# Should you allow your horse to rub their head on you?



## whitetrashwarmblood (Aug 24, 2008)

I've heard many people say yes or no to this, but never really have a good reason behind their answer. 
My mare will rub her head on my butt or back after I take her bridle off sometimes, but if she gets too rough I push her away and she'll stop right away and won't try it again. Sometimes after I take off her bridle I'll rub her forehead for her, and she lets me, seems like she enjoys it. 
Just wondering if you guys let your horses do this, or if you think it's a big no-no.


----------



## free_sprtd (Oct 18, 2007)

I think that a little rubbing after a good workout is ok, but just randomly walking/leading, or during work, grooming, is not a good thing. at least imo.


----------



## doniakay (Oct 21, 2008)

i would not allow it only because i am a small person and it hurts if they rub hard enough. i have a horse now we are leasing that does it constantly...its so annoying. im trying to get her to stop

good luck


----------



## LauraB (Nov 11, 2008)

I would stop her from rubbing on you unless you want it to become a habit. Instead it would be better for you do the rubbing like you metioned. This will become a reward to her at the end of a ride. Also don't let her start "helping" you get the bridle off in order to get the reward. That is another common habit horses get into. It sounds like you have a good bond with her.


----------



## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

Yeah, sometimes Daytona rubs her head after she's worked, but otherwise I don't allow it- that's invading our space.  They need to know they can't get into our space.


----------



## whitetrashwarmblood (Aug 24, 2008)

LauraB said:


> It sounds like you have a good bond with her.



Thank you.
I'd like to think that I do. 
A lot of people mention it, but I guess it's harder for me to see it myself.
I know that she trusts me, but sometimes I worry if she treats me more like a leader, her equal, or just someone that feeds her and rides her.
To me it seems we flow more towards equal but I'm not sure.


----------



## Spirithorse (Jun 21, 2007)

I think it's fine to allow the horse to do it as long as they aren't too rough. If it does start to become too rough I simply back them up. End of story.

The reason I think it's okay is because this is a two-way relationship. A little for me, a little for him (in this case a scratch). Every time the horse tries to interact with me I don't want to shove him away. Are there times when backing the horse up is needed? Sure. But the better the relationship is the more respectful the horse will be....that's the way it's been with my horses.


----------



## SonnyWimps (Feb 22, 2008)

I let Sonny rub his head on me as long as he doesn't start rubbing too hard and it starts to hurt, then I'll back him up then give him a pet.


----------



## jazzyrider (Sep 16, 2007)

i agree that it fine as long as they are gentle. my new mare rubs her head on you but she does it so gently. its actually very cute 

my wb does it however and is so rough he has actually knocked me over once. hence i no longer allow it. i think with him it stems more from disrespect for me and my space therefore putting a stop to it is essential. with my mare i think she does it because gently rubs above her eyes are her favourite thing and when she rubs on me its mainly her eyes and she is so gentle about it it makes me think she just rubbing her sweet spot


----------



## Zab (Oct 4, 2008)

I don't allow it, but I rub him a lot if he seems to be in the mood.

I don't like having his head rubbing at me, and it's annoying to have a horse that tries to rub it's face while I change to a halter from the bridle or something, so I don't allow him to rub at all untill the halter is on and I don't ask for his attention anymore. (which I try to do as easily and quickly as possible when I know his face is itchy)

I don't mind when he rubs back at my hand and show where I should scratch tho 

Another reason I don't like it isbecause I'm not a rubbing pole, I'm a person. When he rubs his head on me he's not paying attention to me and he's saying that I'm just somthing worth rubbing on right then.


----------



## horsey*kisses (May 12, 2008)

i dont let my horse do it, the only reason being my cousin has this horse and hes about 10 or 11 hes a great horse, he doesnt like me but other than that hes a great horse, he does everything, and is ok around everything, but the minute your feet touch the ground his head is in your space and he is literally pushing you to the ground, my cousin however doesnt see a problem with it :roll: anyway, thats why i dont let him rub on me or anyone else, so it doesnt turn into something like that,
he does put his forhead on my chest so i can scratch his ears, but he doesnt push or rub he just stands there patiently waiting for his ear rub. :lol:


----------



## Just Another Barn Bum (May 2, 2008)

> Another reason I don't like it is because I'm not a rubbing pole, I'm a person.


I agree.  I don't think you should let your horse rub himself on you whenever he feels like it, because I think it's not being consistent with your rules of him "staying out of your space". It's easy for something little like rubbing on you to turn into a bigger problem. As horse-trainer Ken McNabb likes to say, "Two plus two always has to equal four." In other words, you need to be consistent with what you do and don't allow your horse to do. 

I do think it's OK for you to offer to rub him with your hand though when he seems itchy. You just need to watch that he doesn't start becoming pushy and expecting/demanding it from you. Just my humble opinion.


----------



## Arrow (Jul 21, 2008)

No, don't let him do it. After a ride, one of the most important grooming tasks is taking a teeny, tiny rubber curry or a face brush and brushing the sweat marks around his ears, across his forehead, around his cheeks, etc. Be consistent about doing that, and he won't be tempted to do it for himself on you.

I let Arrow nuzzle my chest and shoulders, sometimes even my face--his nose just goes like mad--it's kind of like he's grooming me. But I never let him rub on me--as someone else said, I'm not a pole!


----------



## confetti (Sep 28, 2008)

For me, it depends on the horse. One of the mares that is boarded here completely shoves with her head and will lift you off the ground, and that's annoying. My Bo, however, only rubs his head on me sometimes and in a loving way. He only seems to do it I'm in the mood to... If you know what I mean? I'm usually already hugging on his face or something.
It's like my dog. I let her jump on me if I hold my arms out and tell her to give me a hug, but if I don't tell her to, she's in trouble


----------



## upnover (Jan 17, 2008)

Just Another Barn Bum said:


> I agree.  I don't think you should let your horse rub himself on you whenever he feels like it, because I think it's not being consistent with your rules of him "staying out of your space". It's easy for something little like rubbing on you to turn into a bigger problem. As horse-trainer Ken McNabb likes to say, "Two plus two always has to equal four." In other words, you need to be consistent with what you do and don't allow your horse to do.
> 
> I do think it's OK for you to offer to rub him with your hand though when he seems itchy. You just need to watch that he doesn't start becoming pushy and expecting/demanding it from you. Just my humble opinion.



exactly. i never allow it. and i don't allow them to rub their heads on anything else either. 1. it can scratch or damage their bridle. and 2. i've seen a pony rub on something, got his bridle caught, and barely had time to rip the bridle off before he completely flipped out.


----------



## Angel_Leaguer (Jun 13, 2008)

No rubbing, they are a big animal and little things will only become a big problem, they dont know your pain limit.


----------



## appylover31803 (Sep 18, 2007)

I don't allow Vega or Gem to rub on me. I only allow Montana to rub his head on him if I tell him it's ok (after I take the bridle off) other than that he doesn't.


----------



## moomoo (Feb 21, 2007)

There is a pretty even split, I let moo rub her face on my back if my back is itchy :lol: and i rub her face for her since it is the same spot every time when I am done riding


----------



## Tazmanian Devil (Oct 11, 2008)

Zab said:


> Another reason I don't like it isbecause I'm not a rubbing pole, I'm a person. When he rubs his head on me he's not paying attention to me and he's saying that I'm just somthing worth rubbing on right then.


Exactly. It is disrespectful.

It is also dangerous. What some might consider too rough or ok is subjective. I am a big guy and can handle it. Of course, if my back is turned and I am not ready for it, the horse could easily knock me over. Even worse if my horse did it to a kid.

Scratching on humans is a bad habit. Horses should respect your space.


----------



## Mira (Aug 4, 2008)

I let Gizmo do it after I take his bridle off and he's all sweaty. His ears and all that get itchy so I scratch him. He doesn't necessarily rub his head like on me, more just on my arm while I'm itching him and leaning into it. He doesn't knock me over or really put me off balance. I only let him when I go to scratch him first after I've taken it off, otherwise that he doesn't just come up and randomly take me down with his face. xD


----------



## Brumby (Nov 5, 2008)

I personally would not allow this. If they rub on you after you take the bridle off maybe you could just scratch her, but I would not allow them to rub on you. I have a friend who has allowed this and it had worked up into a bad habit. After every ride the horse ends up pushing my friend around for a little bit so he can scratch his head.


----------



## WesternPleasure27 (Nov 9, 2008)

I would NEVER allow one of my horses to rub it's head on me.

a. it's their sweat not mine...if they don't want it, why do I??
b. As someone else said, I am not their scratching pole. Do you see them trying to scratch their heads on the dominant horse?
c. I don't want to be knocked over because my horse is a disrespectful bubble invader.
d. I don't want to be knocked in the FACE cause...well see above.


