# Do you have a horse that likes to lick?



## usandpets (Jan 1, 2011)

I have known 2 appaloosas that are pretty constant lickers. Is that a trait of the breed? One will lick everything and anything: fences, metal gates (even in the middle of winter), my hands, and clothes, even another horse.

Does anyone else have an OCD horse with the problem of licking? What breed is your horse?


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## stephnello (Mar 31, 2011)

Mine is a trotteur (racehorse but he wasn't fast enough so didn't take part in any race), probably separated from his mother too early, he licks many things too. Actually he used to, but as years go by he licks less and less things, but he still loves to gently lick my clothes, arms, even my cheeks, and he also used to take everything in his mouth... As he was young, I let him discover things this way, but now when he's supposed to work or focus on me he knows he can't and I just have to say "no" once and that's all. But he has another "habit", that is to suck his own tongue. I explained and showed it to 2 vets who said it had no health consequence, was probably due to a premature weaning, and he does that when he feels comfortable, after being fed, after a long massage, when he's been really afraid and I came to reassure him, after a treat... That won't disappear, contrary to the licking habit which decreases.


The licking habit decreases but I didn't really act to make it disappear, I only said "no" and had him back up when it was bothering me, otherwise I just ignored him. I think it all got better when he took his place in a group of horses, became their leader, and acknowledged me as a leader and someone next to whom it is comfortable to be (safe, strokes, games...).
Oh and he pretty often licks other horses too!


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## stephnello (Mar 31, 2011)

PS: what's "OCD"?


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

Nelson loves to lick. He'll lick you, the floor, the wall, anything - he just licks. He's a TB. 

I do not think it is a breed trait, I believe this is a personal, indavidual horse trait.


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## dee (Jul 30, 2009)

Daughter's trainer has an arabian gelding that was hand raised. He seems to think he's a dog, and runs up and licks you all over. Daughters QH mare does the same thing.

My Dancer's filly, Rain, also licks you - but watch out, because it's often a preface to her starting to chew on your clothes, your hair, your fingers... She's being weaned and feeling sorry for herself!


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## Moonstruck (Apr 22, 2011)

Theres a pony at the barn I volunteer at and she likes to lick my hands. Not sure if she will lick anything else she hasn't tried though.


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## Delfina (Feb 12, 2010)

I have a Morgan that licks everything. I've never seen him lick another horse (prefers to chase them around) but he's licked practically everything else.

I found my trainer spraying the metal bars of his stall with no-chew, he was ripping off the textured grip that's on the bar that slides to open his stall so he could lick the metal. 

When I pick out his right front leg, he snuffles up under my shirt and licks my back. Only the right front and it doesn't matter what order I pick his feet in or how many times I've picked them that day. 

If he's nervous/upset, I can calm him down in seconds by offering him my hands to lick. 

It's a playful/nervous habit of my horse I think, the nervous portion of it seems to be decreasing as he matures.


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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

My guy licks anything. He cleans between his stall bars, licks my clothes, hands, etc....just a very oral kinda guy. I would agree it is personal, not a breed trait, but would question being related to maybe weaning too early? Mine is a TWH/QH, but he is a PMU, also.

**OCD is obsessive-compulsive disorder. Easiest for you to look it up than me try to explain


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## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

Soda mouths things all the time, but that is usually using his teeth. I've seen him lick my old mare's wounds before and he likes to lick me a lot. He usually licks my hands and sometimes my clothes. 

Lily will lick you if she thinks you have a treat. :lol:


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## gaelgirl (Mar 3, 2011)

My QH will like my hand, but no one else's. I haven't really noticed him licking anything else either.


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## usandpets (Jan 1, 2011)

I know that horses will lick where there is rust. Some just like the taste of it and I've heard that they will lick rust because they are lacking a mineral. I can understand them licking us for the salt when we sweat.

Our Ghost licks the hay manger after eating, the metal gate when we take him back out to pasture, your hands, arms, clothes, even your face if he can. He never bites. He likes to play with his bowl after eating too. He'll hand you his bowl if you're standing there or he'll throw it on the ground to let you know he's done and wants more, lol!

I know he wasn't weaned early. It was at 6 months old. Our TWH was weaned around 6 or 8 weeks old but she doesn't lick at all. They have a salt/mineral block in their pasture. It must just be his 'thing'.

The other horse I knew that did it, I had only seen a few times, but she would lick everything too. Both are Appys and they both are about 5 yo. Maybe it will go away as they get older. It doesn't really bother me. I just think it's amusing.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

Three of my seven are lick-aholics! Arthur, Excel, and Lenox will stand and lick my hands for as long as I'll let them. I've never quite understood what the obsession is


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## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

Soda will bite the metal gate if I'm taking Lily out instead of him.. And the barn if he thinks I'm not paying him enough attention.


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## Ray MacDonald (Dec 27, 2009)

My QH gelding licks a lot too LOL He used to lick our jackets like crazy! He has a salt and a mineral blocks in his stall but doesn't use them much.


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## kmdstar (Nov 17, 2009)

Starlite loooves to lick your hand, up your arm & clothing. Sometimes in mid-lick she'll yawn and her tongue will just hang out on your hand for a minute, so funny! LOL. She wasn't always like that, maybe just the past 2 years I've really noticed it. She is a Standardbred/QH. She also started chewing on crossties in the last year...not too often, but she never did before so it was something I noticed.


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## Zimpatico (Nov 5, 2010)

My Hano is an obsessive licker. Skin, clothing, your hair, his stall, crossties, the wall, whatever is in front of him. I've had to curb his licking with people a bit. He likes to lick, lick, nip!


