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One of the most interesting and most difficult aspects of horsemanship is learning to understand our horses and relate to them on horse terms. It always fascinates me that people consider themselves superior to animals and yet expect animals to learn our language rather than the other way around. Horses and dogs both learn to respond to complicated human demands but people often misinterpret basic horse and dog communication. Building trust As prey animals, horses have a very strong sense of self-preservation. Their instincts are to run quickly from any threat and to stay within
the security of the herd. With good training and positive experiences behind him and a confident rider sitting on top, a mature horse will
follow directions instead of instinct to a large extent. But we have to realize that the flight and herd instincts are just below the surface. It's
our responsibility to build the trust that keeps instinct in check and the horse manageable. Understanding what horses are saying Consistency and follow-through are simply a matter of self-discipline on our part, but appropriate response is only possible if we understand
what we are responding to. In other words, we have to learn to understand what our horses are saying. After all, why should a horse
trust a person who responds angrily to her fear on the one hand, or sheepishly to her
bravado on the other? Horses are social animals. As herd members, they interact with other horses
continually and use a system of communication to let herd-mates know what they
want and don't want. (Animal behaviourists disagree about how much animal
communication is under conscious control and how much is automatic reaction to a
stimulus, but that argument needn't concern us here.) Equine body language The most obvious signal is overall body outline. It's easy to tell the difference between the high, rounded outline of an excited horse and the flat outline of a relaxed one. Ears Ears are good indicators. They point in the direction of the horse's attention. Both ears pricked forward may look pretty, but when you're riding, you want at least one ear on you. Ears pinned back indicate anger or fear. (Fear and anger are closely related in people too.) Ears moving back and forth often indicate uncertainty. Some beginners misinterpret any backward pointing of the ears as anger, but it's the horse with ears flat back who's liable to kick. Tail The tail is also very expressive. 'High-tailing' is a well-known sign of excitement, but did you realize horses flatten their tails between their legs like dogs when frightened? A horse who scoots away from something with his tail tucked under is truly scared. Tail lashing is a sign of irritation and annoyance. A kinked tail is a sign of submissive fear and often precedes a buck. Facial signals More subtle for us are facial signals. In her book
The Horse's Mind,
Lucy Rees has a diagram of mouth and nose signals. A long nose and tight mouth
show anxiety and fear. Horses will also show 'worry wrinkles' above the eyes.
Watch a horse being taught something new. At first, his mouth will be tight.
Then in the moment he understands, you'll often see the mouth relax and chew. © 2001 reproduced in any form without written permission of the author. Please feel free to link to this page. MORE ABOUT THE CHARACTERISTICS OF HORSES
Horse Behaviour
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