Major Fail for HOYS

Today, the Horse of the Year Show 2025 demonstrated that they do not, in fact, “champion the horse” as well as “working on our wider responsibility to support the modernisation of practices within the sport.” That was their response to us last year when we wrote to them, setting out the reasons why it is a welfare issue to deprive any horse of its tail for aesthetic reasons.

Shires were paraded around the HOYS show ring with shaved docks protruding from their rears, disturbingly hairless.

“As the pinnacle event within the UK equestrian calendar, we will continue to champion the horse, as well as working on our wider responsibility to support the modernisation of practices within the sport.” - HOYS organisers

There is nothing to suggest “modernisation of practices” when it comes to shaving off the tails of Clydesdales and Shires for the show ring. The excuses given by the Shire Horse Society and Clydesdale Horse Society are manufactured horse dung - they do not shave the tails for the safety of the horse at all as they’ve stated. It’s done for one reason - to show off the horse’s backside in hopes of winning a ribbon.

You can see in a clip from This Farming Life, (Series 5, episode 4 at 27 minutes) how Pete Black, son of Clydesdale breeder Ronnie Black, takes a one yr old filly into the barn and decides that her legs are so nice that he’s going to shave off her tail to better show them to the judge. He even mentions horses that young don’t normally have their tails shaved. Yet he demonstrates very clearly that his wish to show off the young filly’s legs is more important than letting her keep her natural tail for all the reasons nature intended.

But it’s no secret that the Shire Horse Society breaks all its own rules by shaving tails of young horses. At the Pontyn Horse Show, foals as young as 5 months old were being paraded around with shaved tails. They’ve given no excuse for this, as there is none to give. It is in no way in the best interest of these young horses and they know it.

We are asking you to join us in writing to HOYS organisers to express disappointment at their decision to continue allowing this inhumane practice to continue in the show ring. If organiser of the Yorkshire Horse Show could be brave enough to call out the practice for what it is and ban shaved tails at future shows, so can the HOYS organisers.

Please send your thoughts to the HOYS organisers at the following addresses;

Horse of the Year Show Press Office -press@hoys.co.uk 
Secretary for Show Judges - showsecretary@hoys.co.uk.
The Showing Register - info@theshowingregister.co.uk

It’s time for this draconian practice to end, and let horses keep their tails!

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