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## Iseul (Mar 8, 2010)

Dude loves to lick hands/arms/clothing. I don't mind it since it doest bother me as long as he doesn't shove his nose into me, so I don't normally correct him. If someone else at the barn puts their hand in his stall, that's on them, they can get licked to death, lol. We all know each other and are pretty tight-nit, so it's never been an issue. Horses so horse things. 
He hasn't bit as far as I know, so it's cool with me.  It calms him down and it's adorable, that's cool with me.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## stephnello (Mar 31, 2011)

Thank you franknbeans, I'll look it up...


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

My tb Apache will lick just about anything. What he licks the most is his own lips, I've noticed he does it more the more he relaxes. I've seen him stand there licking his lips for a good couple of minutes straight. If you offer it he'll lick your hand.

My qh Sammy licks things occassionally. The most he has done it was one morning when I was eating my cereal out in the paddock (a bit random) sitting on the fence. He came up wanting attention and a share in the food. I gave him a bit of the dry stuff and he seemed to like it. For ages after that and after I had finished eating he stood there licking my hands and my pants and shirt it was weird hehe. Normally though he bites not people just random stuff. He doesn't suck on it or anything just holds it in his mouth. I've seen him bite a tree branch (just hold it then let go), he often bites the leadrope when tied up (sometimes resulting in untieing himself) and just holds it in his mouth. Offer anything to him and he'll eat it if edible or just hold it in his mouth for awhile before dropping it.


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

Rebel is an Anglo arab and he's obsessive with licking xD Hold out your hand and he'll lick you all day.


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## camdenqh (Apr 30, 2011)

my horse likes to lick to.. i wouldnt say its ocd but she does it pretty often.. How i got it under control tho is i turn the licking into a positive.. So every time she would go to do it i would say kiss. She eventually learned to only lick when i say that. Might want to give that a try. 
She is a quarter horse... and a halter horse which are known to me really mouthy..


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## Kato (Apr 20, 2011)

We have a Morgan Stallion at the farm where my horse is kept that is a licker. It all started about 3.5 months ago when he was put on stall rest for an injury. He only licks the two of us who clean his stall and take care of him. But he will lick our clothes, shoes, hair, faces, arms and hands. He doesn't lick anything else though. I think it is a nervous, bored action on his part, can't blame him for being bored poor guy


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## VelvetsAB (Aug 11, 2010)

_My barn has a QH lesson horse that is a licker. He is also a lip flapper..._


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## TheRoughrider21 (Aug 25, 2009)

Lakota's an obessive licker/lip player. He'll lick my hands all day if I let him and he likes to run his lips over things. And for the most part, its just me he'll do it to.


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## kayleeloveslaneandlana (Apr 10, 2011)

My Lippy/Andy/TB cross Relan loves to lick. He doesnt lick constant but he loves to give kisses!


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## Cheyennes mom (Aug 6, 2010)

do you have salt blocks in their stalls? Cheyenne licks everything because she doesn't have her salt block anymore so we have to get her another one. When she licks me she's trying to get the salt off my hands or the fence or my tack or whatever.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Mac is an Appy and he loves to lick; me, the fence, his tack . . . ?


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## Indigosblue (May 9, 2011)

The Morgan i lease loves to lick people she likes. She mainly goes for the hands or sleeves of your jacket. She also licks the bit after you take the bridle off. When if put her away in the pasture and feed her her treat, she licks the fence, but only the spot i was standing at. Weird....


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## Sarahandlola (Dec 16, 2010)

Yes a pony where I work will lick anything!! He was licking the walls yesterday so I gave him my horses lick that she does not like XD When you go near him he will lick anything nearest to him =P


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## jyuukai (Apr 19, 2011)

I had an anglo-arab who loved to lick. I named him Romeo, his particular specialty was licking the hands and arms of teen girls/young women.
Of course licking turned to biting. And no matter how much you got after him for biting it turned to agressive biting. Then that turned into lunging at people. And then that turned into kicking. And eventually he went after a little girl and kicked me in the back of the head.

Horse was PSYCHO. He wasn't afraid of anything.


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## fuadteagan (Jun 10, 2010)

Horses lick your palm of my hand when they want water. There is salt on your palm and it makes the horse thirsty therefore, they drink. Go in your horses stall after excercise and put your hand under their muzzle and they will probably lick it.


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## usandpets (Jan 1, 2011)

Cheyennes mom said:


> do you have salt blocks in their stalls? Cheyenne licks everything because she doesn't have her salt block anymore so we have to get her another one. When she licks me she's trying to get the salt off my hands or the fence or my tack or whatever.


 All of our horses are outside 24/7. They have a salt lick, which they do use. Ghost still likes to like everything and anything.


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## Lobelia Overhill (Nov 3, 2009)

my horse is an Irish Sport Horse, and he loves to lick things, especially the inside of his rug [if I leave it lying somewhere] and my elbows and neck when I'm sweaty. I bought him a minty mineral lick, but he didn't seem to keen on it!


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## Ray MacDonald (Dec 27, 2009)

Ahaha! that is soo cute!


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## Kato (Apr 20, 2011)

Our boy has a salt block in his stall and he uses it., buthe still really likes to lick. Maybe we haz a good flavr lol


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## ButtInTheDirt (Jan 16, 2011)

I have a POA that loves to lick, and they are alot like Appaloosas. He will eat practically anything, and even tries to get a hold of my clothing. Dx

Prior to this picture being taken he dragged me around not realizing that the jacket was connected to me.


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## equus717 (Aug 20, 2009)

I have a paint filly that loves to lick everything. She loves to lick my hands when she is unsure of something. It helps to calm her down. She is the only one I have that licks everything. My other horses don't do that.


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