Q: Why Does My Horse Flap His Lips?

Posted by Laura Thompson Apr 13, 2009

Last month, I received a question from a Suite101 reader about her horse:

My 5-year-old gelding will be standing still in his stall or in the arena while we are taking a break, and all of a sudden he'll start shaking his head up and down so his lips flap insanely. What does this mean? Is something bothering him?

Believe it or not, I've actually seen this behavior before, and you can rest assured that it isn't an indication of pain. If your horse was experiencing pain in his mouth, he might shake his head but he wouldn't do it in order to flap his lips.

However, it might mean that your horse is easily bored. Do you also have a problem with cribbing or weaving? Since he only does this when standing in his stall or in the area, this indicates that your horse is simply trying to amuse himself.

It could also be a nervous habit, like chewing your fingernails or tapping your fingers. Horses need to work off nervous energy as well, and your horse might suffer from anxiety. You can talk to your veterinarian if you think this might be a chronic problem.

The problem is that horses will often do this at inconvenient times, such as in the show ring. If you don't like the behavior, stop the horse as soon as he starts flapping and correct him with a sharp, "No!"

Have a horse question? Send it to Horses@Suite101.com and Laura Thompson will provide an answer, either in a private e-mail or in a blog post.