Clipping of whiskers outlawed at FEI events from 2021

By Equestrian Life

It has been announced that horses competing in FEI events will no longer be able to have their whiskers shaved from July, 2021.

The FEI Online General Assembly, which took place on 23 November, voted in a range of new rules and regulations - one of which was the banning of trimming a horse’s sensory hairs. The rule, which forms part of the FEI veterinary regulations, will apply to horses across all disciplines competing in FEI events.

The new rule states:

“Horses are not permitted to compete in FEI Events… if the Horse’s sensory hairs have been clipped and/or shaven or in any other way removed unless individual sensory hairs have been removed by a veterinarian to prevent pain or discomfort  for the  Horse. Areas  of hair that must  be clipped, shaven or removed to allow veterinary treatment are exempt from this rule. As of 1 July 2021, Sanction 39 in Annex VI will be applicable.”

Sanction 39 refers to disqualification of the horse from the event.

The FEI’s explanation for the change was: “The Veterinary Committee believes that the horse’s sensory hairs must not be trimmed or removed as it reduces the horse’s sensory ability. The change will align with legislation in a  number  of  NFs  where  trimming  or  removal  of  sensory  hairs  is  forbidden  and  in  some cases carries a heavy sanction.”

Some countries already ban the removal of whiskers to some degree (and in some cases ear hair), including Germany, France and Switzerland.

Comments received in August in response to the proposed saw the German Equestrian Federation call for a tougher stance. Rather than just banning the clipping of sensory hairs, the Federation felt it should also extend to clipping inside the ears. The FEI opted not to change the wording and explained that ear hairs are not considered sensory hairs.

The US Equestrian Federation also submitted a comment on the matter, showing concern that there could be a great deal of subjectivity in terms of whether the hairs are clipped/shaved or merely ‘shortened’. The US Federation was also concerned about eye hairs causing discomfort for driving horses if they come into contact with blinkers; the FEI responded stating there was no perceived problem of sensory hairs around the eyes becoming trapped in driving blinkers.

Changes to the FEI rules around sensory hairs can be viewed in full here.

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