horse behaviour

Horses are large, grazing, herbivores who live in herds. They are prey animals which means that they are hunted by predators in their natural environment. The domestic horse has been manipulated by breeding to range in size from very large to very small, however apart from size all horses share the same fundamental physical and behavioural characteristics.

The way that a horse is built (physical characteristics) is directly linked to its behaviour. Understanding how and why a horse is built they way it is aids in understanding why they behave the way they do.

Anyone that deals with horses needs to understand horse behaviour in order to be safer when around them, to be able to train them humanely and to provide the correct living conditions for them.

Most domesticated horses have been habituated to accept humans and various sights and sounds and have been trained, to a lesser or greater degree, to override their instincts when being handled and ridden. They can however revert to instinctive behaviour in certain circumstances depending on their individual behavioural characteristics and their level of training. Even a well behaved/trained horse can react instinctively when being handled and ridden if the stimulus is strong enough.

Domestic horses still possess all of their natural behavioural characteristics and can become stressed if they are not allowed to carry out certain behaviours. Unnatural behaviours such as crib biting and weaving come about when a horse is prevented from carrying out natural behaviours.

These are some of the reasons why it is so important that people who deal with horses understand horse characteristics.

This page covers some of the physical and behavioural characteristics of horses. If you want to know more about horse behaviour I also give talks at pony clubs/riding clubs and hold workshops on this subject. See the end of this page for more information on the talks/workshops. See the workshop page for upcoming dates of workshops in Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

physical characteristics

Horses have very sensitive skin which is necessary for detecting flying pests and parasitises. Some parts of the horse are even more sensitive than others and these include the top lip, muzzle, ears, feet, legs, and flanks. The top lip has many nerve endings and is strong and highly mobile, which allows the horse to investigate, feel and select. The top lip is the closest thing that a horse has to a hand. The muzzle is covered in whiskers that help the horse to 'feel' in much the same way as a cat. Underneath the skin, each whisker is attached to nerve endings that send messages to the brain. If these whiskers are removed (by trimming) you take away some of the horses ability to feel.

The ears, feet and legs of a horse are essential to its survival. This is why horses are especially wary of being touched in these areas initially when first being handled. Horses have a strong sense of smell and taste. The horse uses these senses (along with the whiskers and the top lip) to select grasses when grazing. The horse also uses its sense of smell when assessing a potentially dangerous situation.

The hoof of a horse is relatively very small and lightweight (compare it to a human foot) on the end of leg that has the bones arranged in a concertinaed fashion which allows a lot of extension when running and kicking. This means that very little energy is required to move it and it can move very quickly, it also means that the horse can kick with accuracy and strength. A horse is also capable of striking forward with a front leg. In the wild a horse that is surrounded by predators will strike at them with a front leg or even rear to use both front legs to strike and stamp if necessary.

The horse has large eyes that are situated on the sides of the head so that it has very good all round vision at the expense of sharp forward focussing vision. The horse can detect moving objects in the distance that a human would struggle to see. Horses also notice when unfamiliar objects are in a familiar place because they take the whole situation into account when looking for potential dangers. The horse is unable to focus on objects at the same speed as a human and this lack of sharp focussing can cause a horse to be anxious about an object until it has time to see it better and identify it. If the horse cannot very quickly ascertain what the object is, it prepares for flight. When the head is in the grazing position the horse can see along either side of the legs and with small movements of the head the horse can see directly behind and directly in front. If the horse identifies a possible danger the head is immediately raised above the body level where it can again see all round by moving the head only slightly.

The ears of the horse are situated on top of the head and are serviced by numerous muscles. This means that each ear can swivel 180 degrees providing the horse with the potential for 360 degrees of hearing without having to move the head. The ears work independently so that the horse can have one ear facing forwards and one back at the same time. This gives the horse the ability to hear very well indeed and it can hear objects approaching from behind well before we can. The ears serve the dual purpose of being used for hearing and as being part of the body language of the horse.

behavioural characteristics

the flight response: horses utilise the 'flight response' if they are frightened. This is because they are prey animals rather than predators. Horses are highly reactive even when compared to other prey animals, some of which are adapted to defend first and if this fails, flee from danger. Horses will only resort to defence if they are captured or cornered such as when caught by predators or if they are in a confined area. The physical and behavioural characteristics of a horse ensure that it can act on its instincts which are primarily to run away from danger or secondarily to defend itself if trapped. A horse is either in an alert state or is able to become alert very quickly. Even a horse that is dozing can switch to the alert state in an instant if an unfamiliar noise or movement occurs or if other horses nearby become alert. This is part of the natural behaviour of an animal that is hunted by other animals.

