When searching the internet for something else completely, I stumbled across a site that reported the results of a study done by researchers at Nottingham Trent University in the UK. The researchers - Emily Hancock, Sarah Redgate and Carol Hall wanted an answer to the question - Do horses prefer to be scratched or patted? They presented their findings at the International Equitation Science Conference
Their study indicated that while the majority of riders they observed interacting with their horses tented to pat their horses, horses have a more positive response to being scratched. The article that I read cited allogrooming - the act of animals grooming each other, as in horses scratching each others' withers, would appear to confirm that horses do indeed enjoy being scratched. The article suggested that perhaps some generou wither-scratching could help us bond with our horses. Who knows? It can't hurt to try it!
I enjoyed reading the study! Thank you so much for bringing to our attention! I will see if my horses like being scratched! 😂