The Basics of Equine
A. Williams, Ph.D., Extension Specialist in Equine Management
Fact Sheet #525
Ten Natural Survival Traits
- The horse, a prey animal, depends on flight as its primary means
of survival. Its natural predators are large animals such as
cougars, wolves, or bears, so its ability to outrun these predators
is critical. As humans, we need to understand their natural
flightiness in order to fully understand horses.
- Horses are one of the most perceptive of all domestic animals.
Since they are a prey species, they must be able to detect
predators. A stimulus unnoticed by humans is often cause for alarm
for horses; as riders and trainers we commonly mistake this reaction
for “spookiness” or bad behavior.
- The horse has a very fast response time. A prey animal must
react instantly to a perceived predator to be able to survive.
- Horses can be desensitized from frightening stimuli. They need
to learn quickly what is harmful (e.g., lion, cougar, etc.) and what
is harmless (e.g., tumbleweeds, birds, a discolored rock, etc.), so
they do not spend their whole lives running away.
- Horses forgive, but do not forget. They especially remember bad
situations! This is why it is critical to make the horse’s first
training experience a positive one.
- Horses categorize most experiences in one of two ways: a)
something not to fear, so ignore or explore it, and b) something to
fear, so flee. Therefore, when presenting anything new, the horse
needs to be shown that ‘a’ is the case. Again, it is important to
make all training experiences positive.
- Horses are easily dominated. The horse is a herd animal where a
dominance hierarchy is always established. If done correctly, human
dominance can easily be established during training without causing
the horse to become excessively fearful.
- Horses exert dominance by
controlling the movement of their peers. Horses accept dominance
when: a) we or another animal cause them to move when they prefer
not to, and b) we or another animal inhibit movement when they want
to flee. Examples include using a round pen, longe line, or hobbles;
or the more dominant horse in the field chasing the less dominant
- The body language of a horse is unique to the equine species. As
a highly social animal, the horse communicates its emotions and
intents to its herd mates through both vocalization and body
language. A person handling horses needs to be able to read the
horse’s body language to be an effective trainer.
- The horse is a precocial species, meaning that the newborn foals
are neurologically mature at birth. They are most vulnerable
immediately after birth so they must be able to identify danger and
flee if necessary.
vision is its primary detector of danger. Even though they have poor
color vision, they can differentiate blue and red from gray hues.
However, they have more trouble differentiating yellow and green from
gray. Horses also have poor depth perception when only using one eye.
They can’t tell a trailer from an endless tunnel, or a mud puddle from a
bottomless lagoon. Their perception is improved by about 5 times when
using both eyes (binocular vision). They can instantly change their
focus from near to far objects. This is why horses cock their head in
different ways to see close vs. distant objects.
Horses have an
acute ability to detect movement. This is why a horse is much
flightier on windy days; things that are normally stationary are now
moving and perceived as a potential threat. Horses are able to see
fairly well at night; however, the contrast sensitivity is less than
that of a cat.
The mechanics of a horse’s vision are different from our own. They
can see almost panoramically, with a small spot directly in front and
directly behind as their blind area (see Figure 1). Never approach a
horse without talking to them in these areas; if frightened they will
use one of their defense mechanisms, e.g., kick or run. A horse can see
two things at once, one from each eye. That allows each side of its
brain to work separately. Like humans, horses have a dominant side
(right-handed or left-handed); however, unlike humans, horses need to be
taught things twice: on the right side and on the left side. The
expression in a horse’s eye is often thought to be a good indicator of
their behavior, e.g., wide open with white showing (and not an
Appaloosa), scared; half closed, sleepy, etc.
Field of vision by Timney and Macuda, 2001 (drawn by C.
A horse’s hearing is much keener than
ours. They use their hearing for three primary functions: to detect
sounds, to determine the location of the sound, and to provide sensory
information that allows the horse to recognize the identity of these
sources. Horses can hear low to very high frequency sound, in the range
of 14 Hz to 25 kHz (human range = 20 Hz to 20 kHz). Horses’ ears can
move 180 degrees using 10 different muscles (vs. 3 for the human ear)
and are able to single out a specific area to listen to. This allows the
horse to orient itself toward the sounds to be able to determine what is
making the noise.
Horses’ tactile sensation or touch is extremely sensitive. Their entire
body is as sensitive as our fingertips. They can feel a fly on one
single hair and any movement of the rider.
Horses are good at letting us know exactly how they are feeling; the
only problem is most people don’t know how to speak “horse”. So here are
some tips on reading a horse’s body language.
If a horse’s tail is:
- High: they are alert or excited
- Low: it is a sign of exhaustion, fear, pain or submission
- Held high over its back: (as seen in most foals) they are
playful or are very alarmed
- Swishing: they are irritated.
If a horse’s legs are:
- Pawing: they are frustrated
- One front-leg lifted: can be a mild threat (or a normal stance
sometimes when eating
- A back-leg lifted: is often a more defensive threat
- Stamping: indicates a mild threat or protest (or they may be
getting rid of insects or flies biting their legs).
facial expressions include:
- Snapping: This is seen in foals showing submission to an older
horse. They will open their mouths and draw back the corners, then
open and shut their jaws.
