Horse Body Language

Most folks who have anything to do with horses are already aware of at least 2 movements horses use. Ear pinning and head snaking. Most of us have a general idea of what these mean. But those of us that are new to this group may not know what other actions horses use to communicate with each other.

Is there a "beginning" or "starting point" where us new folks can begin to learn what the various signals are, and how we might best identify them?

Frank M.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Cyndi on October 11, 2010 at 7:23pm

Ear pinning, to me, is a clear warning, in certain circumstances. Most of the ear pinning I've seen has been a 'dominant' horse wanting another horse to move away, whether it be from the hay feeder, another horse, their side of the field (lol), etc.. Since reading the posts in here and having an ever-growing understanding of body language, I am trying to be more aware of the language the horses are speaking to each other when I visit the barn.

The two mares with Fanny will go out of their way to chase her away at times, yet at other times they are all grazing peacefully beside each other. Most of the ear pinning I've seen recently is accompanied with a sway, or swinging, of their head - sometimes held high and sometimes held low. Sometimes they just go straight at her, and sometimes they come up from behind or from the side. Usually, they seem to be saying, "Get out of my space, even if you ARE 50 feet from me!". They will come over when I'm alone with Fanny and they want the attention, and they'll send her away.

But I'm not sure what ear pinning means when your horse is walking toward you. Fanny has been doing that more than she ever has recently, and I'm wondering if it has anything to do with her being so new to the barn (two weeks). She doesn't act mean, but she will approach me with her ears back. Ahhhhh...but perhaps I should pay more attention to her ears...are they back, or are they pinned? Is there a difference? Are her ears back because she's just annoyed that I'm there? She does this when I first arrive and she knows that I usually have a treat for her. Today I casually approached her on the other side of the fence and extended my hand through the fence with a treat and she wouldn't come get it (she was only about ten feet away from me). The other horses all came over and took a treat from me, but she wouldn't. Sometimes when I go see her out in the field, the other horses will come check me out before she does (could be because she knows she'll get chased away if she comes to me sooner - so she's just hanging back until the others have done their greeting). I've really stepped back and act like I don't care, so as to not put pressure on her. Today I took a lawn chair out there and sat in it and read (when I wasn't trying to keep the Friesian from "sitting on my lap"!! he's very curious and 'in your space'). Fanny was happy to graze nearby, then come over and check me out, then walk away again. She didn't want the carrot pieces I had, nor did she want me touching her (stepping away when I'd reach up to scratch her ears, etc.). She just wanted to co-exist. Sorry, I seem to have gotten off topic! I will have to start a discussion on this when I have time. It is sometimes so hard to respect your horse and keep your distance when it seems that's what they want, when all you want to do is be close and brush them or pet them, etc..

Permalink Reply by Shirley on October 12, 2010 at 1:15am

I have found in most situations with "ear pinning" that it is a warning.
"Don't do it, back off, stay away or else". A 'caution' sign of sorts.

I'll have to watch more for the head or neck snakeing.

Sometimes when I'm free longeing my horse and he decides to brake away from circling around me, he will toss his head hard from side to side in a sort of snakeing way but that gester doesn't seem to be at all what you are talking about. I am curioius what this kind of head tossing means. It seems to almost to be a way of saying 'ha ha, i got away and you can't stop or catch me" I think I have heard people
say this is a stallion movement but I don't know. Any ideas out there?

Permalink Reply by Jennifer Lamm on October 12, 2010 at 1:51pm

man oh man I know about head tossing... I think with Oliver it means he's having a bit of a tantrum..... or a bit of a triumph... I started riding him bareback and was really pleased to learn that his tossing when I'm on him doesn't feel nearly as icky as it does when he's on the ground...... I think he's just letting out stress so I just try to go back to my "let's do this instead" so he doesn't keep doing it. I don't punish him for it I ask him to work through it but it's sure fun to see him run and toss.... it's like a woohoo!!

He comes right up to me with his ears back forever now, for five years.... and yet they aren't pinned so much.... the ears thing confuses me.. well it all does, LOL...

Permalink Reply by Shirley on October 12, 2010 at 2:04pm

Hi Jen, So neat that u are starting with the bareback! I'd like to do a little of that this winter and see how it feels to us. Right now my 'horse wants' are a long list but having fun with all tool.
With Cash I don't see the tossing as a tantrum at all but your other thought as a triumph and a 'woo-hoo moment' fits well as far as my eyes can see.
The thing with Olivers ears going back is very interesting. Maybe someday something will click for u and the curiosity about that will be answered. Likely something to do with his being an orphan and maybe confusing his display of emotions? This is all such an exciting experience...learning so much about and from horses.
Hope you are enjoying all our gifts of life.
Happy Trails thru Life ~~It is a Grand Journey!!

