Horses, as well as cats, rhinos and hedgehogs have this as a response to help their sense of smell. Raising their upper lip increases the flow of air through their nostrils which widens the scent openings behind their teeth on the upper palette.
Some horses flap their lips loudly when they are nervous or anxious, or anticipating an undesirable event. Recognize that a variety of lip movements can be considered normal, but that they might also signal anxiety or even a physical problem.
Some horses, especially older horses that are very relaxed, let their lower lip droop markedly. This is usually a normal finding. When these horses become more stimulated, the appearance changes. The key to this is that the appearance is symmetrical on left and right sides.
The flehmen response (upper lip curl) in the horse exposes certain smells directly to the vomeronasal organ. Healthy horses engage in this behavior in a variety of circumstances. Stallions perform the flehmen response when investigating or detecting a mare in heat.
If a horse is grazing in a field and they come towards you when you are around you can be sure they like you. Horses that follow your movements in their presence show they are focused on and give you 100% of their attention. If your horse follows you around when they see you, they consider you as a friend.
In the wild, as well as in domestic care, horses will show affection to one another by sharing breath with one another. Horses will put their noses together and then share the air. This tendency extends to horses showing love to their owners as well.
“Cats use the flehmen response to detect chemical stimuli, such as pheromones, that are present in urine and feces, or areas that cats have marked with scent glands,” says Dr. Sasha Gibbons of Just Cats Veterinary Hospital in Stamford, Connecticut.
Horses use body language to communicate with humans (and other horses), and one of the ways they do this is through touch. Nudging is a way for a horse to get your attention, which can signify affection or impatience. We will explore why you may get nudged by your horse and what it means when they do it.
Flehmen is the term used to describe the behavior in which a horse extends its neck, raises its head, and inhales as it rolls its upper lip back, displaying its front teeth. Expressing this behavior is called flehming or flehmening.
Lip ptosis (a.k.a. lip drooping) most often impacts the lower lip and is caused by aging, trauma, previous cosmetic procedures, or certain medical conditions. Fortunately, there are a myriad of invasive and non-invasive cosmetic procedures to correct lip ptosis and restore your desired aesthetic and function.
What is labelled disrespect usually involves things the horse does that the person does not like: crowding space, ignoring cues, barging over the person, standing too close, biting, kicking, pinning ears, rubbing his head on the person, not standing still, turning hindquarters towards the person, spooking and not ...
The quivering lip is a sign that he's comfortable and relaxed. It's just the same as a human mouth falling open when they're asleep. And just as a human will quickly close theirs when they wake up and realise, a horse will too.
Another good spot is the back and the cheeks and forehead. Be sure to stay away from the sensitive areas of the horse like the eyes, ears, muzzle, and belly of the horse. While some horses might be OK with you petting these areas, many are sensitive and won't like to be touched there.
Affection in Horse Terms
Kissing and hugging are human ideas of affection. Horses do “spar” (play fight) and bite at the lips, but that's even more of a reason not to kiss them there. Keep your horse's lips away from your lips. You don't want him to think you're playing and be bitten.
fleh·men ˈflā-mən. : a mammalian behavior (as of horses or cats) in which the animal inhales with the mouth open and upper lip curled to facilitate exposure of the vomeronasal organ to a scent or pheromone.
The flehmen response mainly helps with your horse's sense of smell. The flehmen response interacts with the vomeronasal organ near the palate to amplify smells.
The flehmen response is an animal behavior in which the animal curls back the upper lip. This exposes the front teeth and gums of the animal. This is actually a means through which the pheromones and certain scents are transferred into the vomeronasal organ.
Horses can read human facial expressions and remember a person's mood, a study has shown. The animals respond more positively to people they have previously seen smiling and are wary of those they recall frowning, scientists found.
According to results of a study conducted by researchers at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, horses do seem to read some signals to indicate whether a nearby person is stressed or afraid, at least in certain circumstances.
Horses are generally very sensitive on their heads, so it's best to start petting them on their neck. The neck, withers and shoulders are the best places to pet a horse. Horses enjoy being stroked and scratched in these areas.
The most basic equine exercise is to connect with an untethered horse in a paddock. An Equest facilitator explained that the proper way to say hello to a horse is by gently extending your closed hand. The horse returns the greeting by touching your hand with its muzzle. Simple enough.