Thursday, January 17, 2008
Understanding A Horse Body Language
Learning to communicate and develop a relationship with your horse goes two ways. We must become attune to how a horse uses its body to show feelings. In turn, the horse must be able to interpret our behavior to know what we expect of him. A horse uses different parts of his body, eyes, ears, legs and tail, to express such emotions as fear, aggressive, playfulness, and excitement. Being sensitive to a horse’s need for safety and trust is the first step to bonding as a team.
When thinking about Rasheeda’s first encounter with Model was not very inviting, on Model’s part. She was in a new environment full of strangers. She communicated this through her body language. Whenever Rasheeda approached Model, she would back away with her ears back. It was only over a period of time that she would approach Rasheeda to be groomed.
Model’s behavior was understandable. It is only through persistence and soft persuasion that Rasheeda began the process of gaining Model’s trust.
Like any task at which you are trying to develop a level of proficiency, the more you work with a horse the more confident you will become in interpreting its behavior and responses. A horses use various parts of its body in responding to its environment – ears, lips, legs, tail, even facial expressions. As you work toward building a relationship with your horse, you must be able to read his body language in various situations. This will be essential when time comes for you to begin training your horse or communicating with him as a rider.
You want to observe your horse in different settings. What is he like in the pasture? How does he interact with other horses? What makes him nervous, anxious or excited? How does he display fear or distrust? What is he like when he’s relax? How do you know when he is focus on you or distracted by something?
Personal safety dictates that you realize signs of aggression. The task of understanding what your horse is trying to communicate will depend on a number of factors: the overall “personality of the horse”, is it by nature passive or somewhat aggressive. How you approach the horse – are you a stranger approaching the horse from the front or from behind? Is the horse interpreting your approach as predatory?
Some of the common signals displayed by horses include:
Bonding with your horse will not happen overnight. You must be willing to invest the time to get to know your horse to the point where you can recognize and understand subtle changes in his behavior or responses. Working with horses is both an art and a science and how you put your horse at ease and gain his trust is a function of how the horse is interpreting your actions. There are signals that the horse gives that shows how he is responding to you and what is immediately happening in his environment. The basic signals such as tail swishing, bucking and even licking can have different meanings within different contexts. There are many resources available on understanding horse behavior, many hold disclaimers, which should be only as a guide to help you know your horse. Horses are complex. As a new horse owner, do not simplify the nature of the horse. Be patient. You are in horse ownership for the long-term. Give yourself time to develop a win-win situation for both you and your horse.
Horse Safe: A complete Guide to Equine Safety
Encyclopedia of Farm Animal Behavior Information
The Basics of Equine Behavior
Understanding Horse Behavior
My Horse University
Horse Behavior and Welfare:
Michigan State University Extension
When thinking about Rasheeda’s first encounter with Model was not very inviting, on Model’s part. She was in a new environment full of strangers. She communicated this through her body language. Whenever Rasheeda approached Model, she would back away with her ears back. It was only over a period of time that she would approach Rasheeda to be groomed.
Model’s behavior was understandable. It is only through persistence and soft persuasion that Rasheeda began the process of gaining Model’s trust.
Like any task at which you are trying to develop a level of proficiency, the more you work with a horse the more confident you will become in interpreting its behavior and responses. A horses use various parts of its body in responding to its environment – ears, lips, legs, tail, even facial expressions. As you work toward building a relationship with your horse, you must be able to read his body language in various situations. This will be essential when time comes for you to begin training your horse or communicating with him as a rider.
You want to observe your horse in different settings. What is he like in the pasture? How does he interact with other horses? What makes him nervous, anxious or excited? How does he display fear or distrust? What is he like when he’s relax? How do you know when he is focus on you or distracted by something?
Personal safety dictates that you realize signs of aggression. The task of understanding what your horse is trying to communicate will depend on a number of factors: the overall “personality of the horse”, is it by nature passive or somewhat aggressive. How you approach the horse – are you a stranger approaching the horse from the front or from behind? Is the horse interpreting your approach as predatory?
Some of the common signals displayed by horses include:
- Holding his head down: this usually indicate that the horse is relax;
- Lowering head, licking and chewing: many interpret this behavior as submissive
- Holding his head high: this tends to be a sign of resistence
- Ears back, teeth showing – these are warning signs that could mean aggression, anger, a high level of alertness.
- Ears held in an upward position toward you means that the horse is attentive to your directions, focus and listening to you
- Tail swishing – this tend to indicate that something is agitating your horse. It could also mean that he is bothered by flies and other pests.
- Bucking – horses will buck and run around the pasture. This is their way engaging in playful games and activities
- Turning his rear end toward you – another warning sign, the horse may be preparing to kick.
Bonding with your horse will not happen overnight. You must be willing to invest the time to get to know your horse to the point where you can recognize and understand subtle changes in his behavior or responses. Working with horses is both an art and a science and how you put your horse at ease and gain his trust is a function of how the horse is interpreting your actions. There are signals that the horse gives that shows how he is responding to you and what is immediately happening in his environment. The basic signals such as tail swishing, bucking and even licking can have different meanings within different contexts. There are many resources available on understanding horse behavior, many hold disclaimers, which should be only as a guide to help you know your horse. Horses are complex. As a new horse owner, do not simplify the nature of the horse. Be patient. You are in horse ownership for the long-term. Give yourself time to develop a win-win situation for both you and your horse.
Click on the Links Below for Additional Resources
Horse Safe: A complete Guide to Equine Safety
Encyclopedia of Farm Animal Behavior Information
The Basics of Equine Behavior
Understanding Horse Behavior
My Horse University
Horse Behavior and Welfare:
Michigan State University Extension
Labels: Training
¶ 11:14 AM
