Petting vs. Patting

[Clever Pony]

My new mare loves a good rub or a scratch. New people often give her a firm pat on her neck and at the moment, she usually flinches. I've given horses pats my entire horsey life and it wasn't until I owned this new horse that I realized how much more valuable a soft stroke or a scratch is, at the very least, to this particular horse.

Are you a petter? A patter? Does your horse get the point that they have done something right with a firm pat on their neck?

[OneMoreForTheRoad]

most of the time I do pat their necks and the little hops and head shaking I take as them feeling good about what they just did. But more often then not I will squeeze their crest, going up and down their neck. I was told this is really relaxing for them (almost like a hug) because its what their mom's would do to them when they were wee little tykes. :)

[sublimequine]

I pet, I pat, I scritch.. whatever! :lol:

My mare usually knows that any of the above is a positive thing, as it's accompanied with a "Good girl!".

[katarine]

rubs not pats. They love a rub. A tolerant horse won't mind a pat, but rubbing makes for friends :)

[twofatponies]

I do more rubbing/scratching on the neck. Depends on the horse - some know what a pat means, had it all their lives, and I give gentle pats, too. I don't think many horses like the big huge whacks that some people give when patting a horse.

[tBHj]

I pet, I pat, I scritch.. whatever! :lol:

My mare usually knows that any of the above is a positive thing, as it's accompanied with a "Good girl!".


Ditto.

[MunchkinsMom]

I do all, pat, pet, scratch, rub (but then again, I am a certified equine sports massage therapist). It depends on what the horse likes and here they like it. My two geldings like a pat on the rump, but my mare would give me a good cow kick if I did that to her. Yet they all love the "meat tenderizing" fist pound massage stroke on their rumps (it "warms up" the large muscle masses there), and the "karate chop" strokes on their back muscles.

I don't do the big whacking pats to any of them. Any everyday pats are very gentle, and usually up near the poll for some reason. Like after I put on the fly masks and I give them a light "pat, pat" and a "good horse" goes with it.

[Ajierene]

Interestingly, I was just noticing something in my mare.

We were jumping around and I made a course for myself. She was very up and excited and did not necessarily want to slow down.

We jumped the course, she did great and I patted on the neck, like I always do. Apparently that is the sign that we are done jumping and she went right down to a trot without any instruction from me. So, at least she knows when she is done working - not sure if she knows 'good girl' from the pat.

"Good girl' is usually a big rub up and down the neck, intermixed with patting. This is while riding.

Good girl in ground work is a scratch near the whithers.

[JoZ]

Depends on the horse. I definitely have some that really do seem to like a good solid clap on the neck. Others like the gentle touch.

I have a funny story about that. I was riding in a clinic. My horse at the time was a big, solid, foundation-type appy with a thick neck. I finished my exercise and clapped him on the neck. Another clinic participant sidled over to me and said in a low voice, "Horses hate that".

It has become a joke in our barn. Couldn't ya just let ME decide what my horse likes and doesn't like? Is there no area that the opinionated know-it-all will stay out of? I could see if the horse had flinched or seemed in any way put off. But it was a reward commensurate with his conformation and outlook on life. Sheesh.

[Foxtrot's]

When Ian Millar used to finish a round he would literally whack his horses on the neck - now I notice he merely pats them. That looked excessive to me in those days so I became more conscious of how a horse might feel, and now I'm more gentle with a scratch, rub or massage. Each horse has a special 'ticky' spot where they like to be rubbed (face) or scratched (wither/neck) etc., not to
forget bum, tail, rump or jowl, forelock.

[Pally]

When Ian Millar used to finish a round he would literally whack his horses on the neck - now I notice he merely pats them.

Perhaps his enthusiasm may have one day interfered with balance, leaving his horse to celebrate the good work on his own. ;)

[PNWjumper]

What do I do?

It depends on what I'm trying to "say" :)

[Maude]

I always used to pat/slap my horse's neck after a good ride. I have learned that petting/stroking feels better to the horse. For example, which would feel better to you? Say you've just worked out. Would it feel better to you if someone came up and slapped you on your just-worked muscle or stroked/rubbed it? This analogy sure made sense to me and I've been a "petter/rubber" ever since :)

[CosMonster]

I do all of them depending on the horse but I find most of them seem to prefer a rub or a scratch so that's usually what I do.

[kerlin]

Depends entirely. I usually pat from the saddle, especially if we're still in movement - but then, I have a verrrrry thick-skinned horse. I can curry him anywhere and he doesn't even notice.

I've definitely ridden other horses who are a little hesitant about a good pat, and some very skittish horses that get more nervous about the quick movement of my hand than the actual pat.

