Communicating With Your Horses

Yes, your pony most likely does not speak English. In all possibility, he does not talk any other human language, either. He can not speak the way that you and I speak, but that doesn’t mean he can’t communicate. Your pony is a constant source of non-verbal signals and body language that you would do very well to pick, translate and understand. Let’s start you off with some inputs in this article.

Moaning

A pony moans for the same reasons humans do. Quite often, the moan is an expression suggesting that the pony is experiencing discomfort. If you’re unsure of what caused a groan, you would be wise to have your veterinarian have a look.

Horse grunts that aren’t reflective of discomfort are voiced when the pony is straining over some obstacle, much as some tennis players grunt when they serve or hit a shot. These grunts are easily translated and are nothing to worry about.

Certain riders, especially those who bounce like bad checks when they’re riding, could cause horses to groan. You will assume that these are groans of exasperation. Sometimes horses grunt when they believe their work is finished for the day.

You need to become extremely alert when your horse moans; if there’s the smallest indication that he’s groaning because of physical discomfort you should call the vet straight away.

Sighing

Sometimes, horses sigh. They do so by breathing deeply and then letting out their breath slowly through their mouth or nose. Often, these sighs seem to signify ecstasy, if for example, they happen when the horse is being groomed or rubbed down. Sometimes horses sigh when they are given repetitious work; you might say these sights indicate irritation. You should look for something else to do if your pony sighs during a training session.

Snorting

When a horse sighs with a large amount of stress, with partly closed lips that vibrate when it expels breath, it is snorting. Snorting is much louder than sighing. Snorting usually is an indicator that the horse is worked up about something. Snorting is also infectious, as other horses nearby can take it up in a form of chorus. Infrequently, the excitement may build up, and the pony may get hard to manage, showing his excitement with a pride intact, a lifted tail, more and louder snorting and some prancing.

Sometimes horses snort when they get startled. In your rides, you may have occasion to notice that your pony snorts when he comes across something that looks like it might be a threat of some form.

Nickering

Typically, a horse nickers when he’s feeling cheerful, or he is anticipating something nice like an additional treat. Horses also nicker to show their affection, like mares do with their foals. Horses nicker as the times for their feeding get close; if they are feeling impatient for their feed, they make excited sounds that are high pitched.

Sometimes nonetheless , nickers can signal distress. Horses nicker softly when they’re nervous; nickering accompanied by pacing, eye rolling and ears moving back and forth signifies that the pony feels threatened. It is best to immediately attend to the situation and remove the threat.

Neighing

At varied times, neighing suggests that the horse is either concerned or assured. Horses neigh to communicate with one another while at pasture. Perturbed or high-pitched neighing together with sweating indicates stress over something. If the neighing has a sort of bugle effect, and the horse is exhibiting confident body language with ears pricked, it is in pleasant anticipation of something or someone.

Well, that just about should make it plain that horses do communicate. You can understand them only if you are alert and mindful of what each of their different methods of communication implies. You will develop an everlasting bond with your horse when you do finally understand everything he’s saying and respond in an appropriate way.

Horses are Heather Toms passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers, like all things about riding hats