“You scratch my belly, I’ll scratch your back.” When Chris was rescued from gross neglect, he was terrified of people. It took a long time for us to gain his trust, and one of the ways we built a connection with him was through daily grooming. Every morning when we groom our horses, it's our top priority to make them feel heard, seen, and valued. They tell us with their body language where they want to be scratched, and we listen carefully. Horses naturally groom each other as a way of building community and showing affection—so when we scratch the right spot, they will often thank us by grooming us back! Help us open a new sanctuary to rescue more horses like Chris. Support The Gentle Barn and our NY sanctuary through Venmo @TheGentleBarn, or at GentleBarn(dot)org ❤️ #repost #horserescue #equinerescue #rescuehorses #mutualgrooming #farmanimalsanctuary #thegentlebarn