I am so sorry for Vickie. I agree with everybody about taking control of the space; BUT I want to warn against kissing the face of all male horses, except the very old and the ones who have demonstrated no aggression for many years. Mares may be candidates, but the bad stories I know about have all been males.
Had a discussion about this with Harry Whitney some years ago when I owned a "tuff guy" Qtr. horse he was helping me with. I gave the horse a quick and noisy kiss on the muzzle and Harry said "don't do that with a horse like this he can misunderstand, he would never take that move and sound from another horse." The horse had bitten me on the arm once, small pinch that really hurt. Remember the "mother-in-law face" that Pat Parelli suggests you give a horse to show how displeased you are about what he just did. I foolishly did that in close quarters and the horse got my message then he tried but missed taking my face off by about 2". I can never forget the sight of him coming at my face, and I know Vickie will have those awful images in addition to her pain for a long time. But there was more to come. He liked to move the other gelding that he lived with around and the owner tried to get involved; she began moving him off with a whip in hand and getting on his case about nipping her horse or in his face about getting too close. One day he just lunged at her with mouth open wide -- got a hold of enough skin just below her waist and lifted her up in the air and tossed her. She had put her arms up in front of her face when he lunged at her and her shirt pulled up above her abdomen. Took a year for the physical scar to heal. I do learn, sometimes. I never make that kiss sound near any horse's face I never make "bad" faces at horses (I think it is really silly); I pat, scratch, coo, say kind words, tickle ears or just touch as sensitively as I can -- no kissing. Yet I see the kissing everywhere all the time. Women and children kiss muzzles of horses they have met for the first time! They get out of cars and hurry to fences to entice horses to come and be petted and get kissed. What is it with us? I'm sure the incidents of Icelandics taking faces off is extremely low so maybe all of us Icey owners are safe. Nancy in Sonoma
