Petting and treats: find the itchy spot and explain missing hearts

The decision, step by step

1. Use the hand cursor to find the horse’s permanent itchy spot

   In the stable care view, move slowly across belly, bum, chest, chin, ears, mane and withers until the hand changes shape. Each horse has one fixed itchy spot. Rest the hand there; Johan’s launch petting guide reports an automatic scritch about every 2.5 seconds. The changed cursor remains useful even when hearts no longer appear.

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2. Check the Confidence cutoff before searching again

   The launch report places the upper marker at 80/100. A scritch at exactly 80 can still count, then the horse is beyond the cutoff. The happy pose, half-closed eyes and lifted muzzle can remain without a heart. Use Confidence Training to continue above this marker rather than hunting for a new spot.

3. Keep useful scritches and treats within their limits

   The first ten good scritches per horse each day can raise Confidence below the cutoff. More than ten treats stops further scritch gains that day unless the horse is Cuddly. Scritch before giving many treats, or stop at ten treats. Treats add body condition too: ten are reported to add 20, so reduce them for a horse already getting heavy.

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   Why a scritch gives no heart

   Check	Meaning	Next action
   Confidence above upper marker	Past the petting cutoff	Use suitable Confidence Training
   Ten useful scritches today	Daily useful-scritch limit reached	Return tomorrow
   More than ten treats today	Further scritch gain blocked unless Cuddly	Wait until tomorrow; scritch first next time
   Changed cursor and happy pose, no heart	The right spot can still be found	Check the limits, not a new body location

4. Separate pain and hunger from Confidence

   Pinned ears and a stretched neck after touching an abrasion, cut or saddle sore mean pain; move your hand away and inspect Medical. A treated wound can still provoke the pose until healed, and the reaction can linger briefly. Head down in the bowl with pawing points to hunger and lower-orange body condition, even when Confidence is high.

5. Choose the next action from the horse’s actual state

   If the horse is healthy and already past the cutoff, stop spending time on hearts and follow the Confidence Training route. If hungry, correct hay and individual feeding. If injured, follow the Medical report and avoid touching the sore area. Cuddly and Snacky change gains, but neither makes extra feed harmless.

If the result is different

If the cursor never changes, move more slowly across the listed body areas. If ears pin back, check for wounds before continuing. If hearts stopped after many treats, wait until the next day instead of adding more treats. If your goal is higher Confidence, use the linked training route.