Re: Re: Re: David Boggs?? How about Us???

["Dyane Smith" <sunibey@sisqtel.net>]

I'm glad to hear that I am wrong about the ability to compete without
shaving a horse's feeler whiskers.

As to the horse's need for those whiskers to detect objects close to his or
her face, these are the books which led me to that belief:
The Behavior of Horses by Dr. Marthe Kiley-Worthington (J.A. Allen, London
1987) p. 15
"The nose and nostrils in particular are well supplied with whiskers and
sensory cells and the nerves to relay the messages to the brain.  Like those
of a cat they are used to test and 'feel' objects.  Surely it is outrageous
behavior therefore to cut off whiskers for cosmetic reasons, like showing?
The degree of suffering is probably similar to that caused when a horse is
docked, now illegal in Britain on welfare grounds."

The Horse's Mind by Lucy Rees (Arco Publishing New York 1985) p. 29-30
"The whiskers have a large and important nerve supply to the brain, but
while they are known to be touch receptors we know little about their
particular function in horses.  They certainly tell the horse how far the
end of his nose is from any surface: foals with whiskers still crumpled tend
to bump their noses on things, and horses wise to electric fences have been
seen to test the current with their whiskers before touching the fence with
the rest of their body.  Whiskers probably also give a horse a good deal of
information about textures, as when grazing, so they may be important in
feeding.  Cutting a horse's whiskers off for cosmetic reasons means
depriving him of one of his vital senses:  it is difficult to appreciate how
important whiskers may be since we do not have any, but that does not mean
they are dispensable.  The same holds true for the hairs inside a horse's
ears which protect his delicate eardrums from dust and invaders: to shave
them off is to ask for trouble."

I don't know of any studies which would dispute these conclusions.  However,
my central point was that so far as I know endurance does not encourage any
activity which would be inherently bad for a horse.  Certainly, any given
individual can harm any horse or any one else, but I think the sport itself
is in the best interests of horses.

Anyway, thank you for your response to my post and for letting me know that
this practice is not mandatory for people who wish to show their horses.  I
agree with you that most people just want to show off the horses they are so
very proud of, and that motivation is natural and a good thing.

Dyane
N. Cal.
----- Original Message -----
From: C.M.Newell <reshan@deyr.ultranet.com>
To: <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Sent: Tuesday, September 21, 1999 1:52 PM
Subject: RC: Re: Re: David Boggs?? How about Us???


> At 11:46 AM 9/21/99 -0700, you wrote:
> >This is a very small issue compared to the flagrant abuse of whipping and
> >gingering, but the fact that no horse (correct me if I am wrong) can
compete
> >in a recognized horse show unless the feeler hairs on his muzzle have
been
> >shaved (which affects horses the way I would be affected if you took my
> >glasses away).
>
>
> Consider yourself corrected. While customary, it is by no means a
> requirement, and I have shown horses with and without whishers, and seen
no
> discernable effect on my placing.Or my horses' ability to amnuever for
that
> matter, so I suspect yo are wrong on both counts.
>
> --CMNewell
>
>
>
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Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp   
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