- Jaws open with teeth exposed: this shows aggression or possible
- The Flehmen response: This is caused by an intense or unusual
smell, usually in stallions when they sense a mare in heat. They
stick their nose in the air and curl the upper lip over their nose.
- Flared nostrils: usually means they are excited or alert.
- Showing white around the eyes: usually means they are angry or
scared. (White around the eyes is also a normal characteristic of
the Appaloosa breed.)
The horses’ ears
are a unique feature:
- Neutral: is when the ears are held loosely upward, openings
facing forward or outward.
- Pricked: ears held stiff with openings pointed directly forward
means the horse is alert.
- Airplane ears: the ears flop out laterally with openings facing
down, usually meaning the horse is tired or depressed.
- Drooped ears: hang down loosely to the side, usually meaning
tiredness or pain.
- Ears angled backward (with openings directed back towards a
rider): usually mean attentiveness to the rider or listening to
- Ears pinned flat against the neck: (see picture below) the means
watch out! The horse is angry and aggressive.
Horses have a
variety of methods of vocal and non-vocal communication. Vocal noises
include a squeal or scream which usually denotes a threat by a stallion or
mare. Nickers are low-pitched and quiet. A stallion will nicker when
courting a mare; a mare and foal nicker to each other; and domestic horses
nicker for food. Neighs or whinnies are the most familiar: high pitched,
drawn out sounds that can carry over distances. Horses whinny to let others
know where they are and to try to locate a herd mate. They also respond to
each other’s whinnies even when out of sight.
Blowing is a strong, rapid
expulsion of air resulting in a high pitched “whooshing” sound, which
usually is a sign of alarm used to warn others. Snorting is a more passive,
shorter lower pitched version of blowing and is usually just a result of
objects entering the nasal passage.
contrast to signals of aggression within a herd, there are also signs of
friendship. Mares and foals nudge and nuzzle each other during nursing or
for comfort, and mutual grooming, when two horses nibble at each other, is
A herd of wild horses consists of one or two stallions, a group of mares,
and their foals. The leader of the herd is usually an older mare (the “alpha
mare”), even though one stallion owns the herd. She maintains her
dominant role even though she may be physically weaker than the others. The
older mare has had more experiences, more close encounters, and survived
more threats then any other horse in the herd. The requirement of the lead
horse is not strength or size; if this were so, then humans could never
dominate a horse. Dominance is established not only through aggression but
also through attitudes that let the other horses know she expects to be
The stallion’s job
is to be the herd’s guardian and protector, while maintaining
reproductive viability. The stallion’s harem usually consists of 2 to 21
horses, with up to 8 of those being mares and the rest their offspring. When
the colts are old enough to be on their own they will form a bachelor herd.
The fillies will either remain in their natural herd or more commonly
disperse into other herds or form a new herd with a bachelor stallion.
As soon as a stallion becomes too old to maintain his
status as herd owner he is replaced by a younger stallion from a bachelor
herd. The average time for a stallion to remain leader is about 2 years,
but some can last more than 10 years.
are most vulnerable when they are eating or drinking. So, when a horse
is being submissive, it will simulate eating by lowering its head, chewing,
and licking its lips (similar to snapping mentioned above). Dominance
occurs when a horse forces the other to move against its will. One horse
will move its body in the direction of or in contact with the other forcing
it to move. Fighting usually occurs when the dominant horse is challenged by
the other horse not moving, or responding aggressively.
Vices are negative activities
that occur due to various causes, including stress, boredom, fear, excess
energy, and nervousness. Horses naturally graze for 12 to 16 hours a day.
When kept in stalls we prevent them from engaging in many natural activities
such as grazing, walking, or playing with other horses. Not enough natural
stimuli will cause a horse to invent its own stimuli. Once these habits
start they are difficult to eliminate.
occurs when the horse bites onto a fixed surface (e.g., stall door edge,
grain bin, fence rail), arches his neck and sucks in air, making a grunting
noise. This causes a release of endorphins which relieves the unpleasant
situation. Cribbing becomes addictive; even when removed from the unpleasant
situation the horse may still crib. Some horses even prefer cribbing to
eating! Cribbing can lead to weight loss, poor performance, gastric colic,
and excessive tooth wear.
occurs when the horse stands by the stall door and rhythmically shifts its
weight back and forth on its front legs while swinging its head. This is
also caused by boredom or excess energy, and can lead to weight loss, poor
performance and weakened tendons.
stall walking, pawing, or digging,
and biting over the stall door are also vices that are caused
by boredom from being kept in a stall. To decrease the frequency of this
behavior, you might try adding another mealtime, placing toys in the stall,
or providing more roughage or turn out time.
eating bedding, or dirt, and self-mutilation are
caused by lack of exercise or boredom. However, nutritional deficiencies
could also cause these vices. To eliminate this as a cause, provide more
roughage to the diet, and free choice salt or minerals. This may decrease
the frequency of the vice.
Keiper, R.R. 1986. Social Structure. Veterinary
of North America-Equine Practice. 2: 465-484.
McDonnell, S. Equine Behavior Lab, University of Pennsylvania,
School of Veterinary Medicine.
Miller, R.M. 1995 to 1997. Behavior of the Horse.
Journal Equine Veterinary Science. Volume 15(1) to
Timney, B., and T. Macuda. 2001. Vision and Hearing
in Horses. Journal of American Veterinary Medical