How do you desensitize the ears during imprinting and why is it so important?

The ears are among the most sensitive areas of the horse's body and among the most frequently problematic in horses that have not been properly desensitized — ear-shy horses that resist bridling, ear twitching, clipping, or veterinary procedures around the head are a common source of daily management difficulty, and the vast majority of this ear sensitivity is preventable through thorough ear desensitization during imprinting. Begin ear work by rubbing the base of the ear with the palm of the hand, establishing acceptance of firm contact at the point where the ear attaches to the head. Many foals will show their first significant resistance here — pulling the head away, pinning the ear, or attempting to rise — because the base of the ear is innervated with nerves that serve a sensitive area in mature horses, and the foal's instinctive response to contact there reflects this sensitivity. The handler maintains the contact calmly, applying firm but not painful pressure, and waits for the foal to relax before releasing. The release at the moment of relaxation is the teaching event. Progress to placing the entire hand over the ear and gently working the hand up the length of the ear to the tip. The inside of the ear should be rubbed thoroughly — fingers reaching into the ear canal gently, desensitizing the inner surface that will later be approached by clippers, veterinary instruments, and the handler's hands during routine care. A foal that has accepted thorough manipulation of the ear interior during imprinting is a horse that stands for clipping of the inner ear hair as an adult without the ear shyness that makes this routine task difficult and time-consuming for owners of horses that were not imprinted. Both ears should be worked thoroughly, with each ear reaching the criterion of full acceptance before moving on. Horses are often more accepting on one side than the other even as newborns, reflecting the natural asymmetry of the horse's brain and sensory processing, and the side that shows more resistance should receive additional work until the response matches the more accepting side. The importance of thorough ear desensitization during imprinting cannot be overstated — ear shyness is a common and persistent problem in non-imprinted horses that requires significant time to correct later.