What is Horse Language?

Horses have their own way of communicating in herds and to you. They use their ears, tails, and face to communicate. Training a horse though is best achieved when you are on a mutual communication level rather than trying to dominate the horse. You want your training to be give and take, not constantly barking orders at your horse. They will not respond to this and in turn you will get an angry horse. First, lets look at how the horse uses their ears to communicate.

Figure 1, shows a horse with his ears pinned back. When a horse does this they are angry and mad and will probably bite you. If you are getting this expression out of your horse, you are doing something wrong before you get hurt.


Figure 1

Figure 2 shows an alert horse. The horse's ears are very forward and you can tell that he is looking at something or in interested in something. Sometimes, the horse may notice something and then get scared. If you are riding and your horse looks at something, try to identify it before your horse gets scared. This can also tell you that your horse is happy and excited. 

Figure 2

Figure 3 shows a horse that is paying attention to two separate things. This horse is paying attention to something behind him and in front of him. While riding, your horse may have his ear pointed in the back direction. This means that he is paying attention to you and your cues. This is different than a mad horse because the ear is still in the upright position, not pinned all the way down.

Figure 3

Horses can use their tails also to communicate. If your horse starts to swish their tail, the horse is irritated or does not like something. It can also indicate that he is uncomfortable. If the horse is carrying his tail just naturally he is more than likely happy.

Figure 4 shows a horse that is mad. We can tell this because his ears are pinned back, but we can see through his face that he is angry too. His head is lowered and he nose is pointed.

Figure 4

Figure 5 shows a horse that tasted something funny. This is not a mean gesture by any means. Sometimes stallions will show this when they smell mares.

Figure 5

The above pictures only touch the surface of how horses communicate. Once you are around horses often, you will become more acquainted with how they act to different things. The main thing tho to look at is their ears and facial expressions.