Body language shows whether a horse feels comfortable, happy, satisfied or just anxious or irritated. Excitement can be both a negative and a positive experience. In a positive sense, the horse is curious and observant. Negative arousal includes irritation, restlessness, and nervousness.
Horses communicate with each other and with people through body language. A horse sends small, subtle signals that are not always easy to recognize. However, picking up subtle signals is very important when dealing with a horse, knowledge about the body language of the horse can save a lot of trouble. For example, a horse whose body language is not understood, or if the signals are not heeded, will start to give bigger and bigger signals. A horse is quickly labeled as gruff, aggressive or false even though a whole series of warnings have preceded the actual climbing, hitting, bucking or biting.
Physical responses
- Relaxation ?? the heartbeat is calm and steady. The horse’s breathing is calm and deep.
- Joy ?? the horse makes fluid and playful movements.
- Excitement ?? dancing movements (usually positive) or fattening (negative)
- Boredom ?? keep repeating the same behavior. A horse that weaves, munches or walks in circles is bored.
- Grief ?? the horse appears absent and hardly perceives anything. The horse is not at all curious and moves slowly, barely lifting its feet.
- Pain ?? overreaction in any form.
- Fear ?? the horse sweats, has a high heart rate and rapid, shallow breathing. In addition, it can often fatten, whinny and breeze.
- Aggression ?? wave their head and threaten to bite.
Body posture
- Relaxation ?? a relaxed horse also has a relaxed posture. His muscles are relaxed and his tail hangs gently.
- Joy ?? the horse is relaxed from head to toe, the tail is carried loosely.
- Excitement ?? the horse’s posture appears slightly tense. The tail is lifted high and if the horse is irritated it will strike with its tail.
- Grief ?? a lifeless attitude
- Pain ?? pulling your back
- Fear ?? the muscles are tense, the tail is clamped to the body.
- Aggression ?? the neck and back form almost a straight line.
Legs
- Relaxation ?? sometimes one of the hind legs is resting. This is then slightly raised, so that the tip of the hoof rests on the ground.
Head and neck
- Relaxation ?? the head hangs down relaxed.
- Joy ?? no clear signals can be read at the head.
- Excitement ?? the head is raised when the horse is curious and attentive. If the horse is irritated it may curl up its neck and bring its head to its chest.
- Fear ?? the head is held high.
- Aggression ?? the head is carried high and the facial muscles are clearly visible.
Ears
- Relaxation ?? the ears are turned to the side and hang ?? a little outside.
- Joy ?? the ears are pricked and pointed forward.
- Excitement ?? the ears are erect and pointed forward. If the ears are very restless, this indicates irritation.
- Grief ?? no movement of the ears at all, which also indicates that the horse has no interest in the environment.
- Fear ?? the ears are pointed backwards.
- Aggression ?? the ears are turned back and lie against the neck.
Eyes
- Joy ?? a soft, shiny expression
- Excitement ?? wide-open eyes and an interested look. When irritated, the eyes are restless.
- Grief ?? meaningless look, the horse is turned in on itself.
- Fear ?? the eyes are wide open. The eyes roll and often the whites of the eyes can be seen. The gaze is focused on the scary object or the escape route.
- Aggression ?? the eyes are small and slit-shaped.
Nose
- Excitement ?? wide nostrils indicate an attentive horse. If the nostrils are widened and then contracted again, this indicates irritation or tension.
- Fear ?? the nostrils are wide open.
- Aggression ?? tense and narrowed.
Lips
- Relaxation ?? the lower lip often hangs down relaxed.
- Joy ?? the upper lip is often curled forward a bit, horses often do this when they cuddle with each other. Some horses also show it at the grooming area.
- Excitement ?? the mouth is closed and slightly tense. In case of irritation, the horse can lick or chew lightly.
- Pain ?? the lips are clamped together, as are the teeth. Sometimes the horse grinds its teeth.
- Fear ?? the mouth is tense.
- Aggression ?? the lips are tense and pressed together or the mouth is opened, with the horse showing its teeth menacingly.