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Removing long facial hairs that help horses “see” their close surroundings could deprive them of a safety mechanism and possibly make them feel disoriented. As such, the recent decision of the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) to ban removal of horses’ “sensory hairs” the whiskers around the mouth and eyes constitutes an important move to safeguard equine welfare, according to equine veterinary researchers and industry leaders.
“The move by the FEI to ban the trimming of equine whiskers is to be applauded,” said Roly Owers, MRCVS, CEO of World Horse Welfare, in Norfolk, U.K., an international charity partnering with the FEI on welfare matters for more than 30 years. “Whiskers, or vibrissae, play an important sensory role in protecting the muzzle and eyes of the horse and, hence, removing them because it looks neat is completely unjustifiable.”