Understanding Your Horse’s Body Language

Have you ever wondered what’s going on behind your horses eyes, wished he could speak or why they do the things they do? Understanding the meaning behind your horse’s body language can give you the insight into your horse’s mind that you’ve always desired.

It’s not too hard to figure out what your horse is thinking as he nickers at you when he sees you bringing feed his way. While humans mainly rely on verbal communication as a way to understand what others are thinking and feeling, horses like many other animals,  rely heavily on posture, gestures, and expressions to communicate rather than their vocal chords. Catching your horses subtle cues and understanding their body language takes time and plenty of attention. In the end, understanding your horse’s body language will not only improve your horsemanship skills, also help fine-tune your training and handling, transitioning you from a good trainer to a great trainer!  Here are some tips and tricks for learning those subtle cues your horse is using to communicate with you.

Eyes

Pay close attention to the movement of your horse’s eyes.  It can say so much about where his attention is directed and what’s going through his mind.

Fear/Stress: One of the early signs of distress is wrinkling of the eyelid or tightening of the muscles around the eyes.  Learning to spot this cue and responding promptly could prevent bigger issues.

Rapid Darting of the eyes can signify that he’s scared and looking for a way to escape. If this is the case, remove him from the situation and calm him down in order to keep yourself and your horse safe.

Whites of the Eyes.  Know your horse! Some breeds of horses always have the whites of their eyes exposed, but some don’t and only expose themselves when fear has set in!  Next time you are with your horse, take a good look at his/her eyes and take note of what they look like in normal situations. Paying attention to the eyes can save you a lot of trouble in stressful situations.

Ears

One of the first things riders note about their horse is that when the ears are pointed forward and standing at attention, the horse is alert and attentive to what is going on.  When the ears are pinned back, he/she is angry. But what if your horse’s ears are turned to the side? This positioning of the ears most often means he/she is relaxed and/or asleep.

In a heightened state of anxiety or stress, you may notice your horse flickering its ears back and forth in an irritated manner. In cases such as these, he may be overstimulated.  Locating and removing the sight, sound or smell that’s irritating him will fix that state of irritation rather quickly.

Legs

The hind legs are most often what we look for in angry or frustrated horses.  Most often they are the legs responsible for kicks and are the immediate danger zone.  The front legs can also say a lot about the horse’s state of mind as well. Have you ever noticed your horse pawing at the ground in a manner that digs a small trench?  This usually means that he/she is bored or impatient. Pawing in anger doesn’t happen all too often, but if running around loose and you notice your horse doing this, be aware, it could be followed by a charge shortly after.

Stomping can signify irritation as well but is usually minor such as a fly biting or trying to dislodge something annoying in his hoof.  Standing with his front legs spread apart and his posture leaning backwards usually means he’s scared. Kicking with the front legs, however, that can be a more aggressive state of mind that you need to be more cautious around.

In the hind legs, cocking of the hoof resting on the forward facing part of the hoof can signify a relaxed state.  Usually, you can look at the horse’s overall posture, his eyes and his ears to tell if this is the case. If the horse is switching back and forth cocking the left leg, then the right, more than likely he is in pain and you need to contact your veterinarian.  If he’s got it cocked and his ears are in a state of annoyance and pinned back, watch out, he may just be highly annoyed and whatever or whoever is behind him. He may also raise his hind leg when irritated in such a manner to warn that he/she is getting ready to kick.

Whole Body

Sometimes when trying to understand what is going on with your horse, you just need to get the “big picture”.  Watching his body language is your best bet. Notice when he/she is tense by watching if his movements are stiff and rigid. The meaning behind stiff and rigid muscle movements can mean your horse is uncomfortable, in pain, or just plain nervous and stressed.  You know your horse best, and if you find that fear doesn’t seem to be the reason for this kind of posturing, have him checked for pain in his legs, back, joints, hips etc.

Trembling and shaking is almost always a sign of fear. Just like anxiety in humans, fear to this extent can be crippling.  If you see that your horse is trembling in fear, drop what you are doing immediately and give your horse time to calm down.  Slowly reintroduce whatever it was that caused the fear. Stay calm and quiet and your horse will eventually pick up on your Working with a horse with these kinds of nervous issues, takes time, but can absolutely be overcome.

Understanding your horse’s body language takes time.  As you become more aware and pick up on his/her body language and cues, the easier it will become to spot the signs and signals that he is becoming fearful, stressed, anxious and scared.  Over time, you and your horse will grow closer together and you can be that “mind reading’ owner you’ve always wanted to be! For more information on reading the body language of your horse visit EQUUS.

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