The Short Back 'n Sides Effect
The Short Back N Sides Effect
Have you ever had a skin-fade, grade one or super short haircut that the minute you walked out of the hairdressers in mid-winter you regretted the decision?
The feeling of a shorter trim takes a few days to get used to, from both the elements and the feeling of clothing touching the area, especially if there has been a drastic re-style.
Horses have a thinner epidermal layer than humans and are super sensitive to skin stimulation; just look at the Cutaneous Trunci reflex, or the ‘fly twitch’ response.
Putting aside the reasons why a horse may be clipped, either for aesthetics or medical and comfort reasons, there area few beneficial considerations to consider to understand why there may be a temporary change in behaviour.
Clipping removes the hair which acts as a protective layer and barrier between the external environment and the skin directly, and as we know, the variation between coat quality and density varies greatly between breeds.
All horses will experience increased skin sensitivity as a result, which may result in a temporary change in behaviour for certain individuals; some may become irritable and itchy, others may seem more sensitive to tactile cues or may not offer too much of a change at all.
It is all down to the individual, and the environment.
Allowing your horse a little time to make these sensory adjustments and habituate to everything from the breeze of the wind, the feel of being touched over the new hairs and providing a good muscular warm up routine (muscles will contract more to keep warm if there is less protection on the body) can all be beneficial in avoiding attempting to create an issue where there isn’t one.
Yes, a little time to let them adjust, it really can be that simple!
A little consideration and adaptation can go a long way