[deltawave]

Whatever suits me at the moment. :) I have a new mare who's very friendly but a little anxious and she seems to prefer rubbing and petting. The others are fine with some robust patting. I don't really think about it much. I do think they learn that, when being ridden, the "usual" 3-4 pats on the neck I give them along with "good boy/good girl" mean something specific, so I do that pretty consistently.

[NancyM]

The filly I have been working on getting broke this fall was always a stroking rather than patting individual. She was freaky since she came out of her mom, couldn't even look at her at first, let alone touch her. It took three months for her to come to me, to sneak up behind me and touch me with her nose. Took another month before I could touch her without panic setting in. No reason for this, it just WAS this way. Basic ground training has been difficult, she over reacts to everything. But she's getting better.

This summer, the dentist came out and pulled her wolfies and floated her teeth prior to putting the bridle on her. I gave her a LARGE dose of atravet for this. He "patted" her, and even tranquilized, she didn't like it much. I explained to the dentist that "patting" wasn't her thing particularly, but I had been working on it, "patting" her with a single finger was the stage I was at. He did MORE patting while she was tranqed. In the following days, her aversion to patting had abated, and continued to be more accepting of a pat. I always think that if you CAN'T pat them, if they don't have the self confidence to accept a pat and know what it means, they are not ready to ride. I can now pat her adequately, and she knows what it means, but it's been a long learning session. Knowing now what a pat means, her self confidence has improved dramatically, and she has accepted the training much better. Laid over her back no problem before turning her out for winter.

[MsM]

For me and most of the horses I have known, it depends on the situation.
If I want to be reassuring or quietly rewarding, rubs work best. If we are building enthusiasm in a horse who is not shy of contact, a good strong pat can be appreciated and effective. Kind of like atheletes slapping each other on the butt. Its all in the context and knowing the receiver.

[Noctis]

Shiver actually likes a good solid pat. Even better is a BIG scratch. Petting she kind of ignores. It all depends on the individual horse :)

[yankeeclipper]

[QUOTE=sublimequine;4517466]I pet, I pat, I scritch.. whatever! :lol:QUOTE]

Ditto

[SpottedTApps]

Cutting horses are trained to stop working the cow by putting your hand on their neck just in front of the saddle. This means, "good job, we're done." and you'll watch them walk off with their head low and quiet.

My horses are very sensitive and most don't like a pat at any time. So if I "pat", it's gentle and quiet. Otherwise I rub and "croon" to them if they've done good.

[Molasses]

Bit of a mix depending on situation or horse,
usually mine is a half scratch or rub with a bit of a firm 'quiet' pat rollled in with a happy praisey voice as well.

[mhtokay]

They say the in the wild, a "pat" never occurs between horses and the closest thing would be a bite or kick. They only rub each other. I try to remember to rub and once in awhile, I'll pat someone, and they let me know that's not the nicest thing.

[spotmenow]

My trainer once told me that dogs and men like to be patted, but horses like to be petted :winkgrin:

Seriously, vigorous patting (or slapping, as I've seen some horse people do) is not nearly as well received as petting, which is closer to the motion of the dam nuzzling/licking a foal. Just MHO. I never pat, always pet.

[equineartworks]

Whatever they prefer and each one of them here seems to like something different.

The new ponies are the funniest though...especially Rye. He's all of maybe 25" tall at the withers but he likes a FULL BODY rub, so does Firefly :lol: You just dive in and mush them all over...the rougher the better. Their eyes roll they nicker and they do they always hysterical Elvis impersonation with their lips :lol:

[slc2]

..

[goeslikestink]

i like to pat my horses when they have done well or have done something i have asked

[JohnDeere]

Jeez Louise yall have sensitive beasts.

Mine dont really care as long as they dont get dope slapped. They love attention in all its many varied forms.

[Huntertwo]

I like to scratch mine on the withers for a job well done. It seems like more of a bonding experience.:)

[Renn/aissance]

Isn't there a poster here called Rubs Not Pats?

I scratch withers or, when not in public, reach up and rub ears. He loves that.

[Thomas_1]

Where I live local Borderers say "Can I clap your horse"

First time I heard it, I thought we were going to get a round of applause! But it means pat!

[Chiere]

I do all depending on the horse and the situation. Patting is an aggressive way to give approval, and if I'm working with a bossy or pushy horse, I pat and praise. If it's a submissive horse, I rub or scratch and praise. Also, pats are for a job well done; rubs and scratches are for quiet socializing times.

I worked at a TB farm a looong time ago, and we got in a mare fresh off the track. She was as lean and fit as a greyhound, glossy and slick as goose grease, and hotter than the inside of a '64 Mustang in the middle of a Florida heat wave. Amazingly, a stroke or rub sent her into spasms. You had to PAT her to calm her! The firmer the pat, the more she liked it! Soft rubs just made her skin crawl, and would earn you a bite or a cow kick.

Most horses I've met could have cared less, as long as you had respect and a kind word of praise for them. And carrots, LOL!