Horse Language

Have you ever really paid attention to your horse? They have a language all on their own. I laugh when people say;” I love my horse because he doesn’t talk back to me.” I constantly think then you must not pay him much attention then. 

Horses have several different methods for talking to you.  The first one that comes to mind for me is the upper lip being lifted up and twitching because it actually quite funny to see. Plus they used this in Mr. Ed’s show.  It actually means the horse smells or tasted something funny that he didn’t like.  It wasn’t that the horse was laughing.

The second thing that comes to mind is the dropping of the horse’s head and a willingness to come to you.  In the show the “Heartland”, it gives us a great example of the power of waiting for the horse to be ready to be cooperative. You almost need to play that cat and mouse game with the horse to break down his barriers so that he’ll be willing to do anything that you pretty much as him to. That is the horse’s way of finding out how you move and operate. Plus during that time you’re gaining his trust.

Have you ever given your horse a treat on regular bases only to be clobbered by him with his head trying because he’s trying to get more from you?  That’s the horse’s method for begging for things or showering you with love. Along those same lines a horse's bottom lip will quiver when he’s nervous or pouting because you aren’t doing what he wants you to do.

Everyone is afraid of the horse kicking them. Did you know that horses also talk with their feet too? When a horse is pawing at the ground it means that he is agitated and is more than ready to go. Sometimes it also means that he is mad.

Horses ears also tell you a lot about what they are thinking.  Most people already know that if horses ears are flat back that they are mad. However, if one ear is back and the other one is forward it’s because they are enjoying their time on the trail, but they are still listening to you for any commands you may give them.  If both of their ears are up it means that they hear or smell something that has put them on alert.

Along those lines, a horses snorting also tells you that they may smell fear around them. Pay attention because it may be the last thing you expect for them to spook at. However, make sure the horse is given the chance to smell whatever they are afraid of because this will make them more willing to go into any terrain you ask them to go on. I can remember the first time Tripp saw snow. He literally went off the trail and had to smell it even though he took us literally through trees to do it. However, he knew that if he was afraid of something the best thing to do was smell it. Remember that horses see things differently than we do. We may see a tractor; where he may see a monster coming to attack him.

The last thing that can be talked about is the horses eyes. The eyes truly are the window to a horse’s soul. A horse can have the possessed look, but nine times out of ten that look is a result of fear. Horses by nature aim to please their masters. I can honestly say I have never come across a horse that was just out to hurt those around them.  I have however, come across some that were so utterly afraid that they attacked anyone/anything that came near them. In those cases, a calm gentle touch is the only way to get through to them. When a horse is upset by something you’re doing they will get a look like they are angry. If they are happy by something that you’re doing then their eyes will look like they are about to fall asleep.  If they are just as happy as you are their eyes get a glow to them.

One final thing, if a horse is nipping at your behind when you’re saddling them that is their way of telling you to hurry up or of telling you that you took too long to get him back out. Tripp use to do that a lot to me when I came home for the weekends when I was in college. He loved his rides as much as I did. He was use to getting attention everyday for 1-2 hours a day.

I hope this helps you understand your horse more. A lot of riders get upset because their horses don’t do everything they want them to do without realizing that the horse may be telling them something. If you pay attention to the horses language you can actually overcome a lot of obstacles. Patience is key and trust me when I say a gentle touch will gain you more than a brutal hand.

 By Crystal Green