----------



## Mira (Aug 4, 2008)

My horse is fine with it. Doesn't get overly pushy. Like I said, he's not shoving me with his head, he's just leaning into it and helping me out when I'm scratching him. Not sure if that makes a difference to you, though. I dunno, if not that's all right. Works for me and I've had no problems. I just like to give him a nice scratch since it probably feels nicer to get your itches out on a hand/arm than a wooden pole. lol I also scratch under his chin where he can't reach at all that's like his one spot he loves scratched all the time.


----------



## WesternPleasure27 (Nov 9, 2008)

You scratching your horse, and him rubbing are two very different things.
You scratching is offering to groom him, which is a social behavior that isn't related to hierarchy in the herd...it brings each individual onto the same level.

Now a horse coming up and rubbing on you is the horses' way of saying "hey, stand here so I can feel good, I don't care if you want me to or not."
It's complete disrespect...most horses will get kicked for it out in the herd unless they do it to a horse lower than them...funny how that works


----------



## MirrorStage2009 (Sep 10, 2008)

confetti said:


> For me, it depends on the horse. One of the mares that is boarded here completely shoves with her head and will lift you off the ground, and that's annoying. My Bo, however, only rubs his head on me sometimes and in a loving way. He only seems to do it I'm in the mood to... If you know what I mean? I'm usually already hugging on his face or something.
> It's like my dog. I let her jump on me if I hold my arms out and tell her to give me a hug, but if I don't tell her to, she's in trouble


I'm the same way. TJ doesn't rub his head against me, he shoves me with his nose. Everyone around me is always like "Tch." But he never was negative or mean-spirited about it so it doesn't bother me. 

There's actually a write-up on Friesian personality traits and one of them is that Friesians like to shove you with their noses, and it's not a flaw. It's how they say "I love you". It emphasizes you NOT to scold them as your Friesian will lose respect for you. But you can shove back. Which is what I do with TJ. I'll also massage his lips/gums when he does it. 

So people think I'm wrong. But TJ doesn't. And his opinion matters more!!


----------



## Horse Poor (Aug 20, 2008)

I don't allow it either...for the same reason listed by WesternPleasure27...it IS disrespectful and I can think of no good reason for allowing it. It is not going to hurt a horse to wait until I'm ready to groom away bridle itchies.


----------



## whitetrashwarmblood (Aug 24, 2008)

When Athena rubs on me it's not an everyday occurance. Infact, I can't remember the last time she's done it. But she has never gotten me off the ground, or has done it in an aggressive manner. Whenever she did rub/scratch on me I always do it back, usually harder then she does. 
Now that I think about it, maybe I have 'moved on up in the herd' she hasn't done the rubbing thing in like, well, a very long time. And like someone had mentioned earlier that a horse would rub on another horse that's lower in the pecking order. Well, yay, it seems like I'm top dog now. No more rubbing! lol :wink:


----------



## minihorse927 (Aug 11, 2008)

I have a mini that does this after you bathe him. I do not allow him to do it because he is trying to dry himself off on me and he is rough about it. I do not want to be wet anyway.


----------



## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I don't ever allow it because it may seem harmless at the time but it can create a very bad habit. If it starts out as just something that they do after a workout, then it leads to every time you are around them, and ends up something that they do when you are trying to bridle or halter them. Thus making it so much harder to tack them. Also it is dangerous. By doing this, they are treating you no different than a wooden post and that means they have no respect for you. Not everyone likes a horse who rubs on them and many people would be bothered by it. If someone doesn't know your horse or just doesn't know horses in general, they may take it as an aggressive action and you can never be sure how people will react. Your horse may end up getting hit by a person defending themselves from what they take as an aggressive horse. I am all for scratching THEM after a ride but that still lets them know that you do it because you want to, not because its what they want.


----------



## CallieMae (Oct 28, 2008)

I definately don't allow my horses to rub their heads on me (even if it IS really cute!) because it can become a nasty habit. A horse a got about 2 years ago came with that habit. She rubs her head against me whenever she wants attention. She almost broke my ribs (she had me pinned against a wall while rubbing my chest)! Even though I've been firmly diciplining her, she still rubs. It's a hard habit to break, so I wouldn't recommend condoning it.


----------



## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

It depends which horse. I have one that, given the proverbial inch, will also take the mile, so I don't allow him to rub his head on me.

The other three rarely ask to do that, so if they do, I let them because they don't take advantage


----------

