All horses have personalities, quirks, and general and unique behavioral patterns. If you have a horse, you must learn to understand and gauge its body language. Body language in horses could be an indicator of their emotions and well-being.
When you understand how body language is portrayed, you can communicate with your horse better. This is because horses use their posture, expressions, and gestures to communicate with human being rather than their voices. I have listed out a few ways you can understand a horse’s mood and behavior below:
Swiveling Ears
Swiveling ears refer to ears going backward and forwards. It generally means that the horse is feeling anxious or fearful. This could be due to an odd sound or a large number of stimuli the horse was surrounded by suddenly.
Ears Turned Towards the Side
This means that the horse is in a relaxed state. The horse could most likely be more alert and aware of its surroundings. Avoid going straight towards the horse and patting. It could result in an unfortunate strike. Instead, opt to make a noise to give the horse a signal of your arrival.
Snaking the Head
This is an absolute red zone. By lowering the head and moving the neck from one side to another, the horse displays aggression and cautiously proceeds. Either move away from the horse or get the horse’s attention on to something else quickly.
Elevating the Head
This is when something has caught the attention of the horse, and it is trying to decide to run, ignoring it or fighting it. This can also be a sign that the horse is in pain. Especially if other signs of pain, such as shaking the tail often and frequent pinning of the ears, follow and continues for some time.
Splayed Standing
Horses tend to take a stance of leaning back and spreading their legs out forward when fear is instilled. The horse is getting ready to run away quickly after being spooked. Other health issues could cause the standing to be splayed. For example, injuries or health problems such as malnutrition or neurological abnormalities could be causing this behavior. If this behavior persists, it is vital to take a horse to a vet. As per the vet’s advice, it would be best if you took the horse for diagnostic imaging to detect where the issue lies.
Raised Legs
This is an indicator that the horse is feeling annoyed. It could be due to flies around the horse, or the horse could be irritated at someone close. In the second case, it is best to stay away as the horse will probably kick if irritation keeps increasing.
Raised Tail
This is an indicator that the horse is feeling excited. Many Arabian breeds tend to carry out this action. You will likely have to work towards taking his focus back to work before the horse figures out how to bolt.
Ensure to be aware of these behaviors to understand what the horse is trying to communicate.