ASKHQ: HE GIVES ME THE EYE

Q: I love grooming my boy, but when I go to brush the left side of his face with my soft brush, he tilts his head and looks at me. His ears aren’t back, but the reaction is odd and leaves me wondering if he is comfortable with my grooming him in this spot?

A: While your horse’s ears may not be back, you do need to observe for other signs of tension (exactly as you have done! 🙂 ) If you see any signs of tension through your horse’s facial muscles, around his muzzle or chin, or triangulation of the upper eyelid, you can be pretty sure that he is experiencing some degree of anxiety about the brush being held there. If he is showing the white of his eye when he looks at you, this also suggests that being brushed in this area has current or previous bad associations for him. This anxiety may be due to previous bad experience, or current pain and discomfort in the area of the face or ear causing him to move away in anticipation. However, it is possible that by moving his head, he is able to keep you or the brush in his line of vision, which may suggest he has limitation to his vision on this side, so reacts differently to keep you in his sights. To rule out any physical or visual issues it is therefore worth getting your vet to give him the once over.

Loose grooming can really help to establish whether your horse’s feelings toward grooming are negative or positive. This involves grooming your horse while he is loose and can move away from you. You then groom him as normal, and observe his reactions. If he is anticipating a favourite spot being groomed, and is looking at you for this reason, then you would expect him to stick around and perhaps even lean into the pressure of the brush. If he really enjoys grooming here you may even see an extension and wobble of the upper lib. However, if your horse is displaying fear or pain, you can expect that he will move away from you when you approach that area with the brush.

As a final tip: if you are standing too close to your horse when grooming to get a full picture of his body language and facial expressions, ask a friend to video for you, then watch it back to analyse the behaviour. This can give you a clearer indication of what exactly is triggering the reaction.