Flehmen Response After Treat

[Giddyin]

Curious if anyone has any experience with a horse doing Flehmen response after eating a certain type of treat?

It is every single time she gets the Molasses type balls/muffins. (Minty muffins, stud muffins, German horse muffins, etc.). Owned horse for 2 years and it’s only started a few months ago. She shows no signs of pain while chewing. They are her absolute favorite and the ones she gets the most excited for. She also continues licking and chewing for a few minutes afterwards and will usually yawn as well. My other horse would usually yawn after eating this type of treat, and lick and chew for a few minutes after but the flehmen response is a first for me. She gets dental done (sedation and power tools by vet who specializes in dental) every February with her next appointment in about a month. Her teeth are usually not bad and the vet allows me to see/feel before and after the float.

I just want to make sure I’m not assuming it’s from enjoyment and I’m not completely ignoring a potential issue.

[NancyM]

She thinks it tastes “funny”. LOL.

[FjordBCRF]

Yep! Totally normal in my experience. Charlie will do it with something new, or things he hasn’t had in a while.

[cayuse]

My welsh pony does this often, usually with something minty.

[2DogsFarm]

IIRC, flehmen is also related to smell.
Maybe she’s just prolonging the whole sensory experience: smell, taste, smell, swoon

[BWP]

My 2yo does this, it’s very cute!

[kaya842]

My TB mare did it pretty reliably that I easily trained her to smile (flehmen then treat va the other way around lol). It was super easy since she did it in her own and people LOVE to see her smile.

[MapleFarm]

My Friesian cross mare does it a lot - tasty treats are a sure trigger. Especially the molasses ones. My other mare … Not sure I’ve ever seen her do it! The Friesian also has a very sensitive facial nerve, and will blow her nose if I let the noseband hit low while bridling.

[ladipus]

My Gypsy Vanner mare does this alot after getting treats

[Scribbler]

Many horses do that and on a couple I’ve “captured” it as a cued trick to “smile” on demand, which amuses children.

I am caretaking one horse that has an unusual stereotypy of sucking her tongue and going into a food trance after a particularly tasty treat. Almost like she’s nursing her own tongue

There’s a lot of idiosyncratic behavior if you watch horses long enough!

[2DogsFarm]

My TB would suck his tongue after I switched to a Balkenhol snaffle (one of the earliest with an anatomical curved mouthpiece).
Not while working, but if we stood, I’d hear him.
I called it his Pacifier

My WB would lick my palm - no treat given - and get positively trancelike doing it.
Pony in the next stall watched, then tried it himself, but got bored after a few licks.

They’re funny creatures

[outerbanks77]

@2DogsFarm

IIRC, flehmen is also related to smell.
Maybe she’s just prolonging the whole sensory experience: smell, taste, smell, swoon

Yes, they’re essentially closing up the nostrils to hold the scent in longer. So I’d say she just enjoys the cookies and it’s nothing to worry about.

[sorrelfilly721]

I have one that will lick the metal rail for quite awhile after eating a treat. I thought the same thing - that she’s prolonging the experience by putting the taste on the metal and licking it back off.

[FjordBCRF]

Our reiki worker/animal communicator uses essential oils in her practice, she has a few options she lets the horses smell to see what they think to start a session. My guy apparently thought they all STUNK and made many a face. She said he said NO THANKS!