You should present your horse in any show to his or her best advantage. This does indeed mean clipping the muzzle, ears, chins, legs above the knees, etc. For a Friesian the acceptable way to present is with full mane, forelock, fetlocks, and mustache if he has one. A bridle path, although not used in the Netherlands, can be cut or not depending on your preference. The ears should be clipped and neat. In Friesland, the stallions are trimmed around the sheath, and the long hairs on the neck, face and body are burned off with a candle. It is alright in the Netherlands to apply a bit of black shoepolish or baby oil to highlight the horse. It's all part of showing to best advantage and, even though you can't expect to "fool" the judge, it shows you care about the appearance of your horse. Feather should be neat and combed but not cut. I have seen last year a trend toward catering to judges by trimming all but the very back of the fetlock hair. This is a very artificial look and personally revolting. If the judge can't understand what a Friesian should look like, than who cares how they judge him/her? Just my opinion. Most Friesian owners spend more time clipping and primping their Friesian for shows than they ever did any other breed.
Posted on Feb 14, 2000, 1:24 PM from IP address 128.226.188.37