Horse rubbing nose on you being friendly or disrespectful?

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EJ87

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Just wondered if anyone with more horse body language reading skills out there than me can shed some light on my mare new thing! She had really bad colic a few weeks ago but thankfully is on the mend now but since then has started this head rubbing thing all the time and I dont really know what shes means by it so dont know whether to accept it as a horse hug all be it rough or disipline her and tell her no?

When I put headcoller on her in morning and lead her out of her stable two strides and shel rub her nose on me. We stop at end of driveway to cross road and shel rub me again. When i catch her in evening and stop to open gate shel rub on me and again when I close it and even when we are walking. I thought she was itchy but if i give her nose a good scratch she dosnt like it shel pull away.

Yesterday even when I was sitting in her paddock having a wee moment to myself everytime she went to go past me she came over gave my head a sniff and then rubber her nose on my head and shoulder. she did thins everytime she walked past or come near me.

I dont know really what to do with this she has only started it after her colic but it can be quite forcefull would nearly knock you over if you didnt know she was going to do it, dosnt know her own strength.

Any light on this would be great. Thanks
 
Sorry but the image of your mare sneaking up on you to rub her nose on you was quite amusing:D.

Mine rubs his big nose on me, only when I put sun tan lotion on it. Clearly he is trying to get it off as he doesnt like it. Other than that he never bothers:rolleyes:.
 
My boy rubs his forehead against my hip when I am leading him back to the yard after riding him. I only let him do it if he has been a good boy - I like to think that he recognises it as his reward for good behaviour!

He also nuzzles the top of my head/shoulders/neck when ever I am doing anything around his front feet (only time he can reach :)) and I like to think that he thinks he is grooming me :o

He does get a biff on the nose if a nuzzle turns into a nip though, I'm not a total push over.
 
I'm interested to read this as my horse rubs her face on me and I'm never quite sure how to take it.

Mine only does it after I've ridden her and seeing as I usually scratch under her forelock to praise her when she's been good in the school, maybe it's my own fault she does it as I suppose I'm doing it to her. I never quite know whether she's asking for praise or wiping her sweat on me/being disrespectful!
 
Mine does it when he first sees me everyday. I think it's a sign of affection and showing how they are totally comfortable nuzzling you! I love it!!!
 
If you see two horses together & one is rubbing his head on the other I think it's safe to say you would think they were chums & being friendly. So I assumee they are being friendly when doing it to people, it's just that they are heavy & strong & so have to be pushed away but I always give them a ear tickle at the same time !:)
 
Depends really. If you watch horses in a herd, submissive horses will nuzzle & groom horses above them in the pecking order, but they do seek permission first, whereas they don't with horses below them. So I think its more about the approach & where they view you in the pecking order. If your mare is generally respectful of you & your bodyspace, then its likely some aspect of your body language is giving her permission. In which case its only 'wrong' if it becomes a nuisance, eg her stopping while leading. If however she generally has little respect & invades your space regularly, then its just another sign she views you as beneath her in the pecking order.
 
My sisters gelding does it all of the time - I hate it - I think it's absolutely disrespectful & tell him so if I'm dealing with him :rolleyes:
He doesn't do it with his nose, he does it with his entire head & it can take you off your feet if you're not ready for it!
 
I think it depends! H gives me really soft, gentle 'nuzzles' which I am sure are affectionate but old loaner horse would rub her head, given half a chance, very hard and roughly - which was surely to scratch an itch (and NOT affectionate!) :p

H has also taken to leaning his chin on my shoulder and dropping off if I am chatting too long! ;) Lovely, warm breaths in my ear :D
 
Sounds like affection to me, some of my older horses do it to me with the younger ones tending to just touch me with there nose. You can normally tell whether they just want to scratch an itch in which case i dont let them rub against me and instead scratch the spot thats itchy. If they arnt itchy i will make them move away from me if they persist. I also let mine scratch against me if they had have done a hard sessions work and are really sweat, i see it as a type of reward. :)
 
Mine will do the same. I see it as affection and getting a nice scratch. If she starts getting too rough I take a step back and then she rubs more gently. If she's titting about I'll say No and she stops.

I leave her to it and will often help her have a good old scratch as I see no reason not to. If she was throwing herself at me with no manners and didn't listen when I asked her to stop then it would not happen any more.
Likewise when leading/working I wouldn't accept it. Being that when she was out and about she never tried it on, I would class it as more affection than pushing weight around or it would be done when leading.

Pan
 
I see it as disrespectful when he shoves me about with it as he seems to often try and get 'one up' on me (and he has been known to bite) but sometimes if he is being nice and rubs me lightly I take it differently (if I'm giving him a rub and inviting it) or after riding I might let him but only after bridle off as I do not appreciate a fulmer snaffle up under a rib!
 
I always thought it was affection. My old boy used to do it all the time but he was pretty rough sometimes! My girl never did it until the old boy passed away and now every morning I get a fairly gentle head rub! I feel this is my morning welcome! I watched her itching on her stable one day and she was much rougher than when she does it to me !
 
Afraid I don't allow it, while it might be cute wearing yard clothes it's not so funny when I'm in work clothes or at a competition - I don't appreciate being covered in green slobber then :rolleyes: :D I don't think it's fair to let them do it sometimes and other times not, so I don't let them. Meanie that I am!
 
Funnily enough, I got rubbed this morning by a friend's 16yo Highland stallion over a stable half door and wondered the same thing. I don't think he could smell my mares as I'd just come home from a hospital visit and was in my best clothes. I also got the back of my hand licked by that and by another stallion. I think he would also like to have pushed me with his nose but I'd taken a step back. I took it as a sign of affection, but I could be quite wrong!

Dogs will rub their faces on you sometimes. Visitors are highly flattered when my dogs do it to them. I don't like to break it to them that they are just cleaning their faces after eating something particularly juicey (and probably equally disgusting!).
 
The only time my boy does this is after I take the bridle off - I give the sides of his mouth a rub with both hands and then he rubs his head on me, he can get quite intent on doing it!

However, he only ever does it with me, absolutely no one else and always stops when I tell him too.

So, I tend to take it as a form of affection as he is not a demonstrative horse and likes to keep himself to himself. He hates hugs!!
 
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