Following on from the "Nudging" post - horse that rubs her head on me

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trundle

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Is she being very rude? i never let my old horse do it, and i push Ella away when she does it, but I do notice that even after i push her away, she finds other things to rub her face on, so could it just be an itchy face rather than a dominance issue?
 
Itchy face I think. Espcially after removing head collar or bridle. I don't think it's a dominance thing, more a grooming 'request' but she needs to know you don't want her to do it anyway.
 
I didn't read the other post, but I would just say a scratchy face. Vision often does this to me and appreciates nearly as much if I use my hand. I just brace myself against her and face my back to her when she does it - free back massage!!
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I love giving my horses head a good rub after taking his bridle/fly mask/ head collar off. As long as he isn't forcing himself against me and it's my choice to be doing it i don't see a problem.
 
Yes it is an itchy face as well I think, but still rude. I still wouldn't allow it, I got a bloody nose and knocked out when one of mine did it suddenly once.
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Lesson well and truly learned.

They wouldn't do it to the boss horse if they were at the bottom of the herd.
At least, in my mare group, none would dare to, nobody goes near boss horse unless SHE wants her back scratched.
 
Dizz is allowed after a ride, and only on my back. She has tried a occasionally at other times, but now knows and starts to aim for me then swings away and uses her leg instead.

Same with lifting her head over mine - she used to do this and each time her head was getting lower and knocking mine, which flipping hurt! A good prod in the chest and she has stopped doing it
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Well, sometimes it is dominance, and sometimes, it is an itchy head.
Either way, no horse gets to use me as a scratching post - so rude.
I am horrified if I see someone else getting battered about by their horse in this way, particularly if it's wearing a bridle - accident waiting to happen. It can also make the horse more likely to rub its bridle on door posts, etc, with potentially disastrous consequences (to the leatherwork if not to the horse's neck).
I also hate people who let their horse put their head down and rub their muzzle on their front legs whilst ridden.
Urgh, so stupid.
S
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Itchy - take the bridle off then scratch her up round the ears and under forelock with your fingers - HARD. I do this with mine and they've learnt to wait and have this done - they even angle their heads and move so that you get the preferred spot
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They usually get the idea pretty quick - a few times of being told firmly to wait and a smack on the nose if they rub anyway soon does the trick.
 
Shils, i know that's not the best thing to allow but sometime a horse with an itchy snoz whilst being ridden is just as dangerous if it's really getting agitated. I don' allow horses to rub on me as it bloomin hurts with tack on, but i do always give a really good scratch anyway with my hands after they've been worked, heads and backs. Very happy horses
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If they do try rubbing on me i just push them away and then once they've stopped trying they can have their nice itch at half an arms length.
 
I believe that this behavior is purely down to itches - equines don't rub to show dominance - butting, biting and kicking yes, rubbing no.

I always let my old mare rub her head on my back AFTER taking her bridle off - much to the annoyance of another livery who took it upon herself to bit the arbiter of all things equitation (there's always one isn't there ) - so I even trained the old girl to rub a bit harder when I said "down a bit." I used to find it very endearing but then I was besotted with her!
 
no no, sorry i wasn't very clear- i meant the rubbing nose on leg whilst riding thing. I don't really like doing it but it beats a horse that wont stop tossing its head in your face or trying to yank you over its head the whole time you're riding. One quick nose rub and you can get on with it again. I know i'd be furious if i wasn't allowed to itch when i was itchy, it's the worst thing. My OH sometimes does it to wind me up (i have allergies) and it makes me want to kill him.
 
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no no, sorry i wasn't very clear- i meant the rubbing nose on leg whilst riding thing. I don't really like doing it but it beats a horse that wont stop tossing its head in your face or trying to yank you over its head the whole time you're riding. One quick nose rub and you can get on with it again. I know i'd be furious if i wasn't allowed to itch when i was itchy, it's the worst thing. My OH sometimes does it to wind me up (i have allergies) and it makes me want to kill him.

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Ah, the dreaded leg rubbing...
So it is ok for your horse to do it when it is halted?
What about halt in a dressage test?
Or what about while it is trotting?
Galloping?
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Do you see my point, and why I don't allow it?
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As I said on the other post, I do NOT allow my horses to rub on me as I find it incredibly rude - I am not a tree or a post
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I will happily rub their faces, but when I choose to do so
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i understand the dressage bit, but since i don;t compete it doesn't really matter to me. I don't think they would itch when they were galloping etc, like we wouldn't itch if we were sprinting. Obviously not when they're trotting but if they wait until back to walk then i don't mind too much. I just see it as the better of 2 evils really, and i'm more likely to let them if we're out hacking and surrounded by flies. I've not often encountered it when schooling thinking about it, i'm usually giving them too many other things to think about to think about an itch.
 
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i understand the dressage bit, but since i don;t compete it doesn't really matter to me. I don't think they would itch when they were galloping etc, like we wouldn't itch if we were sprinting. Obviously not when they're trotting but if they wait until back to walk then i don't mind too much. I just see it as the better of 2 evils really, and i'm more likely to let them if we're out hacking and surrounded by flies. I've not often encountered it when schooling thinking about it, i'm usually giving them too many other things to think about to think about an itch.

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You *hope* they wouldn't itch when they are galloping, but I have seen an indulged pony doing canter to halt, to scratch its leg.
Rider fell off, obviously.
I try to keep the rules black and white for mine, to make life easier for them.
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I wouldn`t permit my horse to rub himself on me either, its very bad manners and "allows" the horse to lose respect for you and your space.
Same as I won't allow him to graze with his tack on.

I have seen so many friends pushed and pulled around by their horse. mine is a well manner pleasant person to be around and its because he has manners.
 
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