More on Licking and Chewing and Arabian Horses

Yesterday's post, What's Up with Licking and Chewing and Arabian Horses
has generated quite a response. When I began thinking about responses to the comments I realized another post was probably in order. So here goes.

The overwhelming consensus is using licking and chewing as a training tool or guide works. Although it still sounds like there are an assortment of ideas about what it means as far as the horse is concerned. Is the horse relaxing because he finally got it? Is the horse relaxing because he tried really hard? Is it because the horse needs to relax after trying so hard?

Probably the horse is the only one that's ever really going to know the answer to most of those questions. But here are a few more things to throw into the mix.

Remember the trainer that I said would stick his fingers into the horse's mouth to cause it to lick and chew at the end of a try? He contended that even if the horse was not willing to give it up on its own volition, causing it to happen enhanced the training process. Since the time I worked with this trainer I have meet a couple of others who believe and practice the same thing.

That would suggest that the very action of licking and chewing plays a role in the learning. That it's not just an indication of learning but somehow a catalyst in the learning. Having tried his method on horses who are reluctant to lick and chew on their own, I can tell you it undoubtedly has helped me in their progress.

If I am working with a horse and think a lick or chew should have been a reasonable response by now, but none has come, I will induce it. The result is usually an "immediate" breakthrough with the horse.

The horse might not "learn" the response on that lick and chew but within another request or two the response from the horse has increased dramatically. The horse appears somehow to be more receptive to learning. Also, I find that when I encourage a horse to lick and chew this way, over time I have a horse who is beginning to do it on his own. It's almost like the horse had to be taught it was part of the process.

Notablogger mentions in her comment about horses she has had who never lick and chew. I would suggest those horses would be great candidates to have licking and chewing induced during their training sessions.

No matter how licking and chewing works for the horse, relaxation must be a part of the key. Since the chiropractor does achieve it with a successful adjustment, it only makes sense. I know from my own experience that pushing the offending part back into place is definitely stressful and once it is where it belongs there is a sense of relief followed by an involuntary relaxation.

Equine chiropractors use the amount of the lick and chew as a gauge for whether they have gotten a complete or a partial correction. On a difficult adjustment, if the appropriate lick and chew isn't attained, the chiropractor will repeat the adjustment until he gets the measure he believes is appropriate. I never seen a chiropractor that thought he needed more who ended up being wrong. And usually the overall response for the horse support this.

And then for Ro's horse in the trailer incident This horse went through a very stressful incident and afterwards was licking her hand.

I have had experience with this as well. Over the years I've experienced a number of horses after stressful or even during stressful situations that will lick an attendant's hand. I've always thought that this was a soothing thing for the horse. But it is only licking. I have never seen chewing involved in these types of situations. To me that would suggest it has it's very own role.

As surprised as I was by the amount of response to this subject, what surprised me the most was not one person asked what explanation I heard that I thought was stupid. I guess it surprised me because I had mentioned "good" trainers being my sources of information. But then maybe I wasn't clear that it was one of the "good" ones that said something I thought was so stupid. Maybe I should just sneak by and forget I said it at all.

In this picture, Reflection is just getting ready to lick and chew.

Part 3 Submission


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