[baysfordays]

Hi all
I wasn’t really sure what to name this.

I keep my horses mane, ears, fetlocks, and sometimes under his head trimmed (not his whiskers, but past his whiskers) during fall and winter months, but, I keep hearing “oh the horse is going to be freezing cold!”
Is that true?
I feel bad if it is.. like oh are their ears really going to be that cold?

i do a hunter cut on my guys mane, so it’s short and everyone thinks his neck is going to be cold. I don’t think he’s going to care..right?

or should I keep his fluff in his ears and fetlocks, and past his whiskers?

we’re hoping to show him late winter/spring in a schooling show or just taking him there for him to get use to the environment, (first we’re taking him to random places for him to learn that being away from home can be calm and fun) and I’d like him to look nice when I do show him, even in a schooling show.

thoughts? Opinions?

 

[gottatrot]

I don't think manes do much to keep horses warm, they help more with fly control.
Trimming inside the ears isn't great, because the hairs inside help keep dirt and debris from getting inside. Warmth depends more on where you live. In California or the south, I wouldn't worry about the ears getting cold. But in Minnesota or South Dakota the ear hair probably helps a lot.

 

[stevenson]

I agree with gottatrot. If you live where it gets cold, leave that hair. Their ears can get frost bitten. It does get cold in parts of California so if you are in those areas do not clip your horses face and ears and legs unless you have them in a stall

 

[ClearDonkey]

In our Michigan winters, I trim (emphasis on TRIM) the legs, chin, throatlatch, and occasionally the armpit area.

My gelding grows a ridiculous coat (partly due to Cushing's, partly due to his breed) and if I don't trim some of the really long hairs off of his face, his bridle gets caught up in them and pulls them out anyways. Same for my mare, however, my attention focuses on her armpits since she has the tendency to get girth rubs if anything is right around her girth. I preventatively trim the super long ones that might bunch up and contribute to rubs or just moisture retention while riding.

As for legs, I specifically keep the fetlock 'feathering' trimmed short. Last year we had issues with mud getting onto their legs, freezing, and accumulating into little mud/ice dirt balls on their fetlocks up to their hocks. I never had much issues with this while living further north in the UP, but living in the LP it now can go from freezing to above-freezing back to freezing, which I think contributed.

With this though, I usually do a partial clip of some sort on both, usually something like this (and then blanket accordingly):

 

[Ringo-Slater]

My mini gets very fluffy over the winter. So instead of trimming with clippers I just use a good pair of hair cutting scissors (Amazon has some nice sets) and give him a trim to add definition but still leave him with some fluff. That may also be a good compromise as it keeps them clean looking but still warm.

 

[Acadianartist]

We don't trim at all in the winter. I don't think the mane matters, but I wouldn't be taking hair off the ears or legs. But our horses, even though ridden all winter, are outside 24/7 with access to a barn and are left to live like horses so I figure it's best to let nature decide.

 

[starbuster]

I think if it's just trimming to tidy things up, it likely won't make much of a difference, though I wouldn't clip the insides of the ears. I would just fold the ears and clip the edges. Like others have said here, I don't think the mane will make much of a difference, either. If you're planning on doing any body clipping, just blanket appropriately, but I would personally only neater up anything not covered by a blanket (head and legs). For a schooling show, simply neat and presentable is all that is expected, and you don't have to get too extravagant with your clipping.

 

[baysfordays]

I think if it's just trimming to tidy things up, it likely won't make much of a difference, though I wouldn't clip the insides of the ears. I would just fold the ears and clip the edges. Like others have said here, I don't think the mane will make much of a difference, either. If you're planning on doing any body clipping, just blanket appropriately, but I would personally only neater up anything not covered by a blanket (head and legs). For a schooling show, simply neat and presentable is all that is expected, and you don't have to get too extravagant with your clipping.

Thanks!
I wanted to just tidy things up, I’m not a huge fan of clipping inside the ears because he always gets his ears dirty, so I usually will fold the ears and clip the edges!