Horsey facial hair

Jane&Ziggy

Jane&Ziggy

Jane&Sid these days!
Apr 30, 2010
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Surrey Hills
You may recall that Ziggy was generally not a hairy pony at all. He had tremendous winter fur, but not much mane, or tail, or feathers, or even whiskers.

Charlie on the other hand.... Here's a close up of his head. I have some questions!

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* Is it normal for a baby horse to have eyelashes like a camel? I can't believe how long and thick they are!

* Do other people's horses have those enormous long vibrissae (whiskers) under the eye? They are several inches long. I am gobsmacked.

* He has a fine coat, but what's with the long hairy bit like a 3 day beard? Is that foal-coat remnants? If so, when will they go away?

Honestly, it is right back to L plates with me and this young chap!
 
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Funny you should ask about eyelashes. Billy has mega long ones. I took some pictures a couple of weeks ago to start a new thread as I was curious about his. However then didnt show up in the photos when I looked so I've yet to take some more to post a thread. The problem I have with his is that when I tack him up they are always tucked under the bridle cheek pieces, so I have to pull them up. I dont know whether I should cut the offending ones shorter.
I'll see if my photos post from the pictures I took the other day. In the first pic hes also got a long one above his eye.IMG_20190817_125327.jpgIMG_20190817_125213.jpg
 
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Quite normal. The ones under the mouth are to help when grazing so they dont bump their noses.
I dont know what the long lower lashes are for?
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His eyelashes are gorgeous, are you sure you haven't secretly been putting lengthening & thickening mascara on them? He'll break hearts fluttering those beauties!

The vibrissae do seem to be longer and more plentiful than most I've seen. If they get in the way when he's older and wearing tack then I'd carefully shorten them a little bit, but for now I'd leave alone.

Little Un has beard hair like that and I confess to tidying it up with a horse safety razor because I don't like the look of it. I don't think it serves any useful purpose so off it goes :)
 
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Skib said:
Quite normal. The ones under the mouth are to help when grazing so they dont bump their noses.
I dont know what the long lower lashes are for?
.View attachment 99684'
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Pretty, sleepy horse!

Having watched Charlie foraging in the hedgerows at the bottom of the field, I suspect the lower vibrissae warn the horse if there's something he's eating that may poke him in the eye :oops:
 
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carthorse said:
His eyelashes are gorgeous, are you sure you haven't secretly been putting lengthening & thickening mascara on them? He'll break hearts fluttering those beauties!

The vibrissae do seem to be longer and more plentiful than most I've seen. If they get in the way when he's older and wearing tack then I'd carefully shorten them a little bit, but for now I'd leave alone.

Little Un has beard hair like that and I confess to tidying it up with a horse safety razor because I don't like the look of it. I don't think it serves any useful purpose so off it goes :)
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Well I don't usually think of trimming anything, but if he still has a beard in a couple of years' time I think I will invest in some equine Immac
 
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All quite normal, some are just more hairy than others, Bo had lush lashes and eye whiskers, Jess has far less of both.
 
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Aww don’t shave his beard off. Belle gets a lovely beard in winter and she’s a girl lol, I used to clip it when she had a nose band but I leave it alone now. The boys still love her regardless.
She doesn’t have super long eyelashes but she too gets eye whiskers, they poke through her fly mask but again I’ve never thought of cutting them off, somehow in my mind it might hurt to chop them off although I’m sure it doesn’t.
 
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Beat this! No it's not part of his mane - it's his facial hair. And no, it wasn't in winter - it was May! Some went in the summer, but it's coming back now. View attachment 99685
 
As you have a native I would expect a hairy face. It's meant to let them know what's in front and around them, they cant see where their nose ends. Must be a nuisance, but these are the types likely to stick the head into every bush, bucket and barrow.
:p

Mine has short bottom eye hairs but a lot around the nose and chin. That sort of tells her if my nose fits then I can push on then!

Wish she had a proper tash though.
PicsArt_01-27-08.01.20.jpg

Ps- I'll let you into a little secret. As the darker chilly months arrive so do those hairs.
You may have a goat come December.
 
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Dan would give him a run for his money on the beard....
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I lightly trimmed it this past winter, he kept dunking it in water and I worried it would freeze, or he'd dunk it in food then smear it on everyone including me :)
 
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Jane&Ziggy said:
I wonder if this is the Highland x Cob mum showing up... I don't think I've ever heard of a TB with a beard!
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Whatever it is, it adds to his overall appeal,rather than subtracts. Actually really cute, especially the eyelashes!
 
I have been rather shocked by this thread and owners and riders trimming off the natural whiskers. Never seen it done - neither at RSs nor high class livery yard. At a specialist dressage yard? Maybe?

Jane. You saw she was sleepy! You are clever. How can you tell?

Yes, you are right - from another forum (and former NR people), I learned about Tik Maynard whose priority is relaxation. And I had been using it with her.

Thank you too for suggesting what the lower eye lashes are for. You must be right.
 
@Skib they trim off the whiskers on my yard, in fact I think I might be the only person who doesn't. I don't like it either, but YO has competition horses and everyone else seems to follow suit.

Although I am opposed to it I have double standards, as I trim the dog's whiskers. Can't help it as he is a shaggy beast and needs clipping every 5 weeks. The hair round his face gets long and stained with food and dribble and so it has to go and there's no way of separating out the whiskers. I feel bad about it, especially as he clearly hates it when you do cut a whisker.
 
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