What should I do if my horse won’t let me touch its ears? | arlo.® Atlas

Read time: 3 minutes

Overview

If your horse won’t let you touch its ears, it usually means the area is uncomfortable, sensitive or has become a bit of a no-go zone for one reason or another. Common causes include fly irritation, soreness after grooming or headcollar use, minor skin irritation, ear mites, a small injury, or simply a horse that’s learned to avoid ear handling.

You can often do a few calm checks yourself first, but if the horse seems painful, starts shaking its head a lot, or there are visible changes, it’s sensible to get veterinary advice.

Things To Check

1. Notice when the reaction happens, such as during grooming, when putting on a headcollar or bridle, after turnout, or only in fly season.

2. Look for redness, swelling, scabs, broken skin, discharge, or a bad smell around the ear and the surrounding skin.

3. Check whether your horse is also head shaking, rubbing, stamping, twitching, or tilting the head more than usual.

4. Feel gently around the base of the ear and along the poll for heat, soreness or flinching.

5. Think back to any recent tack changes, clipping, washing, grooming, veterinary work, or a minor bump to the head.

6. Make sure there are no flies, ticks or bits of debris around the outer ear area.

7. Watch whether the horse only objects to one ear or both, as that can help you notice patterns, even if it doesn’t explain the cause on its own.

Common Causes

The most common reason is simple sensitivity or learned resistance. Some horses dislike ear handling because they’ve had a rough experience in the past, or they’ve become anxious about being touched there.

Fly irritation is another common cause, especially in warmer weather or if the horse is outdoors a lot. Ears can be very sensitive to insects, and some horses react strongly to even mild irritation.

Skin irritation, small scrapes, rubbed hair, or a bit of soreness from tack or grooming can also make a horse protective about its ears.

Less commonly, the problem may be ear mites, infection, a foreign body, or discomfort higher up around the poll or jaw that makes ear handling unpleasant.

What To Do

Start by being calm and methodical. Don’t force the ear if the horse is clearly unhappy, as that can make the reaction stronger over time.

Use slow, predictable handling and try to notice what your horse will tolerate. Gentle, short sessions are often better than repeated wrestling.

Keep an eye on the surrounding skin and the horse’s overall behaviour. If the issue only happens in fly season, improving routine fly management may help reduce irritation and make handling easier.

If there’s dirt, sweat or debris around the outer ear, clean only what you can safely reach without causing stress. Avoid putting anything deep into the ear unless a vet has told you to.

If the horse has recently started objecting, or the behaviour is getting worse, make a note of when it happens and what you see. That can be very helpful if you do need advice later.

When To Contact A Vet

Contact your vet if the ear looks swollen, hot, painful, smelly, or has discharge, or if your horse is shaking its head, rubbing hard, or suddenly very difficult to handle. It’s also worth asking for advice if the problem is new, persistent, or seems to be getting worse despite careful handling.

Products That May Help

If your horse’s ears seem more sensitive during fly season, keeping up with routine insect management may make day-to-day handling a bit easier and help support a calmer grooming or turnout routine.

Horse Fly Sprays & Summer Care

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