Is your horse looking a little scruffy these days? Is his normal 5 o’clock shadow starting to resemble ZZ Top (young folk, feel free to click the link if you don’t get the ZZ Top reference)? Well before you get out those trimmers, you should know that the whiskers on a horse’s muzzle have a name, and they serve a purpose. The tactual hairs around a horse’s eyes and muzzle are called vibrissae. These long hairs help a horse detect objects close to their face.
If the hairs on your horse’s muzzle are excessively long, you can trim them, but leave serveral inches intact, or he’ll be bumping into things like a blind drunkard! You may have better luck using a small pair of scissors
As for that hair under their jaw creating that “unkempt” look, it’s actually o.k. to cut those hairs short. Doing so will prevent food from getting caught, and flies from laying eggs in there. Plus, after a clean “shave” you get to say, “Who’s a handsome boy?” “Who’s my handsome horse?” 🙂
Ha! That’s exactly what I say after I clip him out!