Do any of your horses groom you whilst your grooming them?!

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EquestrianFairy

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I was having a little 'grooming sesh' with my mare this morning while baby was sleeping and for the first time ever she started to groom me back?!

I moved around her incase i was hitting an itchy spot but sure enough she found her way to groom any part of me she could.

What does this mean?

Do yours do it?

Ive never had a horse groom me before
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Yes, all mine do it. The young and old alike. I am best buddies with all of mine and chatter incessantly to them all of the time that I am around them. I take it to be a sign that they like and accept you as a friend, so it's definitely nothing to worry about. Rather, it's quite a compliment. (That or mine are trying to get me to shut up!
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Just make sure she doesn't get too carried away and nip you by mistake. Sometimes they forget our human skin isn't as tough as another horse's wither!
 
The boy in my sig rests his head on my back.
It used to freak me out as he is quite young, I thought he was being a [****] and wanted to bite me, but he is just affectionate, relaxed and I am the perfect height for him to use as a head-rest!
 
Thye are trying to reciprocate the favour you are doing them by brushing them - like when horses do each others necks/withers/backs in the field. Certain areas (down the neck and on the withers) make the horse feel relaxed - bit like us having a massage maybe? Mine does this alot and if he can't reach me (ie i'm near his bum) he will 'groom' the wall or something close with his lip.

He also lifts his back legs up like a dog does if you scratch its belly, if I scratch his legs on his inner thigh lol - nearly died laughing!
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Doesn't whirl them in circles like a dog though
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Yep, mine is very "groomy" he has always done it and is great as he doesnt bite so can trust him! He also uses me as a head rest...
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Yes, my gelding grooms me back a lot. He isn't an affectionate horse really, but he loves to be scratched and has realised that scratching me will encourage me to scratch him. Luckily he doesn't bite......
 
This is a bit of a sore point between me and my little girl!...Her pony always grooms me when I groom him but he also grooms me when my daughter is grooming him...much to my daughters disgust!lol
 

It is a reflex thing. Most of the foals I have had have pretty much always tried to groom me when I am scratching them. Mouse at the moment loves a good scratch with the hoof pick and she will groom me, or her mum, back until I stop.
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It is the way they would do it if no humans interferred so totally natural - your mare is obviously v comfortable with you
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Yes Jake does it particular around neck, shoulders and withers where he can get me. I take it as a compliment!

SOmetimes he will come over to me and ask to be scratched by walking in front of me and putting his shoulder in front of me and standing in my way.
 
Mag's always does this to me, tends to do scratch me in the same place i'm scratching him, although when i scrach his withers he gets the nape of my neck which is a bit ticklish! The other grooms are a tad jealous of how much he loves me but it always seems to work out that each of us have a knack with a specific horse. Mags will also give me a hug, if i put my arms round his neck he nutcrackers my shoulder, also will rest his head on me depending on what i'm doing. He's cheeky too tho, stole by bowler hat in the middle of a demonstration and threatens to bite untill you scratch under his armpits (he's pretty wrinkly under there so gets itchy) unfortunatly he will acctually bite if you don't do it...
 
Yeah Buddy starts off by just licking my back and sniffing my hair, then he starts licking my legs...he has even bit my bum before!!!!
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My girl does this, but only when I hit a scratchy spot. She seems to go out of her way to find a bit of skin to groom as well, usually nuzzling away at the bottom of my t-shirt until she uncovers some and then has a good groom with her top lip! I think it's so cool and definitely a sign of trust/bonding.

She also likes the top of my head (gices me an Amy Winehouse "do"!) or back of my neck (very tickly!). She's actually not a cuddly girl at all, which makes it all the nicer when she does it.
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Gertie loves to groom and will even groom me if I'm mucking out her stable or field!! But I have to "groom" her back or she gets sad
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My mare does it - she was badly treated before we had her so its lovely that she feels comfortable with me and gives me a good groom.
 
For me I think it's one of the best bits of horse-ownership. It takes a while sometimes for Brandy to thaw, but once her top lip gets motoring she'll groom anything she can reach, like it or not, and since I'm pretty ticklish it usually ends up with me shrieking with laughter and trying to squirm out of reach. My OH didn't really get it so I had him stand by her head whilst I groomed one day, and naturally she went straight for the bottom. I've never seen him jump clear so fast in my life
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