Body Language Provides Clues to Structure of 'Horse Society'
There are countless expressions, movements, and postures that indicate a horse's emotions, health, and social standing.
by Candice C. Dunnigan

Horses, by nature, are highly social animals. As a matter of fact, there are many degrees of horse societies. One does not have to be a zoologist to understand that when these animals are kept together, the groupings encourage the development of their innate social skills. These can be best found in the wild, but also right in your own back pasture. For that matter, Mackinac Island is a great spot for observation. Often, feeding times for horses provide the most useful education, comic relief, and even danger.

There are countless expressions, movements, and postures that indicate a horse's emotions, health, and social standing. Mackinac, come summer, will have an abundance of them to watch, whether they are in harness, under saddle, or standing around in the open corrals of Mackinac Island Carriage Tours. Fifteen minutes of observation can provide valuable insight, especially if done daily with the same animals. All you need is consistency and dedication to the cause.

The bearing of a horse, for instance, will tell a great deal about its mood. Generally speaking, an excited horse will have a much more rigid and elevated posture. He will stand erect, nostrils wide, flaring, and head held high. A bored or submissive horse may appear drowsy; his head will be hung low, tail slumped, and body sagging. It's amazing that both of these displays can change in seconds in the animal, taking them from almost lifeless in appearance, to wide awake. Horses have hairspring triggers. It is understood by all of the other equines around. There is always a social body language, which is incorporated every time a new horse meets another. Their frames and legs say a lot.

Socially, there seem to be three distinctly defensive and offensive body signals horses give off. These are the body check, shoulder barge, and rump presentation. I ended up almost getting a foot broken this winter, when one of my horses decided that he should come in first, instead of another, at feeding time. I was in the middle of a "Mexican stand off" with a halter and lead line, trying to convince this fellow to come with me into the barn. The other horse sensed that he was not first. He then wanted to impede the movement of his rival, and my foot was in the middle of the argument. Ouch!

A horse will often body check another, which says, "I'm in charge." This is when the instigator swings his body in front of the other horse, to prohibit it from advancing. The checked animal either can react to the challenge, or throw in the towel. The act of turning away is a specific signal. Most of the time, this is a convenient way of reinforcing a dormant status, rather than vicious fighting.

A shoulder barge comes next, after the body check. In this move, contact is made with the other horse, and the "big bully push" is engaged. In polo, and sometimes in horse racing, riders will train their horse to "bump" into the other horses to extend this effect of dominance and superiority. Likewise, some horses in these fields are actually taught to shoulder barge from an early age, and not be intimidated by such contacts.

The rump presentation is an awful little habit. One of our ponies is adept at using this, when he doesn't want to be disturbed. For this particular horse, it's not a defensive display. In his case (and many ponies), it's quite calculated. One of our little monsters will simply swing around so that his rump is offered to the rival. The reaction seems to say, "Leave me alone, or else I am going to kick you. I have no desire to leave my stall and the hay that you have provided in order to stand in the rain and eat the other pile outdoors." Behaviorists often call this an intent movement. Not turning around to face another horse is quite easily understood by horses, as the next action might well be a quick, swift kick from a hind leg.

Mares will often use back kicks and hind presentations to repel the actions of their overattentive foals. Often, this happens when foals try to nurse when their dam does not want them to, and she will use a hind leg to drive them away. In general, mares are supposed to be hind leg kickers, while stallions react by lifting and kicking with their front legs.

Leg signals are additional keys in understanding horses. These signals help to illustrate the changing moods of equine behavior. They will paw, drag a foot, and lift one or two legs in a split second. A horse that paws with a front foot may be testing the ground in front of him. Our horses will do this often, when they have new bedding in their stalls, work in a sand arena, walk into a dark, thick, muddy creek bottom, cross a rapidly moving stream, or have to walk over snow and ice-covered ground. A horse will often also paw at the ground when he is first introduced to another horse. Stallions will paw before they breed. Some horses paw under saddle, or in harness. In the later cases, they're often frustrated by being held back from their initial urge to move forward. It is also a signal they want to stretch to urinate. If something prevents them from advancing, they may paw the ground as a way of expressing frustration.

Horses that lift their front legs mean serious business. This is a strike prior to doing battle. The horse may lift the leg as if to kick, but will instead stomp, as if to say, "Do not provoke me, I am in charge." The back leg lift and kick is often more defensive, as if the horse is taking one final or series of parting shots until the next round. Many of these body signals from horses are not limited to others in the species. Horses will engage in this same behavior with cows, dogs, barn cats, barn rats or mice, wild animals, and, of course, humans. It is the wise horseman who learns to recognize these signs if he is to become a good master. Observation is one of the most important tools in working with horses.

Next time, more about signals and the ever-changing dynamics in "horse society." Have a wonderful week.

Candice Dunnigan is an active member of the American Equestrian Association, the Waterloo Hunt, and the Mackinac Island Horsemen's Association. Seasonally she resides at Easterly Cottage.