[Abberz]

What is your stance on shaving the inside of your horses ears? Is it a health issue? Is it safe? Do you have any techniques to get it done easier?

[shell]

I only shave the ears if I am going to a show. My horses wear fly masks with ears, so bugs are not a problem. I don't think it is a problem to shave them. I don't shave them in the winter at all though. I think they need that fur to keep the cold out.

[Paint_luver]

I just shave them down so the hair is sticking OUT of his ear it's so long. I never go INTO his ears to get any of it though, no reason to for me!

Hannah

[PoochtheMighty]

Hmm. Don't shave his ears, never will.

Bugs, dirt, and germs can get in there despite your best efforts sometimes. It's best to let nature do what it does...vanity only goes so far in the show ring, and once you're out of it, the hair takes a while to grow back...

I trim the outside edges for show, but never never never trim inside the ear.

[kddoublink]

I trimed my mares ears for the first time and will never do it again. I didn't cut even and it looked funky. But I did mine with dull sissors. With clippers, I duonno how that would work.


_kdd0ublink

[SunBun]

i only trim the hair that sticks out, not the hair inside. they need that hair on the inside to keep junk out

[SyntheticTrust]

i shave them then put swat in their ears

[Sandra-A1]

Clip them for show and special photos, the rest of the time it can grow but I still protect them with Swat.
I have never had a problem and my Vet even said it doesn't hurt to do it just remember to protect the ears no matter if you do or even if you don't.
The long fuzzy hair can hide the fact that the little biting insects are there.
So if you do leave the hair you need to move it aside and check your horse's ears to make sure insects are not underneath...especially during the warmer weather when insects are the most active.
I once showed someone who critized my clipping my horse's ears how the hair did not protect her horse's ears from insects. She was pretty speechless when I took her horse's ear pushed the long hair back and she saw all the tiny little fly-looking bugs and how badly her horse's ear had been bitten.
So even if you don't clip the hair you need to provide some sort of protection.

[HalterGirl_88]

We keep all of our horses ears clipped year round to look neat and tidy. But they are also stalled and the barn is heated during the winter so they don't need the hair for protection or insulation. For horses that are outside it is best to keep the hair unless they are shown. We always twitch our horses to clip their ears so that it's quick and non stressful for them.

[Sandra-A1]

Lots of great tips can be found on sites like Oster's:

Clipping Horses - Tips

Also here is something from the Horse Info.com site:

Clipping. Get a battery operated unit. First massage the horse over its whole body with the clipper off. Then go across the room and turn it on for a split second and build till you can leave it run for a bit. Next walk toward the horse messing with the clipper with no intention of touching the horse. Remember, if this is as close as you can get with the clipper running fine, build on this OR back up. But if you've done every step well…you will be massaging your horse in no time turning the clipper on and off. The first time "don't plan to get your horse clipped"! Just massage, clip some hair, massage and then clip some more hair. Continue each day with the same sequence. Your horse will begin to enjoy the massaging. You can also get a little battery operated hand massager that will not only feel good, but add a new element of noise. Be sure to frequently clean and oil your clipper….don't let it get hot…and make sure those blades are sharp. Nothing worse than dull blades that snatch and jerk each hair out by the root!

One other thing...it is perfectly alright to clip the hair from your horses ears. You can protect them between shows with a ear net or by applying Swat (clear prefered... )

If you think the hairs protect their ears PLEASE...PLEASE...PLEASE do check your horse's ear's often once the weather warms up!
Those biting gnats DO get into the ears thru all that hair and DO bite your horse's ears!!!!! Even if you leave the hairs their ears DO need added protection! You will be shocked at how bad your horse's ears can get even if you do leave the hair! eek!

I think horse's who have had their ear's clipped have less problems than those who do not because their owners know they have to protect the ears from biting insects and do so.