# horse that hates grooming



## Ottakee (Sep 26, 2008)

Does anyone else have a horse that really dislikes being brushed? My 15 year old QH gelding just does NOT like it. He tolerates it but puts his ears back (not really pinned but back), doesn't really relax, etc. He pickes up his feet OK but doesn't seem to enjoy the grooming like other horses I have seen.

Any ideas? He is also very twitchy when you touch him. He is great under saddle though.


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## Bitless (Jan 11, 2008)

purhaps you are doing it to soft in which case you would be just annoying him. 

What brush do you use on him? maby try a different one with firmer bristles.

or you may be doing it to hard, in which case try a softer brush.

some horses can be more sensative to the touch that others. 
Like how some people are more ticklelish than others.


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## Jubilee Rose (May 28, 2008)

It seems pretty rare to me to hear of a horse who doesn't like to be brushed. Every horse I've come in contact with seems to like it. Hmm ... :? Is he moody like this in general, or just when brushing?


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## BeauReba (Jul 2, 2008)

Some horses are thin skinned or ticklish. Thoroughbreds in particular tend to be sensitive. Make sure you use light, gentle strokes. You might have to avoid using a curry come.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

I would try a different brush or pressure or perhaps a grooming mitt. I've seen a number of horses that seem to react to brushing on certain parts of their body just like they do to pesky flies, so perhaps your horse has that feeling on his skin.


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## Ottakee (Sep 26, 2008)

He is great under saddle but moody in his stall (likely some past abuse type issues). The flies do drive him NUTS as well.

I will try some other brushes and see if I can find one that works better. He doesn't kick, etc. but just isn't happy with it. I generally do a quick job before riding.

He sees the chiropractor Wednesday so I will see what she says as well.


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## bama20a (Nov 27, 2008)

Try to make it fun for him.Also you stated,CHIROPRACTOR,Why? he may have at one time been hurt & was discomfort with the grooming.
As others stated I'd try something diff- (brush -rag -mit),But the main thing is the fun & comfort for him.Try rubbing along his spine,between his rear legs,They can't reach there & most enjoy being rubbed there,Find his soft spot,they all have one & rub there.He will get where he will love it.


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## Got2Gallop (Oct 22, 2007)

My filly loves to be groomed...........she gets all mellow and will stand stock still even if I don't have her tied. But a friend of mine has an Arab mare, thin skinned I guess ,that just gets grumpy as all get out if you use anything but a super soft brush on her, but she's a love any other time so it isn't just a nasty attitude or something. Some horses are just more sensitive than others, I can pull Lily's mane all day long, but the quarter gelding I had got mad when I pulled his .


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## TwendeHaraka (Oct 5, 2008)

My TB hates to be groomed. He moves around a lot when I brush his neck and barrel. He doesn't mind my brushing his legs and hind end, and is fine with his feet. But he is so squirmy when he's being brushed on neck and barrel that I can't use a curry comb or hard brush unless mud is really caked on him. He's just thinned skinned... Not moody in the stall, in general. He's good under saddle... He just doesn't like to be groomed. I've seen several other TBs like this...


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## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

Unless you've raised the horse yourself you can never be certain what a horse has gone thru. I would replace your brushes with extra soft ones and stick to those for a while. It might be he is ticklish but it might also be that a previous owner injured him or was really rough with him during groomings. If you give him time and exta gentle care, he shuold eventually realise how pleasant grooming can be.


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## justsambam08 (Sep 26, 2009)

I'm with Tareka.....my TB is thin skinned, and I now use finishing/face brush with a rubber curry all over his whole body, and he STILL has some issues with be brushing his neck/chest area and some days he doesn't like his barrel or croups being touched. He pins his ears, turns to glare at me, stamps his foot....pretty much everything to let me know he is not very happy. He's most recently picked up the habit of pawing.

He picks up his feet fine, that is the one advanage of having an OTTB, but if I take longer than he thinks I should he tries to pull away.


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## wintec (Jun 5, 2009)

This is how the thoroughbred I rode at the one stable was. He kicked the whole time you groomed him even with a soft brush. But this was every single time. He truely wasn't kicking at you just to make his point and it's just annoying. Just take it slow when grooming him and praise him with cookies.


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## RiddlesDarkAngel5 (Jun 2, 2009)

BeauReba said:


> Some horses are thin skinned or ticklish. Thoroughbreds in particular tend to be sensitive. Make sure you use light, gentle strokes. You might have to avoid using a curry come.


lol my roommate will be so happy to see this thread. her OTTB hates to be groomed in the winter. he has very sensitive skin, so when that thick hair grows in, it doesn't feel good when it gets brushed. he'll tolerate it, but would rather she not do anything. he'll pin his ears and shift from side to side. so he basically doesn't get curried during the winter, she only uses a medium bristled brush and very gently. and even then, he's still not thrilled. its not a behavioral thing or a past bad experience with brushing. it just doesn't feel good to him. i would assume that's what's happening here.


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## My Beau (Jan 2, 2009)

Also look at internal problems. Horses who don't like to be brushed, especially on their sides, can be suffering from ulcers. My TB mare was not a happy camper when I would groom her, I blamed it on thin skin, but she got worse. I put her on a supplement for ulcers and slowly she's improving - 99% sure she had ulcers (never had her scoped though).


