In the beginning, there were only wild horses in nature, however slowly their domestication took place.Humans rear horses for a variety of purposes. Horses can be bred for carrying carriages, carts, and racing in competitions.A horse is considered to be very loyal. The bond between a caring master and his horse is beyond words. Some of the greatest kings have been known to be attached to beloved horses, who at times of distress helped these kings rise and survive.A male adult horse is referred to as a stallion while the female is known as the mare. The young horses are commonly called fouls. While the young female is called fillies, the young male is referred to as colt. Different types of horses are bred for different purposes. The heavy-build horses are used in farming and to pull carts and carriages, while the light horses are mostly used for general riding and racing. These animals can be domesticated and can communicate their feelings very well.After reading about the important aspects of equine behavior, do read about how do horses sleep and can horses eat bananas?Basics Of Equine BehaviorTraditionally horses are wild animals and therefore their natural instinct of flight response exists even today in domestic horses. Equine behavior can be understood by understanding their natural wild instincts. As they are herbivores, they have the ability to detect their predator and protect themselves. Due to their natural radar for detecting danger, they have a very fast response time. This has been the cause of survival for horses for a long period of time.Horses understand pain and can communicate fear. They also have a very good memory of events. They always remember the way they are treated by everyone. Owners and riders should therefore ensure that they take good care of their horses from the very beginning because the horse is likely to remember it. Horses may show signs of stress and aggression when they recognize a previous bad owner or a predator. They make sounds and may even start biting if they feel in danger. Since horses remember most of their experiences, training experiences must be positive.Otherwise, the horse may become aggressive when you attempt training. Even though there are different species of horses, they all recognize danger and show aggression and stress. Since wild horses move in herds, the concept of hierarchy is well established, therefore, during training, horses can easily be made to understand and listen to humans. An equine can recognize the danger and even alert fellow humans and animals about it through sound communication. Even the young foals are able to recognize dangers.Do horses like to work?Horses do not have particular issues when working. However, it is always better to ensure small breaks in training and work to reduce stress. A working horse or a horse used to running or riding must not be left without training for extended periods of time. If they are left without any training, then they will not be willing to work when it is time to join back.Even if they are ready to work, their fitness levels will not be the same. A balance needs to be maintained between working or training and relaxing. Without such balance, their strong legs become weak, and their ability to work and run effectively decreases. Horses can detect even the slightest noise with their ears. Small breaks are important because continuous training can cause exhaustion in the horses and their movement is hampered.Working horses have a habit of doing work. However, mares and stallions themselves, if given a choice between working and not working, tend to choose to not work. They stay in groups and love eating grass. They prefer relaxing and eating grass with their herd instead of working. Horses in general also do not like to work. This is particularly why the same training routine must not be followed by the trainers. Training should include a variety of activities and obstacles so that the training sessions remain interesting and fun. The more positive and joyful the training experience, the more likely the horse is to engage in training the next time.How can you tell if a horse is happy?There are various signs that can indicate the happiness of your horse. The nostrils of a happy horse are round, soft, and relaxed. When horses are under stress or showing aggression, their nostrils tend to become tight and narrow. Looking at the nostrils is a good indicator of assessing the feelings of the horse. Apart from its nostrils, the upper lip line and jaw also indicate the mood your horse is in. The upper lip and the lip line should be soft and relaxed when the horse is happy. The lower jaw is loose and sometimes happy horses also drool.A horse’s body language is a good indicator of its behavior and mood. The tails of horses are smooth and swing freely as they move around. The tail is loose and is always straight unless the horse has suffered from an injury. Their tail keeps swishing around wherever it goes. The swishing becomes even more rampant and powerful as the speed of the horse’s movement increases. The ears of a horse do not indicate its happiness. They do, however, alert humans and other animals about possible dangers. When the ears are directed forward or backward, it usually acts as an alert of danger from that direction or it could also mean that the horse is concentrating to hear something from that direction.Interestingly, horses pawing on other horses does not mean that they are fighting but instead indicates playful behavior. They usually do so by lifting their front legs over the front legs of the other horse. Playing with front legs is an indicator of happiness. A stressed and aggressive horse would start to pace along the fence. If your horse is grooming other horses, it indicates that this horse is happy. These subtle signals are useful in understanding whether the care and training processes are good and liked by the horse.Even when in groups or herds, unhappy horses do not defecate daily and may become ill. Sharing food while eating is also a sign of a healthy and happy horse. Stable vice such as walking inside their box or biting the stable indicates that the horse is under stress and is unhappy. These subtle differences in the behavior of these species are important indicators of the health and happiness of young and adult horses. The kind of breathing that the horse engages in is also another clear indicator of its mood.How do you know if a horse likes you?There are several signals that a horse may provide to indicate that it likes you. The most common signal is to walk up to you or wait for you in front of their stall to greet you. Horses live in groups or herds and tend to make a nickering sound from time to time.However, if the mare or stallion makes this sound every time you are coming towards them, it means that the mare or stallion is happy to see you. Another signal is resting, relaxing, or laying their head on you. It is a clear sign of trust as they are no longer on alert and are peaceful. They nudge and communicate with their loved humans. Their communication shows bonding and trust with their owners. The stallion and mare both communicate their respect to their beloved human. If the horse allows a human to come near it while it is lying down, it is a clear sign of trust and