How do you groom your horse? and do they like it (following the article in H&H today)

DP positively hates being groomed, he is thin skinned and very sensitive so he gets a quick flick with a soft body brush and sheepskin pad, however, he is the most perverted pony on the planet and loves being scratched between his back legs 😱 He will back up and present his bottom at the drop of a hat. The Connie rather likes having his head being scratched but that's about it.
 
I absolutely love grooming, its one of my favourite things to do amongst bathing and tidying a horse up!

I have a variety of different brushes and tools that I use, my horse loves a good curry comb as he does love a good scratch. He's quite happy to stand and be brushed with all of my brushes actually. Hes not a massive fan of his face being done so I tend to just get the mud off and give that a quick flick.

But baloo is a people person so he's happy for any type of fuss!

My old racer was thin skinned so I used softer body brushes for him and only used slightly stiffer ones just to remove stubborn mud, but then he wasn't a fan of fuss in general.
 
I only use magic brushes, and where the tack goes.

My TB insists that the brush is put down flat and not too hard, but doesn't give a fig about a shedding blade used on mud. Go figure. He doesn't enjoy being groomed, he tolerates it within his own rules😆

My appyx is ok with anything but doesn't seem to particularly enjoy it like the Shetland would. I say would because I don't think she's seen a brush in the three years I've had her, just fingers 😂

Brushes with plastic filaments can get needle sharp over time. I had a horse start to complain once and when I checked the brush I realised why!

.
 
I think it maybe depends as there is grooming to remove mud where tack goes / remove dried sweat marks. This needs to have enough force / pressure to achieve removing the glued on sweat / mud. However carefully and gently done, some horses don’t like it much.

Grooming for skin benefit / shin / circulation etc. should typically be enjoyable for horse.
 
Tiddlypom said:
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OrangeAndLemon said:
So mine clearly enjoys most of being groomed. He loves the tummy scratches and will drop his hip to help me reach with the dandy brush.

He will stand politely for his mane and tail but he doesn't get enjoyment from these. He doesn't 'enjoy' me picking his feet out.

In this study would he have been coded as 'not enjoying' because he doesn't enjoy every moment? I suspect there's more to this than a headline....but the headline gets us talking.
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Thanks for putting up a scan of the actual article

I too think there's more to this than the headline.
What is obvious from the replies in this thread is how observant and mindful people are to their horses' preferences and will accommodate them. Lovely to read.
 
Mine makes his likes and dislikes clear on a daily basis and depends on his mood. Never particularly likes having his belly groomed as it tickles apparently. Told me to go away the other day whilst grooming as he decided it was sleep time. Got himself into his sleeping spot and laid ears flat back. I left him to it for an hour (went to tack clean) and continued the groom post snooze when he appeared to be quite happy about the grooming continuing again. Only brush he hates is the magic brush, too scratchy for his delicate self.
 
Most don't mind. A few hate it. A couple will stand it all day and come over for fusses and brushing in the field.

For me, with field kept, unrugged horses, it's about two things:
1. Getting the S**t off as fast as possible so I can ride (sprung curry comb!)
2. Reinforcing the idea on the ones who don't like it that I can and will handle any part of their body at will, and it won't kill them.

Brushing is not how you 'make friends' with a horse.
 
I groom on an 'as needed' basis. The one (a cob!) is a sensitive little soul so no plastic curry combs or shedding blades for him, but he'd rather I didn't groom him at all anyway. He does appreciate a massage though, and will go all droopy. The other isn't particularly fussed, but does like a good scrub if she's in the mood, and she'd much prefer it if you only did the bits that she swings in your direction, or points at with her nose... :D
 
Leo Walker said:
Mine loves being brushed and would like me to do it for hours and hours! I have a brush with marble sized metal balls that reduce her to a quivering heap! I use that first, then a schimmel to drag the filth up and take the worst off. I finish with either a goat hair body brush or one of those Haas ones with the sheepskin in the middle to get the last of the dust off and leave her shiny.

And mud is scrubbed off with one of those magic brushes usually and her tail is done with the ones that look a bit like a human hair brush.
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yes ! those massage brushes with metal marbles, they just love them
 
catkin said:
Thanks for putting up a scan of the actual article

I too think there's more to this than the headline.
What is obvious from the replies in this thread is how observant and mindful people are to their horses' preferences and will accommodate them. Lovely to read.
Click to expand...
interesting as is the piece about music. thanks.
 