Permalink Reply by Jennifer Lamm on October 12, 2010 at 2:39pm

well it must be interesting to be a horse with no arms.... no way to express yourself verbally.... I can tell his mood though no matter his physical expression and sometimes he does use his head toss as a deterrent... that's why no matter what he does, I just keep asking for what I want and slow down and ask again and then reward when I get the behavior because that is just how he works best....... no matter what even when he sort of acts out, he does not ever get aggressive with me....anymore.... lol .. I've learned of Olivers really mean side though this week because he's trying to chase away a new mare that Steve brought over.... now geez, it was so funny.... so he started flying at her with his nose jutted out and his ears back but no teeth, but then he would bite her...... and she moved away but he couldn't get her because she's in her own pen..... and he never exerted so much energy in his life as to try and chase this mare off..... geez.... so I laughed at him and told him he thought he was all that.. remembering when he tried that with me and realizing that if she just took care of it he'd back off... she didn't she moved off... stupid mare.. now she's his bitch... ... then he finally got tired of that a few days later so he goes up and just tries the pinned ear thing..... I'm not sure what she does but I'm sure he desensitized her somehow... because now she sort of laughs at him too.. poor Oliver..... he did intimidate her at first but me and Toby just laughed at him but happy he was getting exercise.... horses are horses my hypnotherapist says.... I worked with him near her so I could practice being calm with him when he was freaking out and getting him back to focusing on me... then I stood between them and made him be good...... and rewarded him for calming down near me.... I told her she has to defend herself, but I am going to get him to pay attention to me even when his instincts take over.... since I know very few people with orphaned horses I just figure all his wierdness is due to that because not too many people have horses like this one.. but then get this.... so another mare here, she is a gypsy vanner and he apparently likes her.... he never acted like with this new mare when the tb gelding or the gypsy mare came.. he never tried to be dominant at all, in fact he chewed her mane off nuzzing her.... and she bit him is how that one went.... well now they had to be separated because her mom wants her mare to have a mane so he can only go flirt with her when she is eating in the back of her stall and he can go and stand there and swoon over her but she doesn't come near because she is eating.... he went over to her stall... turned on the water, he's in the turnout..... and picked up the hose and swung the water around trying to get her attention, shaking his head...... being so charming... then I put him away in his back turn out and he startes chargin that other mare again... woah..... that is so odd.... meanwhile, Toby is siding up with this new girl and they were chatting yesterday..... and Oliver was outted... so their entire language is very intriguing.... and no matter what I just try and get Oliver back on me by encouraging him to have good habits through my training and with the clicker..... but I don't dare trust him around others yet .. his stallion like for god knows what reason tendencies are very intimidating though predictable now.... he is the son of the stallion and lead mare so he has a fierce gene... he is not afraid.... or he is a coward with a ton of bravado.. that's why I still work on him to be brave.... :)

per steve said Oliver doesn't like her looks, she's a stawberry roan, she's the reject and he's decided he likes the other one and in a guys terms that is just how it is..... even more interesting, my girlfriend just lost her gray gelding, (Toby is Gray too), and she got a strawberry roan 3 year old.... her black arab that was raised by her gray horse hates this roan horse... they've been together for months and yesterday when i was telling her that Oliver hates this roan horse she said her Ali still was rejecting her new horse too... that is just so interesting.. Steve said in the wild they hang with horses of colors they like.... they are predjudice. lol!! I thought maybe this mare would be a good horse for steve to ride when we go out on the trails but maybe not...

Permalink Reply by Ellen Ofstad on October 11, 2010 at 10:31am

Sarah wrote: In general that's why this group was started, to identify some 'calming signals', that's the term Ellen uses for them. One of the calming signals she's mentioned is the lowering of the head to indicate, as I understand it, that the horse wishes to say it is not a threat, does not want to fight...wants everyone to just calm down. Looking away, again as I understand it, means basically the same thing.

I just wanted to clarify myself a little; these signals comes in "clusters". A horse turning away OR lowering it's head is not a calming signal in itself. A horse can turn away just because… and lowering the head CAN be that it's just going for some grass or something.

In order to identify these signals one has to see them together. Like, you are moving towards the horse, focusing on it, and the horse then turns away, lowers its head, seems to be busy with something else like it's not even noticing you, but at the same time, discreetly keeping an eye on you… then it probably IS a calming signal.