Horses can communicate with each other beautifully, but sometimes people have a hard time understanding horse language. However, because the horse world and the human world often overlap, it is important and beneficial for people to make an effort to learn to talk with and listen to horses.

Horses communicate with gestures, body language, and nuance of motion that can communicate a vast array of emotions and thoughts. Horses use ears, tails, hooves and really every part of the body to communicate. When people take the time to truly understand how intelligent and sensitive a horse can be, the results can be rewarding to both horse and human.

Horses can use their ears to express a number of direct statements. Both ears pricked up straight and tense might mean, ?I?m excited,? while both ears twitching back and forth in opposite directions might mean, ?I?m nervous, but not too upset.? Any human working with horses should make the effort to learn the subtle movements and associated behaviors of their horses? ears.

A horse’s tail is extremely useful as a flyswatter. However, it can also tell you a lot about your horse’s frame of mind. If your horse has a relaxed tail, he is probably pretty content. He may also be bored or confused. If he is holding his tail upright, he may be suspicious or curious. Look at the context for clues as to the meaning. Know your horse well so that you can read his unique body language in every situation.

Horses can use their own footwork to indicate everything from nervous jitters to frustration to outrage. Obviously a horse that kicks is in a dangerous state of mind. They are using their feet to show extreme emotion, possibly fear or anger. They must be dealt with carefully, and humans must respect the size and strength of an animal that is trying to communicate dissatisfaction in such a physical way.

Horses have command of their whole bodies with which to communicate their internal state and their desires to other horses, and indeed, to humans paying attention. They are capable of expressing emotions we usually associate with people, such as intense happiness or territorial jealousy. Watch a horse’s head and neck motions as these are particularly telling regarding the horse’s feelings. If a horse bends or twists his abdomen, this can indicate he is perturbed or stimulated.

Humans and horses are capable of bonding with each other, and horses are quite able of expressing genuine devotion to those with which they have such a bond. It is because we and horses both belong to the mammal family, and both retain the characteristic tendency towards communicating our inner states, that we can have such a relationship. We people seem naturally wired to look for signs of communication in other species, no matter how subtle, and despite the non-verbal nature of such communication. And so some of us who interact with horses put energy into understanding them.

Horses have personalities as distinct as their human owners. Their intelligence is matched by their desire to please. Horses have incorporated humans into their world, and they regularly communicate as mutually understood beings in the same family, both horse and human.

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3. Clicker Training in Training Horses
4. The Three Areas To Reading A Dog’s Body Language
5. Train Your Horse or Pony for Road Traffic