Touch is an important sense for a horse. Most communication between humans and horses takes place through the sense of touch. It is therefore important that people understand how a horse’s sense of touch works. Any pressure a horse feels will produce a predictable response. A horse is very sensitive to touch. In fact, a horse is so sensitive that it feels a fly landing.
Some horse breeds have thinner skin than other breeds. Thoroughbred horses have the thinnest skin and cold blood horses the thickest skin. But all horses are very sensitive to touch.
The skin
The skin is the horse’s largest organ. The skin consists of three layers: the epidermis, the outermost layer, the dermis, which is the central layer, and the subcutaneous tissue, the innermost layer. The skin protects the horse, regulates the temperature and is very sensitive to touch. Some areas of the skin are more sensitive than others. This is because there are more tactile senses in those places than in other places.
It is a myth that a horse would have less feeling because of the thickness of its skin. A horse is very sensitive. Even with a thick winter coat, a horse remains sensitive to touch. This sensitivity is clearly visible when a fly lands on the horse. The horse immediately detects the fly and chases it away by contracting certain muscle groups in the skin.
However, if a horse has focused its attention on something else, there will be no response to a fly landing. A horse is a flight animal, so the most important information from the environment has priority. If the horse has something life-threatening ?? then a fly can land on him, or a rider can give a help, at that moment the horse is busy with something else and he will not feel the fly or the help.
There are of course also other possibilities why the horse does not respond to the help of the rider. For example, it could be because the horse has been blunted, or because the horse has no idea what the rider means by the aid. Another possibility is of course that the horse simply does not feel like listening. In any case, the horse feels the help.
Due to the horse’s great sensitivity, it is therefore possible to communicate with the horse with minimal assistance. The place where the rider’s legs lie are very sensitive to touch. It is therefore possible to communicate with minimal leg aids. It is precisely when leg aids persist for too long or are given too roughly that the horse blunts. Just as with the girth pressure, the horse will no longer respond to the leg aid. It is therefore much more effective to give a short leg aid and then relax.
Mouth
The mouth is also very sensitive to touch. The toothless part of the horse’s mouth, also called the layers, and the tongue are very sensitive. The bit is located in the toothless part of the mouth. Every small movement of the bit is detected by the horse. It is therefore not at all necessary to work hard in the mouth.
The whiskers
A horse has whiskers in various places on its head. These whiskers are very sensitive to touch: they are three times deeper in the skin than normal hairs. These whiskers ensure that the horse can obtain information from its environment. This will make the horse feel safer. It is therefore not pleasant for the horse when these whiskers are removed during grooming. Horses have whiskers above their eyes and by their mouth and nose.
Above the eyes
The whiskers above the horse’s eyes are used to sense if there are no objects nearby. This way the eyes are protected, even when it is dark.
By mouth and nose
The hairs around the horse’s mouth and nose are very helpful:
- Horses cannot see what is near their mouth because of the position of their eyes in their heads. By sensing objects with their hairs, they can recognize objects.
- The whiskers also protect the mouth and nose from impact.
- The whiskers also feel the food and feel the slightest irregularity. This way small stones or twigs can be removed from the food.
The hooves
There are also sensory organs in the hooves. The radius of the hoof provides grip and shock absorption, but also a sense of touch. The horse feels the bottom with its beam. It senses whether the ground is smooth, rough, unevenly wet, soft or hard. The radius is therefore a very important part of the horse’s sense of touch. Horses seem to be able to absorb even the smallest vibrations of the earth with their beam.
Pain
A horse naturally also feels pain. Not only can his organs hurt, but also the skin. There are many nerves in the skin, making the horse very sensitive. The horse feels exactly where it is in pain: stung by an insect or perhaps by too hard an action of the rider with spurs or whip.
Temperature
A horse can also be cold and warm. It can regulate its temperature in different ways.
Cold
A horse can, when it is cold, straighten its hair, so that an insulating layer is created. It is therefore not recommended by some to put a blanket on a horse in the winter because a horse can no longer put its hair upright. A horse can also move more when it is cold. This is of course only possible when a horse has the opportunity to do so. Of course, horses that are kept in the stable do not have this option.
Warm
A horse that is too hot can sweat to cool down. Therefore, make sure that a horse has sufficient drinking water available in the summer. The horse will also move less and find a shady spot.