Horse behavior is always an interesting area of study. Some of the most interesting areas of behavior involve communication, whether the communication is done between horses or between horse and man.
There are several ways a horse can communicate. Vocalization and visual signs are just two of them. Horses have several different kinds of vocalizations.
A "neigh" is usually used as a greeting call, but is most often used during times that a foal is separated from its mare. A foal and mare that are separated will often neigh repeatedly until brought back together.
A "nicker" is often used by horses to indicate a care response. This is most often used when a horse and foal are reunited. Horses may also nicker at their owners, which is a sign of affection.
Snorts and roars can be used between horses and are often used when horses first meet each other. Roars can be used to help establish dominance in a new herd. Another interesting thing that happens when horses meet is that they usually put their noses together, nostril to nostril, to smell each other.
In terms of visual signs a horse gives, the most easily observed are those of the ears. The ears can be held in several positions and they all mean different things.
If the ears are held upright and erect this means the horse is alert or scared. You will often see a horse's ears become erect after a loud noise, or when new horses are in the area.
If you see the ears laid down this is an aggressive posture. It is often seen when horses are aggressive toward one another or their owner.
The way a horse communicates and acts can be based on several things.
1. Personality: Just like humans, horses each have a distinct personality. Also, certain breeds of horses tend to have specific personalities. You might often hear the term "hot-blooded breed" when someone refers to certain breeds of horses.
2. Environment: Naturally if a horse is in a new or loud environment, like a show, it might act more nervous than it would if it's in your backyard. Some very experienced show horses are not even bothered by loud noises and often ignore them. When dad was riding in the indoor riding school at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police training center, the instructors would frequently shoot off shotguns loaded with blanks. This was to condition the horses to sudden loud noises as many of them were used on the Musical Ride which frequently takes place in a noisy arena. The horses are also used in parades where loud noises are frequent. To condition the horses to large crowds, they were frequently taken down busy streets and to nearby shopping malls. The grounds where they were ridden in summer were open to the public, so large crowds gathered daily to watch the horses go through their routines.
3. Owners: Animals tend to take on the temperament of their owners. An owner who acts nervous and speaks loudly will have a horse that tends to be nervous. An owner who is calm and confident can expect the same of their horse. The demeanor of the rider plays a large role in how the horse responds to commands. A nervous or inexperienced rider will prompt the horse to take advantage of the nervousness or inexperience and try and get away with something it won’t attempt with a confident rider.
4. Genetics: This goes back to the old "nature versus nurture" argument. There is no doubt that genetics plays a large role in how some horses act regardless of whom the owner is or what environment the horse is in. A good example of this was a Royal Canadian Mounted Police horse called Mount Newton. It was in a tremendous environment with plenty of care and the best of food and yet this horse was completely vicious. After several years of trying to calm him enough to make him into a horse that could take part in the Musical Ride, the Force finally decided that he would have to be put down before he killed someone. A check of his genetics revealed that both the dam and the stallion were very dominant animals. Add to that the fact that Mount Newton wasn’t gelded until he was nearly two and you could understand why he was uncontrollable.
5. Training: Good training can play a huge role in changing how a horse behaves. Bad training can just exaggerate an already bad trait in a horse.
The relationship between horse and man is thousands of years old, but man keeps learning more about horse behavior every day. By taking the time to learn what different behaviors mean, you can have a better relationship with your horse. Also remember that a horse is a very intelligent animal and many of them have a sometimes perverse sense of humor. Like a child they will try to get away with things and will test you to see what you will let them do and what you will stop them from doing. One horse that dad had a run in with was a horse that pulled the carriage of the Governor General on state occasions. This horse, Frisco, was huge and he had a bad habit of testing new recruits to see how they would react. While dad was grooming him, Frisco lifted his right front foot and placed it on dad's left foot. When dad tried to lift Frisco’s leg, he leaned heavier on it to the point that it became quite painful. At that point dad grabbed the horse’s ear and bit it. Frisco squealed and immediately lifted his foot. After that Frisco never gave dad any trouble at all. Every time dad was assigned to groom Frisco, the horse would nudge him with his nose and roll his top lip up over his top teeth in a horse grin. They got along very well. When dad was assigned Honey, a former Musical Ride horse as his regular horse, the two of them got along fabulously. The horse would do anything for him and he kept her well groomed and would slip her little treats like a carrot or a piece of apple. They got along so well that he could catch up on his sleep while riding her and she would go through all of the formations all on her own. They were so well adapted to each other that the instructors were never aware that the horse was following the commands while the rider slept.
When you can develop that kind of relationship with your horse, you will have a partnership that will endure for years.
Until next time,
Teia
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