A beginner rider needs to know how to read equine communication, especially when approaching them. Horses have many non-verbal cues that tell us how they are feeling. We can’t just ask them with words like we can our human friends. We have to be able to read horse body language.
There are three main parts of a horse you should pay particular attention to. It’s ears, eyes, and tail; these three body parts can tell you about your horse’s behavior at any moment. If you watch a herd of horses in a field, you might be able to see what horses do when they talk to each other. They might be nipping or rubbing on each other, kicking, biting, pointing their ears in different directions, or backing up against each other.
Forward ears and looking eyes mean that the horse is paying attention to what they are looking at. These horse’s eyes may appear soft, looking forward and interested in what they are seeing. Their tails may flat or be slightly waving back and forth like a curious and happy dog’s tail. If they are excited at what they see, the horse’s tail may be slightly raised.
Horse Ears that are lying to the side mean that the horse is resting. It feels comfortable enough to fall asleep. It might be bored. Their eyes are unfocused, like a bored human that may be daydreaming. His lower lip might dangle open while he is so relaxed. His tail will be still or maybe softly swaying back and forth to keep the flies from landing on him.
Ears that are sideways and maybe one in front of the other mean the horse is listening to different directions. One ear is forward to hear what is in front, and the other is listening behind them. The first horse looks a little more concerned.
These ears are facing backward, but the horses are listening for cues from their rider. These horses are listening to what their rider is asking them to do. It is a typical horse behavior seen with well-trained horses.
The above horses are pinning their ears back. When you see a horse’s ears back, they are telling you not to approach. They are mad, angry, or very frightened at something or someone. This horse could react quickly with a bite or a kick. It also could move it’s body so fast it might knock you down. This reaction is when you might see the whites of their eyes as the horse looks fiercely towards what is bothering them. This reaction can showing dominant body language or frightened horse behavior. Always watch for sudden change in your or any horse’s behavior. Their responses can change very quickly if they hear something you don’t.
You might see a tail whipping back and forth quickly, enough to hear the whipping sound through the air. If it strikes you, it will sting. Sometimes if a horse feels pain, suddenly they might whip their tail and quickly bite what is causing them pain, like a fly biting them. So beware of how fast a horse can strike with their tail or mouth. Switching the tailback and forth quickly can also me he is very frightened or mad. Stay away until you figure out what is wrong. We would not want the horse to think you are the enemy. He ready to kick or bite.
I want to remind a beginner that a relaxed or well-seasoned lesson horse can be scared and react within seconds. The fight or flight response can be a sudden reflex to what might be happening around or even to him. There is never a guarantee, but most lesson horses will not misbehave and put a rider in danger. Knowing the characteristics of horse behavior will help you notice a change and prepare you for how your horse reacts.