect horses legs from mud and thereby from the bacteria that are responsible for the skin complaint.
However, mud fever doesn’t only occur when there is mud, it’s just that when land is muddy it’s because it is wet. It is the wet conditions that impact the skin and allow the bacteria to thrive, causing mud fever. Making sure that your horse always has a dry place to stand is important in the fight against mud fever, as is allowing air flow. This is why clipping can help, as hair can allow the skin to stay wet for longer.
What Happens If I Don’t Clip Feather?
Much of the time a horse’s feather protects the lower legs from wet, mud, scratches from brambles, and other injuries.
Unfortunately, as much as the feather keeps out external moisture, it can also keep internal moisture in, i.e. sweat. Any moisture kept against the skin can cause a whole host of problems. If your horse is prone to skin complaints, then clipping on a regular basis could be the answer.
Conclusion
If you’re wondering should I trim my horse’s feather, then there are many arguments for an against. If your horse is healthy and it’s simply a choice of how your horse looks, then check with your breed association to see what requirements there are for showing classes if that’s an avenue you’d like to explore. If you’re contemplating clipping or trimming for health reasons then the general advise is to go ahead. Hair will grow back (normally) but the health and well-being of your horse should be of paramount importance. Clipping feather will allow medication to be administered easily. Clipping your horse will mean more time for other activities as grooming and tending masses of feather can be extremely time-consuming.
