I'm not an expert by any means, but I consider body language to be the single most important thing we can learn when it comes to being around horses. Horses are inherently honest and forthright communicators and just as we expect them to learn to understand us, so should we make the same effort to understand them. It is the "failure to communicate" that so often causes problems between people and horses. By the time a horse kicks or bites, he has usually run through several milder attempts to communicate his feelings to us which were either ignored or (more likely) went completely unnoticed. How many times have you heard someone begin relating an incident with, "I don't know WHAT happened..."
The more I've studied horse's body language (both at home with our own and out and about at various places) the more fascinated I become as to the depths and the degrees of it. Watching horses interacting with horses, and other people interacting with horses at public events can help you gain an even clearer understanding. I'm pretty sure that this is one of those things that you could spend the rest of your life studying (that's my current plan) and still never learn it all. Horses speak a language all their own.
I've used my own photos where possible and tried to find as many additional photographs as I could for you (without infringing on copyrights or stepping on toes) and I hope you find it every bit as fascinating as I do - I LOVE this stuff! :o)
Although equine body language can be pretty easy to understand superficially, it is actually a very complex topic. I have tried hard to share the subtleties and nuances of what I've learned on this page (without being too confusing) and hopefully I have managed to make it kid friendly and easy enough to understand to include those with little to no horse knowledge too.
(I didn't want anybody to feel left out :o)
All of the information contained on this page/site is copyrighted and may not be used without express written permission. Thank you! - Jen
Would you ever consider running up to a stranger on the street, grabbing them in an enthusiastic bear hug and then giving them a big smacking kiss on the cheek? Of course not! As ridiculous as that example may sound, that's just what we're doing when we march right up to a horse, plant ourselves in their personal space and start petting them without so much as a by-your-leave.
Now don't get me wrong, horses are pretty tolerant of our "lack of manners", but that's no reason for us not to practice them. Almost all horses (with a few rare exceptions) love to have attention from people; it's only that they would prefer to be asked first. This is easy enough to accomplish: simply walk up to the horse and give them a moment to check you out (extend your hand, palm down with fingers curled under if you like; this somewhat mimics another horse extending his nose in friendship or greeting). That's all there is to it!
PHOTO: Champ exchanging introductions with one of our "unofficial" visitors.
Have you ever noticed that all people seem to have different definitions of personal space? I tend to be a bit reserved, and do not like it at all when someone crowds me. Some people are happy to stand a few feet away to carry on a conversation, while others feel the need to get right in your face (which is SO not cool, especially if they had onions for lunch). Horses are like that too; our Rina has a very LARGE personal space, while Taya on the other hand is not bothered in the slightest when people or her pasture pals get up close and personal. I do not consider this to be a question of right or wrong, nor is it strictly a training issue; it's more a matter of personality (but something you should definitely be aware of). It is, however, very important for people to set boundaries with their horses.
PHOTO: A friend of mine sent me this beautiful photo of a horse accommodating a tiny fawn who had wandered WAY into his personal space (see how his leg is bent out of baby's way?) Horses are amazingly self aware when it comes to their bodies; the biggest exception to this rule being when something else completely eclipses their attention (then all bets are off :o)
Horses are masters of subtlety, which oftentimes cause problems for we humans (as masters of large bricks). The horse is primarily a visual communicator (we are primarily auditory), and they are capable of communicating a vast array of thoughts and feelings through body language. Just as we use voice inflection and volume to talk-Talk-TALK, so do horses engage in specific degrees of body language. Communication can be talking - using one or two specific areas, e.g. the head and/or ears; a more emphatic statement - using several areas at once, e.g. ears, nose & head; or, the horse's equivalent of shouting - e.g. pinning the ears back, a pinched nose, rapid swishing of the tail, and moving the head backwards and to the side to indicate extreme anger (the last group of signs often preface a bite or a kick-see photo below).
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW!?!?
The direction of a horse's ears, when paired with other body language, can indicate what that horse is thinking or feeling in addition to where his attention is. With the exception of additional body language, a horse's primary focus tends to be wherever his ears are pointing.
The direction of a horse's ears, when paired with other body language, can indicate what that horse is thinking or feeling in addition to where his attention is. With the exception of additional body language, a horse's primary focus tends to be wherever his ears are pointing.
Dozing, content, relaxed and/or happy.
Listening to or focusing on something behind him (head usually up), or concentrating intently (head lowered slightly and nose pulled in toward chest). Just as we may furrow our brow and frown when we are seriously concentrating on a task, so do they.
Annoyance or anger. If the horse is mildly annoyed, he may pin them back for a moment (this is usually accompanied by the head moving back and to the side slightly) before pointing them forward again; if he is very angry, they will all but disappear into his mane.
Hesitancy or confusion (flicking forward-back-forward or forward-side-forward) or listening in two directions at once.
Acknowledgement (e.g. when one ear flicks to you and then pops back to its previous position. I liken this to our "uh-huh").
Note the change of direction in Bella's ears when I move the slicker to her back (photo left).
Bella is still paying attention to me, but she is also focused on the slicker (the slight tilt of her head (R) indicates she is definitely thinking about this).
Lady is dozing (L) and Shadow is all but cross-eyed with equine ecstasy from getting his chest scratched.(R)
The horse on the left is dozing and/or listening to something behind him. The pony on the right, however, is obviously angry about something (note the pinched nostrils). Chances are, any attempt to pet this cranky little fellow would result in either a snap or a bite (ouch).
This is Champ: He was very curious and eager to "meet" the the strange new creature, a little bunny, in the photo on the left (ears are up, nose is out, nostrils are flared and neck is arched). He was not quite as sure, however, about the piglet (R). Notice how his ears are flicking front to back, indicating his uncertainty; his neck is straight, plus his head is a little higher and pulled back slightly. His hesitancy turned out to be a good call; the piglet squealed loudly in his face, causing Champ to bid a hasty retreat to a safe hiding place behind Lady :o)
The photo on the left shows the ear flick (acknowledging a non-troublesome sound or movement). The one on the right indicates anger or extreme annoyance (if I was going to hazard a guess, I'd say another horse moved into his personal space from behind).