sticks out his tongue

Question
Why does my Arab/QH 10 year old gelding stop and stick out his tongue at me when I do ground exercises with him (under halter)?  He doesn't lick or move his jaw, just stands there looking at me with an odd expression, sticking his tongue out. It's almost as if he is wanting to play instead of "work".  He does this same thing with the dressage trainer who took him for several months, and now for my friend who has him since I moved out of state.  He shows no other signs of resistance.  It began when I started doing Parelli ground games with him.  Any explanation of what he is trying to tell me?

Answer
Hi Mary...

Your horse is telling you things are not right with him.  This is a stress response.  He is not right in his mind.  This is not normal horse behavior.  It is not cute or endearing, it is troubled.  You see this most often in race horses that are stressed to the point of a mental break.  You also see this in dressage horses that have been pushed beyond what they can handle.  Even with their mouths cranked shut with nosebands and other types of equipment, the horse can still push a tongue out and keep it clamped between its teeth until it turns blue.  It is tragic.  

Your horse is living a pretty stressed life.  He does not have a stable herd or home.  He is getting passed around from person to person with no consistent handling, connection or attention and this is his way of showing it.  Some horses become scared, some will buck, crib, wind suck, weave, it all depends on how they handle stress and an abnormal environment.  

I would look carefully at how you are approaching your ground school.  The "games" were based on a very classical ground school passed from Tom Dorrence to Ray Hunt and from Ray to the rest of the world.  Pat was a student of Ray's, however, everyone tends to put their own spin on what they learn and Pat is no different.  He changed what Ray taught him.  He made the information make sense to the human and become confusing to the horse.  The  message was meant for the human and the horse suffered.  Take a look at what you are trying to convey.  Listen to your horse, after all his is your best teacher.  If you are getting odd behavior, and you are, change something.  Do a bit more research and digging and find the true meaning of the "games" because they really are NOT games at all.  They were, originally, meaningful movements that took into account the ESSENTIAL NATURE of the horse.  "Games" are for humans.  Horses don't play games.  It is all a matter of survival to them.

The essential nature of the horse is to preserve itself in MIND, BODY, and SPIRIT.  It is this essential nature that the true horseman tries to use and not fight.  ~Tom Dorrence

Take responsibility for your horse Mary.  Try and offer him a deal that respects who and what he is.  The wonderful thing that is happening here is that this horse is going to require more of you. He is going to make sure you learn more about horses and horsemanship. He is going to make you a better horsewoman, thank him.

Denise