Licking and Chewing behaviour

[lisae]

As soon as my filly went into training, and started realizing what was required of her, she began to show the licking and chewing that NH clinicians are always talking about. When I said to the trainer, "gee she never did that at home" she replied "thats because you are not perceived as the herd leader".

OK, but I spend a lot of time observing my three horses (beats doing housework...) and I have never seen L&C used among them! I see plenty of hiearchy management, and poor Grace (at the bottom) gets roundly trounced periodically by the middleman. While she's being chased, she makes the foal grimace to try and get Mara to stop. Afterwards, she does not L&C, she comes up and holds her nose out, or tips her head under the leader in a faux nursing position.

Now that Mara is home and we are working regularly, I'm seeing the L&C response used by her to me, after successful lunging.

Has anyone else seen L&C behaviour between horses? Or is this something they reserve for humans?

I rarely if ever got the foal grimace even when they were little, as I don't usually use body language big enough to scare them. But they will make foaly face to humans when they are actually still foals.

Is L&C a modified foal face? Thanks.

[Naturally]

I see our pony do it all the time. She is highly dominated by our gelding.

I was also watching a DVD tonight which was two dominant horses together for the first time and playing the games they play. There was much licking and chewing going on, especially when one horse won a particular game.

[mayS]

I always wondered where it came from. My one horsey friend has had horses her whole life. When I asked her she explained it may be related to foals who (in her words) "clack their teeth". I've never had a foal, so I've never seen what she means. Does this explanation make sense?

I do know you don't have to do Parelli or formal NH training tricks to get the lick-and-chew. My horses both do it when I do my own version of groundwork (mainly Clicker).

[Naturally]

I always wondered where it came from. My one horsey friend has had horses her whole life. When I asked her she explained it may be related to foals who (in her words) "clack their teeth". I've never had a foal, so I've never seen what she means. Does this explanation make sense?

I do know you don't have to do Parelli or formal NH training tricks to get the lick-and-chew. My horses both do it when I do my own version of groundwork (mainly Clicker).


My understanding with the foals clacking their teeth is that it's just like a simulated suckling response, but I'm not positive on that. Kind of a defensive, "don't hurt me I'm just a baby" routine.

It has nothing to do with what style training, It's all about the horse on this one. Dr R M Miller has just released a book called "the revolution of horsemanship" and he explains it in that. I'd have to re-read it to get it right, but I think it is some kind of enzyme release that stimulates the saliver glands when the horse gains an understanding of what it is we or other horses are asking of them. Parelli refers to it as "digesting a thought".

[galadriel]

Horses also lick and chew when I start getting a breakthrough in a therapeutic massage. (They may also yawn repeatedly, and we also tend to get LOUD digestive noises, especially when working on certain muscle groups.)

[Naturally]

Horses also lick and chew when I start getting a breakthrough in a therapeutic massage. (They may also yawn repeatedly, and we also tend to get LOUD digestive noises, especially when working on certain muscle groups.)

We get the same with Bowen Therapy too. Interesting isn't it. I don't know that human's show the same outward signs, but I suppose we have more knowledge of what it is that's being done to us.

[Francis Burton]

I have seen horses "lick and chew" after being stressed e.g. getting a fright, or being chased. I think it may be a sign of relaxing, when the saliva starts to flow again after the mouth has been dry from the adrenaline.

[Francis Burton]

Oh, and I have also seen it in horses who are expecting to be fed soon (could be saliva again?). Also, one stallion I know does it when he sees me bringing his headcollar to take him for a walk (which he enjoys) - another form of anticipation?

Given the number of different replies, it seems unlikely that there is just one meaning or cause of "licking and chewing".

[Tootsie4U]

I didnt think it was a submissive gesture. Im thinking hard and I dont recall Lyons, Parelli, etc. claiming it to be either..... I could be wrong, wouldnt be the first time. Or, do you mean the teeth clapping foals do? That surely is a ' Im little, please dont hurt me' submission for sure.