The article matches my experience, no horse I have had, has shown regular pleasure at being groomed.
That's separate from finding the itchy sports and scratching them with my hands, that's been a hot favourite with all of them.
They've generally been a bit happier about the idea at shedding times of year but again I think that's more to do with itching than grooming.
I'm glad to see I can now claim that I'm not slovenly, I'm just doing what my horse prefers. I will still do thorough show prep though, I view it on par with forcing the kids or myself to scrub up for a special occasion.
If you go in Daisy's box holding a magic brush she runs to the back of the box and stays as far away from you as possible. She's only ever had ab out 2 brush strokes with it. If she has to be brushed a old jelly curry comb is the most tolerated.
It's quite funny though I spent a few years being told I was rubbish at reading how my horses were feeling, more recently it seems I may not have been so wrong after all. :)
 
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Lindylouanne said:
he is the most perverted pony on the planet and loves being scratched between his back legs 😱 He will back up and present his bottom at the drop of a hat.
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Bobbie likes that as well. She likes a good scrub with the massage ball brush there, which I'm never keen to do as the skin is quite thin and I'm always worried it will bruise her.
 
I have field kept ponies, that grow coats like Yaks, so grooming has always been mostly maintenance grooming, and that is mainly the 3 months a year it takes them to lose their winter coats, and getting the worst of the mud/sheep poo off before riding.
However, after having lessons (following PK), which involves lots of in-hand exercises and what I call "Pony Pilates", I have started doing a lot of grooming with just my hands, which he really seems to enjoy. It is a combination of all over check, grooming, pony pilates and massage.
The upside of this is that I have a happily droopy pony to ride and the downside is that I have to allow so much longer to get ready!
 
My old boy always hated it, so it was kept to a minimum. Only when ridden and the bits that mattered, except in Spring, when he needed fluff removing and then it would be all over. Both my Exmoor and cob will stand untied and both love a rough massage with either Hands On gloves or rubber curry comb. The Exmoor doesn't like the mane and tail being done as much as her back and shoulders, so those are kept to a minimum. Cob falls asleep if I'm trimming up feathers and snores!
 
Mostly I just do a quick scrub of where the tack goes, but twice a week Arch gets the works. He doesn't seem that bothered about what is used on him, I've tried many things and it's now body brush in summer and magic brush/dandy from November-Spring. Plus the massagey mitt things.

Cobbus adores his legs & feathers being brushed and his pasterns scrubbed and will happily groom me back for as long as I am prepared to do it, wibbly lips a-go-go. Massaging either side of his spine makes him drop both his head and his willy. He's started to point to bits he wants scratched, which I am slightly regretting teaching him. He is polite but very insistent that between his legs is gently scratched first and will hop around with his leg in the air till that happens, looking from that special place to me and back again. He likes his rump and belly being attacked with a rubber curry comb but doesn't like his head brushed at all.

It sounds like I need to get one of those marble-brushes.
 
Six doesn’t care one way or the other, while Tudor is very ticklish so likes grooming to be kept to a minimum. My girls, on the other hand, line themselves up one on either side for their daily brush, and they’re very disappointed if you don’t bother. They’d happily stand there for hours!
 
My Fell prefers a longer bristled brush opposed to my cob who loves a shorter bristled harder dandy brush. Both of mine love a good groom and will stand all day being brushed.
 
All of mine have loved being groomed, bar one very sensitive TB mare who only tolerated it.

Current boy gets a full groom every day, even if it makes me ridiculously late, or the lovely staff at the yard will do it for me. I like to see his coat gleaming, and I have always used grooming as a way to make friends with, and get to know a new horse. He doesn't like his face being brushed with anything other than a very soft body brush, but he does love a Sisal mitt on his face, so that is what we use to get the mud off his face and ears. He will stand happily snoozing for hours on end if he's being groomed, and I know every inch of him now so if even the slightest change occurs I can jump on it.
 
One of mine hates being groomed so I only do what’s necessary. They aren’t at livery so I groom them loose and he won’t tolerate it at all unless I tie him up. The others love a good brush and will happily stand.
 
My retired tb loves being groomed. He hated it when we first got him off the track 14 years ago. But going very gently and watching his cues he has done a complete turn around and loves it. He had a lot of massage and bodywork when he was in work so I think he is quite attuned to grooming and massage. He positions himself where he wants a scratch and brush. He gets a thorough groom and rub down twice a week and he loves it. He lowers his head and really relaxes, I really enjoy it too.
 
Have had two who adored being groomed, one who wasn't bothered either way and two who would put up with what was necessary to get harness on.
 
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