equine flehmen response

This is a photo of a female horse exhibiting the equine flehmen response. Horses do the flehmen response in response to several stimuli. Most frequently the equine flehmen response can be seen in stallions when they smell the urine of a mare in heat, however the equine flehmen response can occur in response to any smell. The lifting of the upper lip helps a horse more clearly smell, analyze, and process a scent in their environment. Horses of both genders may perform the equine flehmen response when tasting a new food, having a new horse introduced to their herd, or scanning an area for predators. Our aplha mare can be induced to exhibiting the flehmen response by feeding her peppermints! The mare pictured is standing near the fence to a paddock where a new horse has just been itroduced.