I always understood it to be more of a relaxation response and/or a response that says 'ok, yes, I get it, I understand, Im calm' during training.

Hmmm... you have me wondering now...

[Morwenstow Stud]

I didnt think it was a submissive gesture. Im thinking hard and I dont recall Lyons, Parelli, etc. claiming it to be either..... I could be wrong, wouldnt be the first time. Or, do you mean the teeth clapping foals do? That surely is a ' Im little, please dont hurt me' submission for sure.

I always understood it to be more of a relaxation response and/or a response that says 'ok, yes, I get it, I understand, Im calm' during training.

Hmmm... you have me wondering now...



My foals all 'clack' their teeth when approaching an adult in their herd.More so when they approach the man of the herd, the colt (their sire).It's definite submission. I do parelli type groundwork with some of my lot and they all lick and chew when happy and relaxed and willing to work.When they're unsure or stressed or not wanting to work they go quite tight in the mouth. They're also very licky in the field when I go to see them and they're nice and relaxed.

[chev]

It's not just foals who 'clack their teeth'. I regularly see our yearling colt do it when he's been in for grooming or out walking, and then goes back out with the two geldings he lives with. He also did it turned out with the big mare. We also have a two year old gelding who still does it very occasionally when he meets a new horse. It seems to be rare for a herd to chase away a horse that makes that gesture too; they seem to be accepted very readily.

I do see ours lick and chew in a few different situations. One is when a horse higher up than they are moves them out the way - I quite often see the lower horse give a quick grind of their teeth as they go, even though it's a very peaceful exchange and both horses are happy and relaxed. I've seen them do it when I groom them, or when they're dozing in the sun. I saw Lili do it an awful lot when her foal fed this year - she'd get this dreamy look on her face and stand licking her lips while baby suckled. Gelfy does it when massaged.

I'm sure Monty Roberts promoted the idea that it was a submissive gesture - it was one of the signals he looked for in join-up. The idea was that horses licked and chewed when they'd had enough of being made to work and wanted to come in and accept him as in charge.

I think it is submissive in some situations; but I think it has several uses not connected (directly at least) to submission too.

[katefarmer]

I see licking and chewing all the time - and it's almost always a sign of relaxation - or "digesting" something that has happened. It's not really submission - more "oh... I get it!". One theory (as "naturally" mentioned) is that when the horse either is tense or is very focussed and concentrating hard, saliva collects in its mouth - or could be a rush of saliva as it starts to relax. Either way, when it starts to relax it notices it has a mouthful of saliva, and the licking and chewing clears it. This may well be the case, and certainly fits with most situations in which we see it - though as Chev said, sometimes they just chew when they're relaxed with nothing in particular happening beforehand. The key thing is it indicates relaxation, and specifically the relaxation of the lower jaw - something we want all the time when riding.

I think Chev is right, the idea of licking and chewing being submissive came from Monty Roberts, who noticed it came before the horse hooks on in the round pen and thought it was to do with submission before hooking on. However, when we look at the broader context in which horses lick and chew, this is clearly not the case - and the licking and chewing he was noticing was in response to him taking off the pressure of driving the horse around and therefore allowing it to relax. When you hook a horse on more gently, the licking and chewing often comes after they are in the middle, as you will have worked with the idea of the person as the solution much earlier in the process.

"Snapping" or the "clacking" described here seen in foals and young horses is submission and/or an appeal for acceptance and protection. Foals and young horses do this all the time to older, higher ranking horses. Mares often do it too when accepting a stallion, and you sometimes also see it when a new horse is introduced to an established herd and asks for acceptance. It can be seen in other circumstances too, and the human translation depends a bit on the situation - but it's always an expression of non-aggressive intent.

Cheers

Kate
www.harmony-project.net

[janet hakeney]

Licking and chewing is a sign that they are processing information.