Understand your Horse’s Behavior

To understand the behavior of a horse is one advantage to keep a good relationship between the owner and the animal.  If you are able to understand your horse, you have a greater chance to know his every reaction towards particular situations, hence you can be more aware of your horse’s likes and dislikes and as well as predict future reactions from the breed. This behavior prediction will let you prevent future accidents, from getting the breed irritated and scared, and even create a better companionship to allow the horse to feel more comfortable with his new shelter and environment.

Horses naturally are considered as flight animals.  Flight animals, including horses have the behaviour to react almost on everything that might harm them from fake or real predators, because as preys, your common defense mechanism from danger, if not to fight back, is to run away from it, fast.  That is, basically horses tend to react first before they actually think.  As humans, we are the ones to adjust and understand such behavior just like if we want to maintain a good relationship towards a liked companion.

Horses are generally fearful and shy creature.
It is important to work hard for their trust.
Image grabbed from Maja Ljubanic.

As soon as horses had become domesticated by people, it has been an advantage for humans to interact with the breed more easily now than ever.  Though, the instinct of the breed of becoming such a flight animal has not been removed from its system, which is why we still need to help them overcome their fear from new faces and interactions from different kinds of people.

To decipher a frightened horse you must observe if he will elevate his head and look breathless; if he stiffens his ears to listen attentively and stiffens his tail.  This behavior is one sign of a breed ready for a nervous flight, so you must be careful.

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To know if a horse is relaxed or to know the manifestation of a safe horse to interact with, you must observe if he will lower his head to your approach; the lower it gets, the more relaxed he is.  He will relax his ears, lick his lips, chew and drop his tail and take a deep sigh.  This behavior is a good sign for a good breed to keep and get to interact more with.

A horse owner/trainer should
understand a horse's behavior with
patience. Image grabbed from
Lauren Pine

Horses tend to get relaxed if just like in the wild, the human will act like their boss mare.  Horses are animals that are dependent on the herd that is why they have a boss mare. To act like the boss mare is to act protective and alert towards the safety of all the members you hold in your herd.  As the owner, you must possess such authority and mastery to the responsibility you have for your horse to gain his trust and comfort towards your intents on him.  The more the two of you understand each intent and actions towards each other the more you gain the good companionship you have been seeking for from your horse.