I bought the new guy in january and he arrived at the barn 1st of february. He is very sweet, and loves attention. He has been recently starting to lick me. It’s very odd. It could be my shirt in the front, or my sleeve, or my bare arm. I usually tell him he is being weird and to stop being so silly. but it’s really quite cute. Today the farier came out and i had to hold the helter up so he would not lick him on the head. What a strange and funny horse. but i love the personality.
My dog likes to aggressively lick my feet.
Maybe it’s because of the salt.
: p
it’s not that. he is licking my shirt as well as my arm, and i’m not salty or sweaty at the time. it’s just affection.
My first horse was a licker. Just your hand if you held it under his face, but he’d lick that hand until he practically fell asleep. It seemed very relaxing for him.
My guy is a licker. Both human hands and faces as well as other horses. We used to go trail riding with a mare who was not the friendliest mare on the planet and they’d trailer together in a stock trailer and we would get to the trail head and he would just be standing there licking her neck. He gets the happiest look on his face.
If it is new, it would be wise to rule out a deficiency in the diet.
Otherwise I personally am not a fan of licking (although I find dogs worse!). I just generally don’t like mouthiness, and more specifically getting covered in goobers.
But that’s just me!! 
My horse is a life-long licker. He licked me the first time I met him when he was 2 and a half months old and has kept licking me since. I find it quite endearing (except when I’m wearing show clothes :winkgrin:)
Mine does the same thing. She will lick anything! Shirt, hand, arm, farriers back and neck and even a plastic picnic table at a show once. I learned from the breeder that my mares mother did the same thing.
I thought I was alone in the world with a horse-dog. 
I always thought of it as a sign of affection.
I have a licker, for 14 years now, and he’s well known around the barn for it. The kids love it. He’ll lick bare skin, clothing, whatever. He’s a stunningly handsome sabino Paint and attracts a lot of attention from strangers. Whenever they ask if he bites, I say no, but he might lick you to death.
I have decided that it is his “spot,” just like a lot of horses enjoy being rubbed in a particular area.
I took care of a standardbred mare that was used as a roadhorse on the Ky County Fair show circuit she had to lick the stalls clean …do not know how many thousands of cob webs she ate
I’ve known horses that truly did just lick, and were harmless (if gooey to be around).
If it starts to progress to nips, though, you need to shut it down right away.
And I would always be careful not to let him lick my nose, ears, etc., things that could be damaged.
Be aware that not everyone (including farrier, vet, stable help, coach, trainer) will necessarily find this endearing
I’d suggest training him some cue or body language that says: yes, okay, come cuddle now, but also a cue that says: stay in your own space, don’t lick or cuddle. He should be able to refrain from this when you don’t want him to do it.
I have one also. There are cleaner spots on the walls and stall doors where he stands while being groomed. He will lick people, clothes, my car, walls, doors, etc… He always does it after he gets a treat, not usually at any other time.
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I’ve known horses that truly did just lick, and were harmless (if gooey to be around).
If it starts to progress to nips, though, you need to shut it down right away.
And I would always be careful not to let him lick my nose, ears, etc., things that could be damaged.
Be aware that not everyone (including farrier, vet, stable help, coach, trainer) will necessarily find this endearing
I’d suggest training him some cue or body language that says: yes, okay, come cuddle now, but also a cue that says: stay in your own space, don’t lick or cuddle. He should be able to refrain from this when you don’t want him to do it.[/QUOTE]
thanks but i have been around horses for 37 yrs, so i think i can handle it.
My mare likes to lick too. She’s especially fond of licking the tops of my thighs when I wear blue jeans, LOL. I think the texture is appealing for some odd reason. She was an orphan foal and is a bit more human-oriented in some ways, but she’s a good girl overall.
I have a hand licker who sticks his tongue out for you to rub. He must have been tongue tied at the track because before you put his bridle on he licks your hands and then shoves his tongue out and waits for you to rub it.
My gelding :rolleyes:. He also licks other horses if they stay still, which they don’t because they hate it, so everyone runs from him and he learned to chase and now he’s an asshole. :lol:
