washing horse face softly

Question

washing horse face   hello ma'am, i believe that washing the horse face softly with a wet sponge or sometimes with our hands would strengthen the bond between the horse and the person who cleaned horse face. am i correct? a senior groom at our racetrack told me.

Answer
Yes Rohit,

The horse has to know that he will not be hurt by the groom and the groom has to be very careful, but horses can get accustomed to being massaged around their heads and washed with a soft SPONGE.

Some people will use a hose to wash their horse's face. Some will accept this, but most do not appreciate it. The water gets into their ears and eyes. You can look at the expression on their faces to see their reaction.

Because of the prominent eye placement on the sides of the faces of horses,(they ARE prey animals)  and the fact that facial nerves are close to the surface of their skin, care must always be taken when working around their heads. All horses also react differently to stimuli....so if a horse is plainly uncomfortable, then the way the bathing is done must be adjusted accordingly.

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