Hi everyone! Today’s article is going to be all about horse body language. Understanding your horse’s body language is essential to helping riders build a relationship with their horse, communicate with them in the best way possible, and acted to their needs if necessary. A lot of us may know most of these from simply being around horses, but we might learn some new body language we didn’t know too! Without further ado, let’s get into it! I’ll be going through each body part, explaining each scenario, what it means, and what you should do in each case.
The Horse’s Ears
Turned out to the side: relaxed or asleep. Try to interact with a horse who has their ears turned out because you might scare them and they could kick or run you over. Try calling their name or making noise with something and wait until they are paying attention.
Turned back: listening to something behind them, trying to figure out what a sound is and how to react. If their tail is swishing or there are other signs of nervousness, the horse may become angry. Stay calm in case they decide to react negatively.
Moving quickly in many directions: this means the horse is anxious or scared. They may also be overwhelmed. Try your best to calm them or turn them away from whatever is making them spooky.
Pinned back: Pinned back ears usually mean the horse is angry. Stay calm and alert in case the horse decides to bolt. If you are doing something they usually don’t like such as tightening their girth, have someone stand by if possible to calm the horse and prevent kicking or biting.
Forward: paying attention to surroundings. This one is pretty self explanatory and doesn’t really need an explanation. :)
Head
Lowered: Relaxed, calm or asleep. If your horse looks like this, call their name or approach directly do you don’t scare them.
Raised up: Focused on something far away and trying to decide what they should do, either run, investigate, or leave it alone. Be prepared for the horse to spook or bolt if they think they are in danger, and to prevent it try to direct their attention back to you. If your are riding your horse and they lift their head up, they are probably in pain. Halt them and figure out what is causing the discomfort.
Waving side to side: the horse is angry and about to fight. Find out why the horse is upset and find aa way to calm them down so that neither of you get injured. Some suggestions for this are to move them away from the situation or bring their attention back to you if possible.
Front legs
Spread out: scared, be prepared for bolt and stay alert. If a horse is standing like this it could also mean they are injured, not getting enough food or having a problem with their nervous system.
Pawing: Digging out of boredom or impatient, tired of standing around. Talk to them to ease them, or give them a treat after they calm down. Some horses may also use pawing to show they are angry and will get aggressive. lf they look like they are about to bite or hit, move other horses away and refocus their attention by moving them away.
Kick: If a horse looks like they are about to kick their front leg forward, move away immediately. Kicks usually occur out of defense or aggression, and if they kick you hard enough you could get seriously injured. If a horse is about to kick, they will give warnings such as pinned ears or a swishing tail.
Hind legs
Cocked: relaxed or resting. The hose may occasionally shift their weight between legs, but if it happens often the horse may be in pain and its best to call the vet. If a horse cocks their hind leg when they are irritated, they may also lift their head. If this is the case, move them away from what is bothering them.
Raised: irritated or annoyed either by a fly or person. Move away to avoid injury. The more aggressive the horse feels, they will show more warning signs such as shaking their head or lifting it. Redirect their attention by moving them away or working them
There’s so many more body language signs to go over, but this article would be way too long if i went over them all! I might do a seperate one on the rest in the future. What body language does your horse use the most? Let me know in the comments! I hope this article will be helpful to you as you form bonds with any equine friends you come across!
Until next time,
Bry
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