Pie and Sovereign like to be groomed

Pie and Sovereign are the friendliest geldings! Everyone who has dropped by to meet the new boys agree that they are very good-natured. In the pasture, they immediately trot over to greet their visitors with kisses and horsey sneezes. They are doing very well with their lessons too. I have been working with them to walk at my pace on the lead without the chain, and both seem to have it down in the barn and in the pastures. This is day three for cross-tie work and I am thrilled with their progress. Initially, Sovereign was completely baffled by the concept of stopping and standing still in one place. From his stall he watched intently as Pie stood "in the vicinity" of the cross-ties. I kept the lead on and slowly groomed Pie's head and neck. Then, Sovereign tried, but he had too many "ants in his pants" - he just couldn't stand still. I limited their practice time to a few minutes because they both have little baby attention spans. I tried later in the day and they did better. Yesterday, both successfully stood in the cross-ties and were groomed thoroughly, including picking out all four feet, but I still was hesitant to step too far away. Today, I pretended that I needed things in the tack room and would pop in and out of there calmly. Both horses stood quietly - Sovereign even seemed to be daydreaming! I think they like the massage aspect of grooming and now they understand the idea behind the cross-ties.