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brushing a thin skined horse

8K views 16 replies 16 participants last post by  DuckDodgers 
#1 ·
i ride a thoroughbred and he has thin sensitve skin. he bite and kicks when being brushed, to the point where i have to gently use a soft brush and after every few strokes stop and give him treats to calm him down. The problem is that he gets to dirty to just not brush him.



Please i need any tips or suggestions, and i would love if someone could recommend brushes that are gentle and designed for sensitive horses.

I need to know asap, thanks :D
 
#2 ·
There is a lot of different soft bristled brushes you can try, however to get the job done, you're going to need something with a bit more stiffness. I wouldn't let the horse bit or kick when you're grooming him, nor give him treats, you're rewarding the bad behaviour. I would make him suck it up and behave, period, it's not that bad. Besides after a bit of grooming, the area becomes way less sensitive. I think the horse has got you bamboozled, and got you jumping through hoops, sorry to say.
 
#4 · (Edited)
My mare is very thin skinned (and a TB. Most of'em are thin skinned and sensitive I've noticed) One thing that I find helps a bunch is to use soft brushes, and curries.

Once you rule out any health problems, try the following. Like someone else had said, don't reward his bad behavior, or he'll continue doing it!

Start at a spot where he isn't very sensitive, the neck maybe, or whithers, wherever is comfortable or the least irritating to him. Use very light pressure with the curry and light strokes with the body brush.

Once he's comfortable in that spot, move to a different, slightly more sensitive spot. If he gets aggravated, go back to the "safe zone" where he's comfortable. Continue like this until you can do his entire body.

Once he's fine with the brush everywhere, you can try to slowly increase the pressure over time!
 
#5 ·
Brushing one of my TBs is like giving her a shot IMO. I get in, get out....

That said, it has to happen - and she has to tolerate it. We allow her to make faces and bite into the air so long as it's directed forward and not back at the brush/brusher...

It's funny because she just doesn't like anything really to touch her body. even my hand! the one thing she actually doesn't seem to mind sometimes is the curry comb and she prefers you really go at it. she can 'tolerate' that better, i would say. (unless it's on her belly - then all bets are off).

I have to wonder if some of it is mental because when riding her I pat, scratch and rub her neck as a reward... and she's happy about it - but if I did that during grooming I'd get the super grumpy face.

If I have time I like hosing her down because when she's wet she doesn't seem to care as much.

There are days she's more sensitive than others... and I do suspect that if her riders skimp on the grooming she gets more sensitive, so it's best to just 'keep her used to it'.. otherwise it becomes even more intolerable. (kind of like building up her tolerance).

Of course - skin sensitivity can be a medical issue to but if you see a vet regularly - it doesn't have to be. some horses are just sensitive and that's unfortunately just that....
 
#6 ·
@Gossalyn

Sounds like my mare. Some horses just don't like to be groomed for whatever reason, as mentioned it's not ALWAYS medical and sometimes you just gotta live with it.

In the case of the OP, it sounds to me like the horse is just being naughty. I would quickly reprimand a horse who attempted to kick or bite anywhere in my direction. As a test, try brushing him with different things: a medium brush, a soft finishing brush, a saddle pad, a blanket... How does he react to each object being used as a "brush"? If he is okay being brushed with a wool blanket or other scratchy surface but is NOT okay with a brush of any kind, you may have a training/temperament problem.
 
#9 ·
Horses that are ticklish when being brushed usually have a build up of static electricity. There is a way to release this but it is hard to explain!

Only use natural bristle brushes.

Another thing which will remove dirt and sweat which they don't seem to mind is to get a packet of stainless steel pot scouters, the ones that are little round balls. Find the end which is usually tucked inside, unravel it and braid three together to make a pad. This is excellent for removing mud and sweat and they don't mind it.

With horses that are like this I tie them high and fairly short. When working on their belly or girth area, I lean hard into them keeping my feet at an angle away from them. I do not stop and give them treats, this is rewarding bad behaviour. You can keep out the way should they cow kick.
 
#10 ·
I used to lease a QH/TWH cross who had very thin skin. Now, this was back when I was new and didn't know that much about horses, and instead of biting at me, my boy would just move away. I always assumed he was just being a brat, until I started using a soft curry comb instead of a stiff plastic one. He stood completely still then!
I would just keep trying different brushes/combs until you find one your TB can tolerate! Like other people said, giving him treats all the time will just make him think biting/kicking at you is ok (I was guilty of this too o_o)
 
#11 ·
Have you tried different things?

If you thing it's partially mental, why don't you try taking the horse over to grass or something and grooming her while grazing? That way you can find out if it's a situational thing or not?

Another options is to get some sort of soft mit brush and see how she responds to that, if she is fine with touch.

There are so many brushes on the market now, fully rubber ones, soft bristles, firm, synthetic and natural, even those little charcoal blocks etc. There should be something she is okay with.
 
#12 ·
Hi, I see you have a lot of very helpful posts on here but I'm going to give my two cents worth anyway. My Arabian has very thin skin. Before I moved him we were at a place with a lot of deer flies, they'd leave massive welts to the point that I thought he was having a slight allergic reaction. The point being, he has very sensitive skin. The bug bites made it worse. I couldn't touch a brush to him without him shooting sideways! Now Doux is very emotional (Don't give me those looks, I know what I'm saying) and requires more love than tough love but I had to put my foot down. He was getting too dirty not to brush. I have a rubber curry comb and started on his neck for a good five minutes, he loved this. Slowly I moved down his side, got a head turn and the look here, but I made him stand and very gently just brushed, not curried, with the comb. I have a dandy brush and a soft body brush, the kind with the hand strap. I used the body brush on him only for the first two weeks, giving a stern no every time he would turn to nip at the brush or walk away. When I was done brushing and scratch free he would get treats. It really is all about building the tolerance. I moved him to a place that has barely any bugs and he became less sensitive but really point being that you stop rewarding the bad behavior but do give treats as a reward for allowing you to brush. It's something he will have to get used to and hopefully will learn to enjoy. Good Luck!
 
#13 ·
While grooming selecting brush is another thing and applying appropriate pressure is another thing. Some times we select brush correctly but we may apply pressure more than required so. As you already got lot of tips about brush and grooming so now you can think over it. Have a great time :)
 
#14 ·
I was in for an awakening when I started riding the Tb mare I'm currently riding. My old qh probably would have been thrilled if I scraped a garden rake across his back, and this mare isn't fond of being brushed at all. I'm still working out the kinks with her, but using soft curries and natural bristle soft brushes with minimal pressure seems to be key. Use soft curries (like jelly scrubbers or rubber ones with longer thinner bristles) for the dirtier spots. Follow up with light strokes of a natural bristle soft brush.
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