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Can You Talk To Horses?

© Patricia Celley

Dr. Doolittle and Mr. Ed's owner aren't the only ones who can talk to horses; you can too! But you will have to listen with your eyes more than your ears. Horses "talk" with their ears, eyes, tail, nostrils and body movements.

You can tell the most about what a horse is thinking by looking first at his ears. A horse's ears turn forward, sideways, and backwards. Both ears do no have to move the same way. If your horse is paying close attention as you ride, you often see one ear pointed bacwards and one ear pointing forward; or, you may see the horse's ears switching back and forth a lot. When a horse is afraid of something he will point his ears so far forward it may look like they are trying to touch in the front. His nostrils become big and wide and he may blow hard as he tries to smell danger. Some horses will lift their tail when they are afraid of something. They will hold their head high and the muscles in the neck tighten. His eyes will be very wide, sometimes even showing white around the edges.

Mean, angry horses are ugly! They have very specific ways of warning you that they are mad or angry. When a horse is angry his ears do not just turn backwards, they lay flat back on the neck. The nose is usually turned out and the nostrils are narrowed and pulled back at the top. Sometimes he will swing his head back and forth. His tail is either clamped down tight or swishing back and forth hard and fast.

You can also know if a horse is tired or not feeling well by listening with your eyes. If a horse does not pick his head up to look at you when you come up to him it may be a sign something is wrong. His ears will be relaxed, almost drooping, sometimes pinning back if he is in pain. His eyes will be sleepy looking. His tail will hang straight down. You better understand if your horse ever tells you he has a belly ache, or colic. He will paw the ground, look at his sides, lie down and roll around or get up and down repeatedly. Colic is a life threatening condition and requires immediate veterinary care. Until the vet gets there, keep him on his feet and walking to prevent him from twisting an intestine.

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