26/09/2025
Do Horses Really Enjoy Being Touched – or Just Tolerate It?
“Who’s it for?” is a question I often ask our students when they want to enter an animal’s space.
We often assume horses like being stroked, patted, or scratched. After all, touch is part of almost everything we do with them — grooming, tacking up, handling, vet checks, and even reward pats after a ride. But new research suggests the answer isn’t quite so simple.
A recent study found that horses showed more signs of stress (tail swishing, restlessness, mouth movements) when they were touched without the option to move away. When they were free to choose, they were calmer and often kept out of arm’s reach. Stroking tended to be more relaxing than patting or scratching, and touches on the hindquarters were less stressful than those on the neck or body.
The biggest factor wasn’t the type of touch, though — it was choice. When horses could decide whether to approach or step back, their behaviour showed more relaxation and less stress.
Why does this matter?
Because giving horses a voice in how we interact with them:
• Improves welfare
• Strengthens trust
• Reduces stress
• Creates safer, more positive experiences for both horse and human
At Wild Minds, we value the idea that consent matters — not just for people, but for animals too.
By recognising their body language and allowing them the freedom to engage (or not), we build more authentic, respectful relationships.
What do you think? Do we give horses enough choice in our everyday interactions with them?
DO HORSES REALLY ENJOY BEING TOUCHED, OR JUST TOLERATE IT?
Touch is part of almost every interaction we have with horses – grooming, routine handling, tacking-up, vet visits, even a pat after a ride. Touch is also a routine feature of equine-assisted services, yet surprisingly little is known about how horses themselves experience it. Do they actually enjoy it, or does their experience depend on having the choice to engage – the freedom to say yes, or no?
A recent study compared two situations using therapy horses who were regularly involved in equine-assisted services. In the ‘forced touch’ condition, horses were tied up and touched continuously on different body areas (neck/shoulder, body, hindquarters) using patting, stroking, or scratching. In the ‘free-choice’ condition, horses were loose in a round pen and could only be touched if they chose to come close enough.
The results showed clear differences. Horses showed more stress-linked behaviours – oral movements, restlessness, and tail swishing – when touched without the option to move away. When free to choose, they often carried their heads lower (a sign of relaxation) and spent over half of the session out of arm’s reach. Stroking was more often linked with relaxed, low head carriage than scratching or patting, and touches on the hindquarters produced fewer stress responses than touches on the neck or body.
The researchers also looked at how the horses responded to different kinds of people. Around experienced handlers, horses were more likely to hold their heads high and showed lower heart-rate variability – signs of vigilance or anticipation, perhaps expecting work. In contrast, their responses with less experienced people were generally more relaxed.
Touches on the hindquarters were linked with fewer stress behaviours, while touches on the neck and body produced more tail swishing and less relaxed postures. Horses were also more likely to lower their heads – a calmer signal – when touched on the body or hindquarters than on the neck.
Why does this matter? Horses in all kinds of contexts – riding schools, competition yards, therapy programmes, or leisure homes – are routinely touched and handled. These findings show that the manner of touch, the part of the body involved, and above all the horse’s ability to choose whether to participate all shape how she/he/they experience the interaction.
The welfare implications are clear: allowing horses more agency in how and when we touch them may reduce stress, strengthen trust, and make interactions safer and more positive for everyone.
For me, the sad part of these findings is that horses are rarely given a choice about when or how they are touched. And many people don’t recognise when touch is causing the horse stress.
Study: Sarrafchi, A., Lassallette, E., & Merkies, K. (2025). The effect of choice on horse behaviour, heart rate and heart rate variability during human–horse touch interactions. Applied Animal Behaviour Science