friendship.Horses tend to show affection by grooming humans. They may even breathe on your face, release a gentle air of warmth through their nostrils as a mark of their respect. This is a signal of being considered a part of the horse’s family.What is the normal behavior of a horse?Under natural circumstances, horses prefer to conduct their movement in herds. They are social animals and do not like to move around alone. All species of horses use the available resources to maintain their position and stay healthy. Whether they live in a stall or in the wild, they prefer to be in groups.Even when kept in a stall, the horses are never alone. The stalls of each of the horses are located such that they can easily communicate with one another. Communication within the group can be started by either the stallion or a mare. Equine behavior can be understood by knowing the body language of the mares and stallions. Like understanding non-verbal cues of humans, understanding equine behavior also requires practice and a great deal of attention.These social animals love to spend time together, eating, playing, and grooming each other. They even tend to smell each other while greeting and sometimes smell the dung on the other horses before meeting them. This is a normal behavior observed among horses of each species. Horses are always on alert and are vigilant of dangers that surround them. Even when in the wild, horses smell the leaves and flowers before eating them. Since safety is in the herd, horses either live as a family like a group including the stallion, mare, and faun or as groups of mares or groups of stallions, but never alone.A lone horse in the wild is the easiest prey. The predators find it easier to attack and kill a horse when it is wandering alone. Equine behavior is unique to its kind in many respects. Horses are loyal and aid their trusted riders at all times. Equine behavior involves twitching their ears left and right, front and back. Horses twitch their ears to sense danger and even when they are trying to listen to something. Horses’ head is bowed down while they eat and when they feel relaxed and non-threatened. The position of a horse’s head tells a lot about how the horse feels about its surroundings.Mares and Stallions move their tails sideways as a way of relaxation. Their tails are strong and have beautiful hair strands. The tails of horses can be of several colors. Most tails however are brown and black in color. The communication of pain can be done by vigorously wagging their tails and head or by pawing. They can feel pain and fear even when they are in a group. When one of the horses feels pain, others in the group come to its assistance. The group stays like a family, everyone having each other’s back. Horses use their ear to detect any threat that surrounds their group and use all their resources to protect themselves and their foal. Their protective behavior against any threat includes behaviors to signal all the group members including the foal. Even the foal can hear sounds quite well. Horses’ behaviors protect them against predators and maintain their health.How to read your horse’s body language?Horses are social, expressive animals. They tend to use all available resources for survival and playful interactions. They may even use their teeth, mouth, and tails to express themselves. As mentioned earlier, there are a variety of positions and movements that horses engage in which indicate their feelings.Understanding the body language of a horse is easy, all it requires is some attention and understanding. The subtle changes and variations in the position and movement of horses indicate a lot. Equine body language can be understood by paying attention to its vocalization, the sound it makes in various instances. The body language of a horse involves a variety of things.Whether you are riding or the horse is in the stable, a mastered trainer and good friend to the horse can understand the subtle indications that it gives. Spending time with the horse, training, and handling it are all important in order to connect with these animals and understand their body language. When a horse’s ears are pinned absolutely backward, it is a clear indication that the horse will be biting someone or it will soon kick someone or something. All of these are a part of understanding body language. Understanding the body language of your horse enables better functioning and increased productivity. The body language provides the owners’ or human friends with non-verbal cues to their horses’ feelings.Body Language Basics For Your HorseMost of the common body language and non-verbal cues have been mentioned above. When a horse stands with its head dropped down, it means that the horse is relaxing but if the horse’s head is swaying side to side and is lowered, then it means that the horse will soon engage at someone.It is a sign of being aggressive. The horse’s head held high indicates that it is alert and paying attention to its surroundings. Horses have strong legs, they are natural kickers. If the forelegs of the horse are spread towards the sides and it is leaning backward, then it means that the horse is scared and is getting ready to run away.Horses tend to paw with their legs. If they paw each other, then the pawing is considered playful, however, if they start pawing the trailer or their stall, then it is a sign of aggression and stress. There are several other body languages that are portrayed by horses but they can be learned only by spending time with them.Managing The Anxious HorseA nervous horse can be relatively difficult to manage. When a horse is anxious or nervous, it tends to run away or lean backward by raising its forelimbs. If the horse continues to be nervous even when surrounded by known people then it should be taken to the vet as it could be a sign of pain and suffering.When a horse is nervous, try to calm it down by brushing its hair, sitting with it, helping it relax and feel safe. There are several signs that can help you to identify an anxious horse from within the herd. They may cry even when in a group, become restless whenever in the shadows or in the dark, become sweaty when in their stall, and are unwilling to cross over small ridges like the other horses.These are just some of the common symptoms of an anxious horse. However, the symptoms can vary depending on the habitat of the horse, its breeding, genetics, and life experiences. It is difficult but not impossible to bond with an anxious horse. They need more attention, care, and love. Try conducting bonding activities such as going out for a walk with the anxious horse, grooming together, playing with it, introducing creative training programs, and reinforcing the positive behaviors that the horse does each day.This might take time, but if there are no pain or illnesses that the horse is suffering from, the above strategies will start working over a period of time if applied and carried out regularly with patience and love. The last thing an anxious horse need is an impatient trainer.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for horse behavior then why not take a look at how far can a horse travel in a day, or horse facts.
In the beginning, there were only wild horses in nature, however slowly their domestication took place.
