Working with "Love," my new foster horse

Love has been with us for about 2 weeks now, and I have spent a lot of time grooming her, tending to her scars & sarcoids, but had not really worked with her in the ring yet, so I decided today was a good day.

Love has come across as a very sweet mare, who loves attention & grooming, and nickers whenever you come to the barn. She stands well for doctoring and fly spray, but was a little concerned about having her feet trimmed the first time, although she relaxed into it.

We went into the ring and began playing modified "games." The first is the "friendly" game - rubbing them all over with the longe whip, which she stood well for and didn't mind at all. Then you ask them to move away from pressure - both backwards, and yielding hindquarters & the forehand which she did well. Then you ask them to do the same things using rhythm with the stick, which Love understood laterally very well, but did not get the idea of going backwards. With everything, you start with the lightest touch, and increase pressure until they give, at which time you release immediately so they understand what you're asking. What I found is that if I want Love to go backwards, I have to ask her by gently pulling the lead to her chest. No amount of arm waving/dancing the jig in front of her would get her to move her feet backwards. She just wasn't reactive to it. She did lift her head, but that's about it.

So we practiced walking and staying with me - i.e., stopping when I stop, and backing when I back. She is improving stopping when I stop (I have worked several sessions on that so she would be safer around Sammie), but I had to ask her to back by gently pulling on the lead towards her chest again. I was able to make the ask lighter by the end, but no amount of high stepping or chicken wing waving caused her to back.

It was about then that I confirmed to myself that she had not yet ever "chewed" and "mouthed" like she got something since we started. And my question is - why would a horse never do that? Not even if you stop and wait for a minute or two - her lips never moved other than to attempt to grab a blade of grass. Is that from when she was a foal? She came in with 2 other mares that look very similar, and I think she is the youngest ...

We went on to asking her to longe. We started to the left and she was still quiet and nonreactive, and walked nicely to the left. So when we started to the right I was quite surprised when I finally got her to move (which she didn't want to at first - she acted like she didn't know what I was asking and kept following me). When she finally "got it" - she bolted almost right at me - within inches of my body and let out a big buck right as she went by me. She galloped around and finally came back to the walk and stopped. Well that certainly wouldn't do. I asked with the exact same cues on each side, and for some reason, going to the right always started the same way for several times. We stopped and started (and changed directions) quite a few times. She was always quiet to the left, and to the right she started off bolting right past me. We kept repeating, staying relaxed, until she finally gave me more room, and by the end of the session, we did start off with a nice walk without cutting the corner to come right at me. I hoped that I would see a nice licking/chewing response at that point, but still, nothing. Not even as I groomed her and turned her out.

You always wonder what the rescue horses have been through before they come to you. My biggest question is -why does she not have the licking/chewing response? It is the "signal" that all natural horsemen look for, and I did not see it once. It makes it hard to judge when she "gets" something. Any thoughts?