© 2022 Copyright Statement dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing User Terms, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.
You need to be logged in to fill out this form
"*" indicates required fields
Behavior Contest Winner: An Obsessive Licker
Editor’s note: Last month, we at The Horse ran our inaugural “Why Does My Horse Do That?” video contest, sponsored by Zylkene. The winner is Cynthia Malcolm, who sent in a video of off-the-track Thoroughbred “Shorty” licking “Candy,” her Belgian-Paint mare after a meal. Cynthia is receiving a Zylkene prize pack, and renowned equine behaviorist, Sue McDonnell, PhD, Cert. AAB, of the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center has watched and evaluated the video so that we can all better understand Shorty’s behavior.
Well, just why would a horse lick another horse in this manner?
The first thing that comes to mind with this type of licking is a need or desire for salt or other mineral accumulated on the coat of the pasturemate from sweat evaporation. If he doesn’t already have access to a salt/mineral block, I would just put one near where he is fed, and see what happens. I would guess he would find it fairly quickly and divert his licking to that.
I would also watch to see if he does it only after meals. Whether he takes to the salt/mineral lick or then stops licking his pasturemate, I would also consult with an equine nutritionist to be sure his diet includes sufficient salt and minerals and adjust if needed. For example, continue to provide the free-choice salt/mineral lick. If it turns out that his diet should be providing adequate salt and minerals, but he still seems to be licking excessively and taking in more salt and/or minerals than needed, I would suggest you then consult your veterinarian to explore whether there might be some medical condition causing undue interest in and intake of salt or minerals
Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.
TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.
Start your free account today!
Already have an account?
and continue reading.
Written by:
Sue McDonnell, PhD, Certified AAB
Related Articles
Quebec Horse Positive for Strangles
Sixth Horse Confirmed Positive for Strangles at Michigan Facility
Improving Welfare for Stalled Horses with Selected Nature Sounds and Music
4 Ways to Boost Soil Health on Horse Farms
Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with
FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com
Sponsored Content
A Novel Treatment for Equine Osteoarthritis: 2.5% Polyacrylamide Hydrogel
Harnessing Fluorescent Light Energy for Horse Wounds and Skin Disease
PulseVet Shock Wave Therapy for Horses
Weekly Poll
Readers’ Most Popular
Top Categories