An example of how the flight response can be activated very quickly in the horse is if a rider falls from a horse and has the foot caught in the stirrup, the horse does not reason that the rider cannot get free and therefore if it stands still all will be well, instead it is frightened by the unfamiliar sight and feel. To the horse the rider has now become a potential threat and unless the horse has been trained otherwise it is likely to panic and bolt.

the horse is a herd animal: it cannot be ignored is that the horse is a herd animal. This fact drives their behaviour and causes them to do things that seem irrational to us such as panic if they get separated from other horses. It is highly instinctive for horses to want to be together. Living in a herd means safety in numbers, it means that an animal reduces its chances of being the one that the predator catches, and that there are many eyes and ears looking out for predators at the same time. A horse on its own in the wild is much more likely to be caught by a predator and it expends too much nervous energy having to remain in an alert state. Horses that live in herds can take it in turns to be alert, to eat and to rest. When allowed to live as a herd domestic horses, like their more natural living cousins, have a rich social life which includes such behaviours as mutual grooming sessions, playing, grazing and simply standing around together.

vocalisation: horses make several different types of vocalisation. Horses snort hard and loud when they are highly exited or when they are looking at something that they cannot identify. Horses snort more softly when less aroused. Some horses make a snorting noise when cantering or galloping which is actually the vibration of the inner nostril. Horses squeal when greeting one another and when on the defence or as a sign of aggression (such as when kicking). Horses make several noises that can be classed as a whinny ranging from high pitched and urgent sounding to a more relaxed greeting whinny. Horses make a low rumbling noise that is used as a greeting. Horses blow their nose and sigh when relaxed. Horses do not squeal when in pain or make any other vocalisation to signal pain (such as a dog yelps and whimpers). This is normal for a prey animal who cannot afford to let a predator know that they may be weak and therefore a likely target.

social hierarchy: there is a social hierarchy within a herd of horses which is maintained with a whole array of body language and interactive behaviours, for example small gestures such as ears back and head thrusts which usually results in the subordinate horse moving aside. This behaviour maintains order in the group without having to resort to aggression unless absolutely necessary and is why herd or pack animals are much easier to train than animals that are solitary by nature. A horse that is confident in its dominance is characterised by its ability to move other horses using as little effort as possible. Observe horses in group situations and observe how small gestures can get big results. Generally only horses whose status is questionable use overtly aggressive gestures.

playing: horses bite and kick when playing with each other and when asserting themselves with other horses. Healthy horses play frequently and during play they practice these behaviours as well as bucking, rearing, snorting, spooking and galloping around. Horse play is very rough!

aggression: in the natural environment horses are not particularly aggressive animals. Their food source is spread around and so they do not have to fight to get it. Aggression is only used when absolutely necessary because it is not only dangerous for the victim but for the aggressor as well. Aggression may be used by a stallion if he is challenged by another stallion, the remainder of the time he is often subordinate to the lead mare. In a domestic situation horses are mainly aggressive towards each other at feed times. They can injure people and each other if they are not separated when feed is being handed out as a concentrated feed source creates competition.

learning: even though horses are highly reactive and nervous they are able to learn to relax when in familiar surroundings and they learn to accept familiar sights and sounds. This ability to relax in familiar surroundings is a necessary behaviour for a prey animal otherwise they use too much energy by being alert all of the time. Horses are also able to generalise sights and sounds to some extent therefore the more they see and do the more they accept as 'normal'. Horses have a very high learning ability and are able to learn certain tasks very quickly if trained properly. Not only does a horse learn quickly but it will remember and respond to a cue indefinitely once it has been taught thoroughly.

body language: if you watch domestic horses interacting with each other when living as a herd you will see that they have a large and varied repertoire of behaviours. Many of them are very subtle to a human but are vital to horses who use body language to a large extent to communicate with other herd members. Horses exhibit body language to convey their intentions to other horses. Even though horses are highly reactive they often give out lots of signs before acting. Different parts of the horse's body are used to communicate different signals. The ears of the horse are used in many ways to signal its intentions or its state of mind. When a horse is very relaxed it may allow its ears to 'flop' sideways. Make sure that a dozing horse is aware that you are there before approaching as the horse can be startled otherwise, therefore wait until the horse has turned an ear or the head towards you before approaching. Generally speaking, in the alert horse the ears point towards whatever the horse is looking at.

The tail can give many signals. It is used to swish away flies but it is also swished when the horse is irritated. A horse clamps its tail to its backside when frightened and when about kick or while actually kicking out. Sometimes a horse will also tuck its rump under when it clamps its tail. A relaxed horse will carry the tail slightly lifted when moving (Arabians naturally carry it higher than other breeds) without swishing. If standing still the tail will be touching the body but relaxed (i.e. not clamped). An exited, exuberant horse will sometimes carry the tail up and over the back or straight up in the air like a flag.

The mouth area also gives off many signs. The chin and lips become bunched and tight when the horse is tense. The lower lip droops when the horse is relaxed (see the photo of the horse that is dozing).. A young horse 'claps' its lips to older horses to signify its subservience. Stallions curls the top lip (called the Flehmen response) when smelling mares or urine/manure. Many horses sometimes do this if they smell something strange.

Horses often give off many signs before they act. Understanding body language gives the handler or rider an early warning system. This allows time to respond rather than having to react to situations.

These are just some of the physical and behavioural characteristics that you need to understand about horses.

workshops and lessons

I provide workshops and lessons to educate people to better understand the behaviour of their own horses. Workshops and individual lessons can be delivered in any of the above subjects, or indeed many other behavioural issues not covered in these articles.

email: jane@equiculture.com.au or phone: 07 55438623