“You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours!” Sierra & Charlie

It is always interesting to watch our Tinker Horses in the field to observe how they interact with each other and where the friendships lie within the group.

Horses who get on well with each other spend a lot of time grazing side-by-side. It is also common to groom each other and when doing this they use their lips and front teeth to scratch each other.

It is a lovely experience to watch the mutual grooming especially when you realise it’s all part of the equine bonding experience.

One horse generally starts the scratching and the other horse seems almost unable to resist the urge to return the favor.

Horses often start by scratching each others withers but will move up and down each others body, not only rubbing with their strong upper lip but also using their teeth to both scratch and to gently nip.