Getting a new horse is super exciting (doesn’t matter if it’s your first one or your fifth one), but getting the new member to join your already existing herd can result in some tense moments. Horses are herd animals and you should always strive to have your horse live in …
The flehmen response is a behaviour in which your horse curls back her upper lip exposing its front teeth, inhales with the nostrils usually closed, and then tyically holds this position for several seconds. The nostrils of your horse flare to draw more scents into the long, cavernous nasal passages that are …
When you disturb your horse’s sense of smell, like overwhelming it with a very strong scent, her social interactions are radically altered. As prey animals, horses need to be able to detect even the slightest scent of danger on the wind to stay safe. Horses are also quick to note …
Horses are highly social creatures and communicate with each other quite a bit. If you watch closely you can observe this constant interplay of communication, energy and body language passing between horses and rippling through a herd. Horses use a wide range of expressions, gesticulations and movements to communicate in …
As a flight animal, your horse’s body will inherently strive to hide any signs of pain for as long as possible. A little pain doesn’t usually result in big changes and it can be really difficult to spot. It’s important that you know your horse well and can spot the …
The sense of balance is crucial to your horse and it is important for anyone working with horses to understand how it affects behaviour. Immediately after birth foals being practising to stand. The sensory receptors, called proprioceptors, in the muscles, joints, tendons and skin sense the position of the body …
Eyesight (vision) is the most important sense for your horse. For a prey animal, the constant, vigilant monitoring of the surrounding environment is crucial for survival. Horses are very sensitive to motion and will usually react by trying to get as far away as possible from whatever suddenly entered their …
It’s a common misconception that horses have a thick hide (almost like an elephant), when, in fact, horses have very sensitive skin. Yes, it’s thicker than human skin but it is also loaded with nerve endings. Horses can feel a tiny little fly landing on them and then shake the …
Your horse has excellent hearing and continuously swivels his ears towards different noises in the environment. He has a large field of vision and doesn’t need to turn his head in order to see things around him (like we do). By paying attention to which way the ears are pointing, …
An idea begins to form in your mind: there’s something off with your horse. You can’t say where exactly this hunch is coming from because your horse isn’t thrashing or wriggling in pain. A quick once over doesn’t turn up anything obviously wrong. But you’re sure that everything isn’t as …
