My mare will very occasionally get fascinated snuffling someone’s ear, face, or furry parka collar. She is particularly fascinated by men with beards, and wants to keep sniffing their beards (there are no men with beards in her everyday life!). At first I was rather nervous that this would end in a chomp of my ear, but it never has. She will also, when we are walking, sometimes just touch my arm with her nose, in a kind of “you still there?” way. Sometimes, it is after I have done something she appreciates, or if she wants to be sure I’ve noticed something up ahead. All of these interactions are very gentle, very friendly, very relaxed.
On the other hand, this horse can also take a chunk out of your butt with her teeth if you do up the girth wrong. And when I started with her, she had a habit of coming up behind you and almost knocking you over with her head, to get your attention.
I do clicker training with her, and she has never once offered to nip, or made a mistake and nipped, while we are working with treats.
So I think it is not just the basic personality of the horse, but the mood they are in at that moment. Her “pissed off” pushy or aggressive manner, which I do discipline for, is different from her “happy to see you” or curious pushiness.
I realize that geldings (not to mention stallions) are very different, and can “play rough” all the time, so a very different game there.