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## hhadavis (May 3, 2008)

I have a mare and gelding (TWH) that love to be brushed...could stand there all day and my walker will seek me out to put his butt in my face because that is the hint he wants a butt rub LOL...then I got my ADD child Cochise who dances the whole time hes being groomed..but knows Ill keep after him til its done so he doesnt walk away so much anymore. The only thing he loves to have brushed/scrubbed is his legs...he would stand there all day just for that. He getting to where he likes the butt brushed/ massaged..but then its like he remembers hes not supposed to like it and moves. Never thought of the ulcers thing...maybe will try some supplements for him to see if it stops...ordered some B1 supplement thru smartpac equine to see if that chills him any. Cant wait to try it. I also have a boarder horse, hes a TB and yes very sensitive to being brushed, it gets him all reved up/excited. I have to watch out for him when I groom because he will do this funny side kick with his hind legs(have had to show him he can only do it on the opposite side that im on)..weird..but then hes a different horse anyway. Hes also reared up on his hinds at my other horses when being brushed, thats how excited he gets. But I do have to use the softer brushes for him because he seems to be thinner skinned and has a short/light coat. Hes beautiful when done though, and what a mane/tail. Ive been boarding him a few months and dont know if Ill ever get his personality. He has this rocking kick thing too when he eats, and eats out of a water trough (owners brought it)because he is such a messy eater (teeth have been done)...and he has to kick it with his front feet constantly why eating...almost like a pacifier...really thru mine for a loop when they had to hear that at first.


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## Peacefuldweller (May 6, 2009)

Sarge is quite thin skinned as well. You have to brush him very gently along the stomach area or he gives you the "stink eye" lol 

Other than that though, he likes to be groomed firmly along the spine and does well with the mane and tail. But there are some spots (especially the underbelly) that he is very very sensitive to.


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

Get a curry comb like this:









And use a super soft brush. The only horses I've ever met who didn't like to be groomed just weren't being groomed right. Keep it super gentle, and I bet he'll enjoy it more. =]


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

My Dad's horse Pokey is incredibly touchy. He is not the petting/grooming/pampering type. His attitude is more like "Just knock off the big chunks, get the saddle on, and let's go to work!! I don't need all this lovey-dovey crap." Where Dobe absolutely loves to be groomed and will stand for it all day. 

With yours, it could be some other issue or he may just not really like being touched.


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## 1dog3cats17rodents (Dec 7, 2007)

Is hhe a TB? It's not uncommon for a TB (and others) to have thin, sensitive skin. My TB had to be trained not too kick and bite me when I brush him. He hates it though, he throws his head, pics his ears and lashes his tail the entire time. I just do the quickest, bare minimum grooming and be done.


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## CopperHorse (Mar 29, 2009)

My appy mare hates being groomed, lol. She tolerates it because I will just keep after her till she is fully groomed, but it don't matter if its a curry, a medium brush, or a soft brush..... she just plain don't like it. She is fine with anything and everything else but if she can get out of a grooming she would rather not. Only time she likes to be groomed is when we get back from a trail ride.


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## dee (Jul 30, 2009)

My cousin's horse hated it when she groomed him. She wasn't rough or anything, but he would pin his ears back and snap at her. I didn't have any problems with him. Eventually we figured (we think) what was wrong: The only time she ever touched that horse was when she was going to ride him. I fed him and brushed him every day. (He was staying with us.) She would show up whenever, give him a good brushing, saddle up and take off. If he was in the pasture when she drove up, there was no way she could catch him. No one could catch him when she was around. I didn't have any trouble catching him - didn't even try to catch him - he would just walk right up, even if I had a halter in my hand. The thing is - he associated her (my cousin) with having to be ridden. Everything she did led up to being ridden. On the other hand, although I also rode him, I didn't just mess with him before riding him. He didn't know if I was catching him to ride him, or just to feed him, or groom him - or just to pet him.

Is the only time (or even the majority of the time) you brush your horse just before you ride him?


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## RedHawk (Jun 16, 2008)

My TB is like some others have mentioned - real fidgety when being groomed, he doesn't really like it at all. I've just assumed that it is b/c he is TB and he's thin-skinned, and for the most part ignored it and just tried to be as gentle as possible.
Then a couple of weeks ago, I had an equine masseur come out and have a look at him and she said he was actually very muscle sore, and has been for quite some time, probably due to his race training. I felt awful, but I'd had no idea. My horse had given absolutely no indication under saddle that there was anything wrong, aside from an ongoing issue with not being able to pick up his left-lead canter.
I asked the masseur if she saw many horses that were like this where their owners had no idea and she told me she saw HEAPS.
So my recommendation would be to have a masseur out to have a look at him, they're not terribly expensive ($65 AU for an hour massage) and you will likely some answers to questions about your horse's behavior. I found out why my horse wouldn't canter on his left lead - contraction of the muscles on the right side of his rump and a big tear(old) through one of the major muscles. After his massage he will now pick up the correct lead, most of the time, which is a _huge _thing for us.


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