Why does my horse lick pipe corral after eating?

I recenly adopted an appaloosa gelding. His age is unknown, but the vet at the shelter guessed 15ish. I was told that his teeth were floated (in october), however, it seems like he has trouble chewing sometimes. He also has a habbit of licking the rails right after he eats his treats or hay. I thought the licking was just because he needed a salt block (which I provided to him), but now I'm wondering if he has pain in his mouth. Its going to be a couple of weeks til the vet gets out here (with the holidays and rain coming up), so I was just wondering if any experienced horse people had any advice for me in the mean time? He was a rescued horse almost starved to death, and is still not at his ideal weight yet. His past is very unknown at this point. His joints also seem stiff, probably from being starved and lack of muscle. Even though he is slow to eat sometimes, he does always finish every last crumb. He's getting senior feed once a day/ hay twice a day.

Why does my horse lick pipe corral after eating?
My guys do it too, but its a boredom thing. They are lacking nothing and still do it.





I wouldn't worry about it.
Reply:I have seen different horses lick metal or pipe fences. Must taste good to them. Not all of them do this. Of course metal is a mineral, and maybe it is a mineral they are lacking.
Reply:you could be incredabley right but all horses have there "routines" like my horse Elvis .. each time he takes a bite of grain he picks up one of his Hooves=P
Reply:He may feel like he is needing more oral stimulation, or rather, he needed it in the past, and he found this to be satisfactory. I think if his mouth hurt, he'd avoid using it rather than what he's doing. It is a harmless pastime as long as he doesn't try to actually bite the metal. The vet may be able to help explain his stiffness for you, just make sure he doesn't have to do anything much until he's had a chance to warm up a bit. He might enjoy blanketing if he isn't blanketed already. It may help his stiffness and help him hold onto his weight. Warmed towels draped over his back, daily rubs, warm water in his bucket...these are all comforting and may help him enjoy his life with you even more.
Reply:My horses just like to rub their mouths against the gates. Sometimes they do it to hear the noise. My pony does it to tell me he's hungry. They tend to chew things when they're bored. You might want to have a vet check in case, but I wouldn't worry about it. My horses have salt blocks too, and they'll still walk around licking strange things. My filly likes to rub her lips against the window and hear the squeeking noise it makes.
Reply:your horse is more than likely mineral hungry