Filly 'talking' ??

[juliehannah58]

My filly does a really strange (but quite amusing!) thing when she goes over to see the two mares in the next paddock over the fence. She opens and closes her mouth as if she's talking! I've never seen anything like it before and she never does it to us or to her dam. Is it a passive sign or something? I thought perhaps her teeth coming through but she only ever does it when she's saying hello to them and she's 13 weeks now and been doing this for about 6 weeks.

It does make me giggle I have to say! She's been checked over by vet twice in her life and they were both happy she is 100% healthy and normal in her mouth so it's a mystery!

Anyone else ever seen this??

 

[ASM2]

Sounds like she's champing - foals do it to their mothers (and hopefully us too!) as a submissive sign and often when they meet new horses. My 2 year old still does it to the ponies!

 

[Daisy11]

yer its normal my colt does it to the gelding next door and too his mum

 

[juliehannah58]

How funny! I've never heard of it before but it definitely sounds like that's what she's doing! She hasn;t done it to me but is a very good girl to do so hopefully she doesn't feel the need. I've only seen her do it to her poor mum once but then she doesn't tend to listen to a word she says! Little terror

Thanks for that, I am enlightened!

 

[CrazyMare]

Yes mine does it too - very cute to watch!!!

 

[no_no_nanette]

Its a submission sign that youngsters do with adults in the herd - "I'm littler than you, please don't hurt me" .... Monty Roberts uses these signals in working with adult horses to tell when they are ready to "submit" to coming in close to the human handler after having been sent away. My yearling now does it to his mum, having been reintroduced to her, and also to the gelding who he's turned out with ... but he's very sneaky with it, 'cos when he thinks Storm has got the message, he will whip behind him and nip him on the bum, and then instantly go into licking and chewing again ..... "It wasn't me, sir, honest!"

 

[Kate260881]

My girl goes this and is 5!! Moved her to a field a couple of weeks ago and she was talking to the horses over the gate and was doing this really really pronounced. She licks and chews when you do join up with her but this was much much more exaggerated. Like, opening her mouth as wide as she can when doing it. Made me laugh as she looks like a plonker

Doesn't do it with horses she knows though and she is the submissive one with her friends.

 

[volatis]

our foals do it to the other mares in the herd. Valiant (yearling) still does it when he is introduced to a new horse