The
World of the Horse, As They See It
A lot of people don�t think to find out about the way the horse lives in the wild. Don�t make this mistake. An important part of understanding the way a horse behaves, is understanding how they see the situation. While it is impossible to get inside a horses brain and see what they are thinking, understanding how they behave in the wild does help give some idea of how a horse may behave in a situation and why they do what they do.
In the wild horses are herd animals. There is one Stallion, his mares (usually up to 10) and the foals. Once a Colt is about 18months old he will be kicked out and starts a herd of his own. The fillies also leave the herd to join another.
Although the stallion looks out for the herd, it is usually a mare (usually an older experienced horse) who makes the decisions, when to rest, eat and drink. The stallion stays on the edge and keeps the group together and looks out for young challenging stallions.
The only time a horse separates from the herd is when a mare is about to foal. At this time she get a isolated as possible, however as soon as her foal can move (which isn�t long)S she reunites with the herd.
Because the horse is a herd animal, usually it has negative results is you force them to be solitary. This doesn�t mean that they must be with other horses though. Horses have been known to bond with cattle and sheep or even humans. However, usually, behavioural problems develop if a horse is deprived of equine company.
If problems develop the solution is not force or punishment as this will only confuse the horse and therefore make the situation worse. Neither is the solution necessarily to give the horse more equine company, as the horses may not all get along. As with humans, some horses won�t get along, others will become very close. If horses who don�t get along are forced to stay near each other, someone will get hurt.
Just as important as having company is being aloud to graze. Horses may spend up 20 hours each day grazing, in the wild. It is unfair to stable a horse all day, apart from a ride, and feed him at set times. This will result and a bored horse. A bored horse will turn to vices to entertain themselves. Ideally the horse should be aloud to be in the paddock as much as possible. Even though they are fenced in, the horse can just be a horse in a paddock.
Horses have highly developed senses of hearing, sight and smell. This allows them to get a �heads up� on danger. When they sense a threat, their instinct is to flee � fighting is a last resort. This doesn�t mean that the horse is not a dangerous opponent in a fight, though. They are incredibly strong and so can bite and kick hard. If a predator was to get on its back, the horse can buck and rear and, due to its agility, throw itself around, thus dislodging the enemy.
The domestic horse doesn�t have to deal with the predators; however it still has the instinctive behaviour. An example of this would be, when an untrained horse is being taught to accept a saddle it will do everything it can to get it off, after-all, as far as the horse is concerned a predator just got on its back.
When a horse sees something new often the first reaction is to flee. The only way to overcome this instinct is to desensitise the horse by customising them to the sights and sounds around them.
If a horse sees sudden movement it may shy � move sideways quickly � to get a better view. A ridder need to be aware of this as shying can unbalance the rider and possibly result in the rider falling off.
If a horse shys or flees while you are riding the only solution is to attempt to calm the horse. Punishing the horse will only make things worse as it only shows the horse that the unfamiliar is something to be feared, as would panicking. If a rider prevents the horse from lowering its head or tilting it to the side, to focus up close, the horse will spook more, as it can�t see things up close.
The horse has large eyes compared to other animals. This and their position on the side of the head allow the horse to see all but directly in front and directly behind. If you quietly approach from a blind pot you may startle the horse, this is why the general rule is that you approach from the side and gently speak, to make sure the horse is away of you. Some people will tell you that if you can see the whites of horse�s eyes, this means that they are angry. This is a myth; it simply means that the horse has rolled its eyes to focus on something.
Horses have a very acute sense of smell. They use smell to identify each other; they can even pick the wether droppings belong to a mare or a stallion. When they meet the put their noses together and often blow down each others nostrils. They can smell other horses on your clothes; they can smell water from long distances; they use smell to detect different foods. They also have the ability to smell danger. This is vital to survive in the wild; however it can be a problem. For example when you�re riding and the horse smells an animal and doesn�t want to pass, or when a horse learns to recognise the smell of wormers. Horses also have the ability to smell fear. This means that when a human is fearful the horse knows. Some horses will become dominant in this situation and other may get nervous.
The horse has a great sense of hearing, far greater than ours. The ears, with the sixteen muscles attached, are able rotate 180 degrees. The horse�s ears, while being used for hearing, are also a big means of communication. Different positions mean different moods and/or which their attention is. For example, if a horse puts its ears flat back, this means that they are angry or afraid, not to be confused with the horse flicking its ears back to listen to something behind it. Ears forward means that the horse is paying attention to something in front. If a ridden horse has one ear forward and one back this means that their attention is divided between the rider and what�s happening in front.
Horses also use their voices to communicate. They have many noises, for example, grunts, groans, snorts, nickers, squeals and neighs. Each horse has a unique neigh, and humans can use this to identify a horse, just as horses do.
Nickers often great someone bearing food, or as a greeting between other members of the herd. Contrary to what the film makers would have you believe neighs are not used in terror or in a charge. They are, however, used when two friends get separated. The two will neigh constantly until they find each other. Squeals are an expression of excitement or in anger. Roars are usually restricted tom fighting stallions. Snorts are usually a sine of alarm, although excitable horses sometime snort playfully. Grunts and groans, it seems, are only used when the horse is making a big effort or when they are in pain.
The tail is also an indicator of the horse�s mood. A clamped down tail is a sign of fear, however a raised tail is a sign of excitement. A lashing tail is a sign of anger.
The mouth and nose are also extremely expressive. A tightened mouth can mean many things, including anger or confusion. A floppy, soft mouth is usually a sure sign of a relaxed horse, BUT if this is accompanied by dull eyes, and a drawn appearance, it could be an indication of pain. Flared nostril could mean fear or excitement.
A horse looking for a little snack makes a �long nose� and wiggles it around to try to get into something, for example a bag. The long nose can mean other things though. If the mouth is tight, the long nose means fear or tension.
Many horses will nip if you groom them. This may be caused by irritation, it may tickle or hurt, however it is usually an attempt to return the favour. Some horses even hold your top in their mouth while you groom them. An open mouth with bared teeth probably means that the horse is going to bite.
The body language of a horse can revel a lot about its state of mind. On a hot day a horses head droops, there is nearly no activity, the eyes are half closed, the lower lip droops, and a hind leg is resting. The whole appearance is one of lethargy. However startle the horse and its head and tail go up, it probably snorts and flares its nostril and its movent is quick and jerky. This, in a wild herd would alert the rest of the herd and they would all be alert and ready to flee. This behaviour gets the same reaction in domestic horses. An excited Stallion will prance around with his tail in the air, and his head tucked in, showing off.
To a horse tension means danger. This is why it is important to be relaxed around horses. A relaxed person will find it much easier to gain the confidence of a horse.
If a horse wants you to get out of its space it will face its rump to you. If the hind leg is lifted, this is a warning that they probably will kick you if you stay. The head may be thrust around if the horse id being aggressive, however if they are fearful or don�t like something, they will pull their head back.
Some horses learn to manipulate people using threatening behaviour. For example, some owners may not brush the belly if they horse threatens to kick them every time. If this happens it is important to teach the horse, firmly, carefully and kindly, that it just has to let you brush, because it will get done.