[mytega]

I have read through a lot of posts, but haven’t found an answer to my problem. If it has been discussed, please point me in the right direction!


I have a Belgian gelding and I don’t know what to do with his feathers. They are thick and wavy and drag on the ground in the back. They seem to vacuum up gravel because when I brush them there is a lot of stuff trapped up in them. They wing out in some places and don’t look neat at all. I thought about clipping them, but I have never clipped legs, and I don’t know if he’d look better when I was done! He has ergots on his fetlocks, so I’d have to leave a little tuft of hair since I couldn’t clip over them. My farrier does nip them off, but the ergots seem to grow as wild has his feathers. This is all vanity, as this horse and rider duo will never step foot in a show ring, but I would like to distinguish him a little from the Amish work horses.


Any advice and experience would be helpful. I’m including a picture of the feathers “in action.”

[Tuckerboy]

well i know absolutely nothing about feathers but... if you aren't showing i would go ahead and trim them so they dont drag or cut them all the way off. up to you. it doesn't matter how they look and they'll always grow back!
thats just my opinion!
they are very pretty! id love to see the rest of him!

[shyxpony]

Originally Posted by Tuckerboy

well i know absolutely nothing about feathers but... if you aren't showing i would go ahead and trim them so they dont drag or cut them all the way off. up to you. it doesn't matter how they look and they'll always grow back!
thats just my opinion!
they are very pretty! id love to see the rest of him!

I agree, if it's easier on you to clip them, then go ahead. You can always pull off the ergots yourself so you can clip over it. Clipping a horse's fetlocks is pretty easy, but that guy has LOTS of hair so it might take you a while! Don't worry about making a mistake because like Tuckerboy said, they'll always grow back!

[idlewild]

If you aren't comfortable with clipping with clippers, then just grab a pair of scissors and trim up the back of his fetlocks. If you aren't going to be showing it doesn't need to be pretty, just functional. Scissors will do the trick

[Beastie89]

Where are you located? I live in PA in Amish country. I actually have my horse boarded at an Amish barn... but she definitely doesn't look like an Amish horse.

[Xiphias]

If you have clippers, wash his legs good, let the dry, and shave them....you can trim the ergots your self, I cut mine with kitchen shears....

I used to groom a 4 in hand of Clydsdale cross Hackney horses that had feathers like that....I talked the owner into letting me shave their legs, and what a difference it made....and so much easier of me to keep them clean...

Cathy

[mytega]

Thank you for the help! I may start with the scissors and keep going until his legs look good …or are bald. I’m not sure my clippers would be up to the challenge right from the start!

I’m including a full picture of Lucas. It’s one of my favorites. He can get those feet off of the ground despite those feathers! I know the jump is little, but his willingness and form still impressed me.




I board Lucas a little south of Williamsport, PA. It doesn’t get the recognition that Lancaster does, but there are a lot of Amish here. I am sure that Lucas used to be an Amish horse. He has white hairs from a poor fitting collar around his neck. I got him in very bad shape and he still needs more mass, but he’s made a lot of progress. A 17hh draft horse should not weight 1000lb! His personality has perked up and he looks younger then when I got him. So after all of the important changes, I’m working on the superficial ones.

[Aurical]

Aww I ride a big boy like him at my barn. I LOVE him!! Logan is a little on the chunky side though, and a taller I think. Definitely over 1000 lbs, lol. He has a great personality, a sense of humor, and absolutely adores jumping. He was started under saddle only about a year ago (was previously trained to drive) and is actually a nice jumper with the right person on his back.

I personally like the look of the feathers, but I imagine that they can get quite nasty with mud, burs, etc. Logan gets his feet clipped, but they leave a little at the back and it looks fine to me.

I agree that trimming with scissors before clipping is probably a good idea, as is getting his legs clean/dry/brushed. I bet Lucas will like the attention. I know Logan loves anything that involves being pampered.

[mytega]

Aurical, Logan and Lucas sound like a matched team! Do you have any photos of your boy?

[prairienights]

Gorgeous drafty Someday I want one, but I have no reason to own one, lol.

I suggest hacking a bit with scissors. If you're not showing, go for practicality rather than looks If that solves your problem and you're happy with it, then great, he'll probably just need a re-trim every few weeks. Once the hair is shorter and more manageable, you could clip if you wanted. Just make sure to wash thoroughly and let dry. I'm in no way an expert with clippers, but I can clip legs well enough to neaten them up. It's not too hard.