Nose Kisses

When Rodney arrived, he was intermittently head shy. Hands and towels were okay. Brushes were not. To address this, we went out of our way to fuss with his head: patting, touching, fiddling with his upper his lip, and so on. [Head Games, Progress]

Initially, I would hold his chin and give raspberries on the end of his nose. This seemed rude. Plus, he would spook at the noise and vibration. So, I switched to giving him kisses on the end of his nose. It was a way to have him tolerate attention to his face. It has become a thing.

Before Milton eats he must stand still to have his nosed kissed. Affection as a form of obedience. No doubt psychologically traumatizing to human beings. For horses, simply something they have learned to stand still for. When I feed in the morning, Milton is usually waiting for me at the stall door. He suffers the ritual nose kiss. I drop food in his bucket. [Milton’s Moods]

One day recently, I opened the door and Milton was in a corner of the stall. He stood there, curling his front foot, pinning his ears, and doing his impression of Wild Stallion is Hungry. I stood in the doorway. He fussed. I waited. Eventually, he shuffled up next to me. He grudgingly presented his nose.

He thinks he’s so tough.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott