How to Stay Safe Around Horses: Horse Body Language
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.พ. 2020
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How to Stay Safe Around Horses: Horse Body Language
If you’ve spent any time around horses, it’s more than likely that you’ve been hurt or injured. You may have been kicked, bitten, bucked off, stepped on, or maybe hit in the head by the horses head!
It’s no fun getting hurt and the reality of it is that the horses don’t want to hurt us. Horses are prey animals and they have a very strong sense of self-preservation. Horses are always on high alert looking out for a predator that might try to attack and their fight or flight mechanism is what keeps them safe.
We, as humans, must learn to read the horse. True horsemen (and women) are very aware of the horse’s body language and they are able to sense what the horse is feeling and thinking before the horse reacts! This awareness of what the horse is thinking coupled with training tools is what keeps you safe around horses.
You must learn how to read the horse and understand what they are thinking AND train the horse to look to you and respond to your cues instead of panicking and fleeing!
In this weeks video I describe how to read a horse and what to look for to understand the horses’ mental state. Being able to really read a horse takes many, many years and thousands of hours!
An old cowboy I use to ride with in Colorado used to say: “How do you get good judgement? - Bad judgement!” I certainly have learned over the years from all those “bad judgment” calls but I hope this video helps you to better read your horse and avoid getting hurt!
Happy Riding,
Amelia - ภาพยนตร์และแอนิเมชัน
What does your horse do when they are excites or nervous??
When something seems suspicious to them or they don't like the look of something, the horses I know will plant themselves, lift their head, and lock their ears on that direction. We have to go around a very scary corner on the way to the barn and sometimes the horse I ride will do that. I usually give him a second to see that everything's ok before I insist that he walk on. I know some people might discourage this habit, but he's a very honest, good boy so I trust that his concern is genuine. So I give him a few seconds to just check it out before I try to get his attention back and carry on. I don't do this if the horse is prancing or snorting or swishing their tail in excitement. If they just want to stop for a second to have a look and a think while standing still, I think that's fair. But if they're totally ignoring me, I think that's dangerous and I need to get their attention right away.
My 11 year old gelding would love to look around and go elsewhere in his brain. I try really hard (by continually asking him if he is with me) to not let this happen because although he is just being somewhat aloof, he then can find something to be worried about . And then it goes bad !! And when I can no longer keep this focus between the two of us, it’s a signal to wrap up the session. Sometimes it’s 40 minutes and sometimes it’s 20 minutes. Thank you for this reinforcing video...SO IMPORTANT
I am a great believer in using the voice and talking soothingly. I feel it gets a little of the horse's attention back on me, but more helpfully it stops me from tensing up myself!
My horse poops nonstop when he gets nervous 😂
Go for a broncing fit! 😂 - When they are exited
Rear - when they are nervous
Thanks for the video! 👍 Some signs of stress can be quite small. If our horse is insecure or stressed he gets this ‘hard’ look in his eyes. When his eyes are soft he’s relaxed. Also with his under lip. When it’s tight he’s stressed. Listening to that little voice in your head is very important. The time I ignored it I got injured. He was super relaxed one moment (and I just knew something was going to happen but continued with what I was doing) and the next moment everything went so fast! That sixth sense is there for a reason. 😉
Ahh yes! I forgot to mention about the lips! Thank you for adding this!!
These comments are so well appreciated. I was on a training ride with a horse that had just come into the barn. There was a trainer. The horse got nervous. I tried to calm him down. The trainer counseled me to ride him through it. Trust your instincts. When you feel a horse tense with snorting and ears up and a back stiff to buck. THINK. There is no shame in dismounting and a little lunge work or moving to another space until you work through the whys. These are great suggestions to be applied from the newbie to skilled competitor. Many thanks.
Hi Amelia, such an important topic for sure !
I find it unfortunate that’s some horse owners are in such a rush to get on and get going to the next clinic or test.
I’m a true believer in taking the time from the very beginning of getting your new horse and start ground training. You can get so much information about your horses behaviours. Its the safest and best place to correct anything that needs fixing a lot of the time the horse simply does understand what your asking of him and that stresses them out. A horse with busy feet has a busy mind and that’s not really a safe horse to ride. You can get most if not all of the spook out of your horse through clear, loving, calm and fair leadership. It gives you great time to bond with your partner and also to get trust between one another. Leadership starts on the ground, not when your panicked up on the horse. ❤️
Thanks, Amelia for your tips. A great reminder is about "the voice" saying: "things are going bad". It happens a few times and always it's a good idea to get off.
It's good to share this kind of feelings
I appreciate the strategies you give for working with the high head, tense muscles and spook. Your comments on this and a couple of your other videos have given me many tools for working with my horse that can be down right hot at times. First lessons with your mom were the "one rein stop" which we modified to a small serpentine back and forth so my horse looked at the object with both eyes. Continuing groundwork, drifting his hind quarters, making sure his head stays down and moving forward have all worked magic. I cannot say thank you enough for these tips.
Hi Amelia, thank you for the tips. Ive been doing horses for 50 years and am still amazed how different horses react to stress. While I find myself pretty sensitive to the things you spoke about, I have a Wild Navajo mustang stallion i have been working with and he does a few things I have never seen. On the ground he will bend his head away from me as if to say if i cant see you, you are not there. Its so strange. The other is he will lean back or sideways with a cocked relaxed back leg. So weird those legs remind me of a sailors sea legs. I have a lot of work to do and given he was untouchable 3 months ago I am impressed he is learning to trust a human.
Important tips. I would also include a proper warm up before schooling. Warm up is part of schooling. I have noticed that many of the "surprises" I've gotten were because of improper warm up.
I enjoy your video a lot. I had to deal with my age concerns and get up after a serious injury was something long and depressing. Now the problem is that my coach do not want me to give me the young mare whom I have fell, she 's a young pure breed. And she doesn't want me to canter. I lost my balance that 's because I was tired. I did not listened to the little voice too and I ended up in a hospital too...I fully understand you Amelia! I should have never wanted to canter as I was too tired that day, too late now. 🙄
I fear now never to be able to canter, never not to get on horses. This refusal seems to me as if cantering was highly dangerous. I used to easily canter or whatever to do, with a good seat. Now I have problems in knees due to fibromyalgia. I bought Jin Stirrup and wait to see if that 'll help me.
I do not fear horses. Most of the time now I ride mares - I' m 57 years old and started to ride at 10, stopping during 35 years ! - and all of them seem to be a little cranky with every time another mood ! Lol. When now I discover Faspasie or Tilostra with pricked ears I try to show them all is going to be ok between us, I try to show them some brush which please them or scratch them where they love to. They start to relax, and if the same mood starts again I start the same thing again... Till all seems fine.
I think I preferred castrated males. 😅😅
Thank you very much for your very good videos which help me dear Amelia. Hugs and love from France. 😁🤗🇫🇷💖💕💖
My horse definitely does the high head ear alert. He is partially blind so he can be a little tense in new situations (especially with light to dark areas). You gave great tips. It's really important to reinforce the calm behavior when they give it. We often forget to reinforce and praise the behavior we want to see. Even a softening of the eyes is the right direction towards calmness.
thank you for such videos! 👍 very useful to listen cause it can be hard to find someone in real life to explain those things!
Really great video, Amelia. You know my horse better than most :) I learned AFTER buying him, and before meeting you, that although he is sweet tempered and a good boy, he has a powerful spook in him. He’s really smart and hyper observant. I’ve had to learn that he will not stay focused unless I am disciplined and very focused in the moment. When he becomes unfocused, that’s when things happen. I came to riding later in life, and the horse I leased before buying my own also had a spook. But, it was very consistent, he jumped in place, and I learned to deal with it pretty quickly. When I bought my own horse, I learned 30 days in that I could not take him for granted, had to be always observant and three steps ahead of him, or I would end up going 100 miles an hour as he ran to safety, and then likely on the ground. (I experienced both). I wish I had learned about this Safety 101 early on. Fortunately, with your help, I have become better at handling the signs of imminent spooking that is now far less frequent and not as intense because you have helped me build confidence and put some tools in my tool box. It’s been 5 years now that I’ve had him and I am still learning about horse behavior, like a few weeks ago when you had me get off because you could see he was exhibiting the signs of agitation (flared nostrils, snort breathing, tenseness) that I was not seeing. He and I have improved much from when I first got him, but there’s no such thing as too much focus on safety, prevention and practicing to maintain those skills. Thanks again for another helpful video!
These are great reminders to take the time to recognise how your horse's behaviour changes when excited/stressed/afraid.
My horse does 'periscope up' neck and a super rigid body, it's like being on a statue.
I've found in hand work has been a huge help in establishing our relationship and ultimately building up the trust between us so when we do find ourselves in a tricky situation I can see him flick back his ears to me and check in "Do I have to worry or do you have this?". But the the best tip is 'If in doubt then lunge' or even better, don't ride and do something else with your horse that day if possible. Better safe than sorry...or injured.
Good video! Great for newbies AND even seasoned horse owners. We sometimes get laxed as to keeping mindful about these danger signs
So well done as all your videos are!! Thank you Amelia for teaching us how to listen to what the horse is trying to say and be safer while around them. The video examples are so helpful to show exactly whatvyou mean. Horses are always unpredictable but this gives good guidelines as to what their temperament is at the moment.
Love learning from all your videos!!
Thank you soooo much!!! Very important information! Please do more videos like that, for me beginner, it's very useful!! Especially with the supporting videos of the horse, so it's clear.
Thank you! My horse when he starts to freak out, we go back to what he knows we’ll for his confidence and I get him busy riding lots of bending lines. He really like serpentining, I think because he has to put his attention on me to know when to turn again/change the bend. I also now incorporate drifting the hindquarters since watching your video it keeps him focused and in a position that would make crow hopping or bucking difficult. If he is not in the contact properly to or at all, he has opportunity to act up as well so I watch for that. Rewarding the change to relaxation immediately can change ride for the better to an amazing degree as well.
Yay! Super. Sounds like you've got a strategy that works for your horse!!
My previous horse had to somehow walk around with a lowered head but on high alert.
It wasn’t hard to tell when he was nervous because he would become tense and his breathing was harder and more “snorty”
Sometimes things would catch him by surprise, when riding him, we once had a canter pole on the ground “come out of nowhere” according to my horse, the took the biggest stride ever and leaped over it like it was a water jump at spruce meadows.
A lot of fun times training him, but he turned out to be fantastic by the time I sold him.
I wish I had more time to refine his skills.
Very informative!! Thank you for sharing this ♥️🐴♥️
I've been fortunate that both my mares--one I had in my youth, and the one I currently have--are steady personalities, but even so, never assume anything. Your video is so important to remind one of the importance of constantly reading your horse. With both my mares, it is the corners of the mouth that really give an indication of mood. One of them would turn down the corners of her mouth as a prelude to an occasional crow hop.
Good video with great advice. Thank you.Amelia!
Fantastic information! Thank you.
This is good advice. Very timely and educational. Thanks.
Ears for sure! My guy has laser ears and he is always looking for something to spook at instead of listening to me. 🤣
This is a very helpful video thank you
Very helpful. Thank you!
My fiance was around when I watched this and now he keeps trying to lower my head, lol. Seriously, though, good tips :)
😂🤣🤣. That’s hilarious. I’m laughing so hard right now!!
Lindsay 🤣🤣🤣
Thank you!
Awesome video Amelia!!! I agree on all points. And good job after that spookyness, it is so clear how instantly you got control by moving the hind quarters bravo! I am guessing that guy was throwing some garbage and when the garbage can lid shut close the horse spooked? Possibly your horse was focused on his task and did not notice that guy or at least not prepared for a noice.
In general; sometimes the fact horses are aware of the environment is not so bad, it actually means they are relaxed enought to see stuff not completely shut inside themselves. The leader horse in the flock is usually much more agile to the surroundings than the younger silly ones you can notice.
It may be good to prevent a naturally nervous or young horse before they freak by looking in the direction of something that is different. For example a nervous horse (even though he supposedly has much better hearing than you) may still be unaware a car is coming around the bend on the road down from where you are riding. So you may need to "stop riding" (stop moving with the horse) and focus on that car or whatever it is and then as soon as you feel he is looking in that direction (or aware) you start riding again (instantly!) lowering your arms all relaxed. Its all about the timing, don´t stop freeze and look for a long time and make him then go himself. But pretend you are a horse "hey that car down there looks weird", freeze a bit, look, then instantly, "oh its just a car I willl keep going" - as if you were a horse that stops chewing for a moment to look at a bird but then lowers his head straight away and chews on. The horse will feel that. That is much better than waiting for the horse to notice the "threat" or worse yet NOT notice until that terribly garbage can lid comes CRASHING DOWN like a tiger LOL
I hope what I am saying makes sense. It is really great to be ahead of the horse, especially the young ones that are looking to you for leadership. The "oh I hope he does not get bother by that mail man swining his arms on the phone" method dont work haha.
Nice job, Amelia... really respect your points about safety first and using your influence and this platform to share that with your audience. Keep up the great work with these videos!
Thanks very helpful
I love the mirror outside I want one
one stops and stares, assess the threat and then goes on about his business. If he's decided its not ok, he'll spin and run but is easily contolled with the one rein stop, disengaging the haunches.
My other one becomes a giraffe and just says goodbye I'm outta here. Been working on the head lowering when walking, lounging etc... if im on him, i try again to lower his head, get his focus by moving laterally as best we can. My trainer akso has me just do lots of circles and has me push his haunches out... like the drfting hindquarters! 🙃 And if all else fails, i jump off!
Thanks for the great video!
😂😂😂
Real enjoyed the video
Thanks again! Useful insights for a newbie like me. And by the way, nice music!
I know very well when my horse gets tense! Tense body, head helt high, stiff muscles and breathing so loudly, like a sneeze but of breath xd I do so much of talking with him and tickling him kinda at his manes. If I dont trust it anymore, I do one rein stop. Fortunately I taught him to rather stop than run off when he's scared :) one rein stop teaches that I think.
Thanks for another great video:) Really enjoy the groundwork videos you did and the exercise videos, too. I have a pretty spooky mare who has gotten spookier and spookier over the last few years. I read in "The Nature of the Horse" that some horses can turn spooking into a sort of vice (when walking in hand or riding), I guess they can become addicted to the adrenalin, which rang true for me when I read it, and that seems to be what has happened. I'm pretty experienced, rode at eventing CCI* level as a teenager, and my previous horses and none of the dozens I've ridden over the years have ever been this spooky, but this mare has got my number, apparently. Your comment about the pattern developing with adrenalin seems to be what's happening here. I've started adding the head lowering and haunches over techniques this spring to our groundwork as we get ready to get back in work (live in the NE with no indoor so have to take several months off for winter) and I'm seeing really positive results so far - thank you! Wondering if you have any suggestions for my horse's biggest issue: when we start back to work after any significant time off, I always have to lunge her every day for several weeks before riding, because she will be too hot if I just hop on. But, the first couple lunges, she will straight out gallop (usually) when I ask for the canter, and it's very hard to stop her. This has become a pattern now, and I'm not sure how to get out of it because I can't start her back up by going straight in the saddle. Free lunging also seems like going in the wrong direction because I don't want to encourage running in the ring. Also, not asking for the canter seems like avoidance of the issue, but maybe waiting until she is stronger and then asking would be better? She may break into though without my asking. Any thoughts? Sorry so long!
Hi! Great question. So I would really work on yielding the hindquarters from the ground. Start at the walk and then get to where you can do it at the trot and also canter until when she bolts off at the canter you can bring her back to the trot by bending and yielding. Then ask for canter again and if she bolts off break her down to trot until she will canter nicely. I would not let a hot horse like this just bolt off because it will just get them more and more hyped up and in the habit of bolting.
@@AmeliaNewcombDressage Thank you Amelia - I will try this! Your videos are so helpful and thorough. Just watched the falling onto a shoulder one and loved your fixes and awesome explanations. You rock!
Horse language is so easy: Hand over the carrots and nobody gets hurt. Works on me every time. Seriously though, we have a bit of a problem with separation anxiety, it's a nightmare to work with. Whichever one of the horses gets led off to work is fine. The other will freak out at being left behind. On one hand it's great how they've bonded, but there is such a thing as too much. :(
Is anyone gives a sugar to horse?)) Just curious, please advise.
Instead of carrot I mean.
Hi Amelia, I enjoy all your videos and your pleasant, non critical style of communicating. I also follow your brother a bit. Did you have him in mind when making this video? Poking at brothers is fun. He might find it useful especially after the recent video he shared. He was fortunate that he was not hurt and brave to share the experience.
Haha. That's funny! I will have to tell him! @josephnewcombdressage
its so cute when they turn in to dragons ( not while riding though of course)
The spook at 11:20 and then in slo-mo at the end...usually right before that the back drops out from under me and I'm sitting on air for a moment, then the spook and I get unseated. Broke my pelvis once on these outta nowhere spooks so now am very aware of the signs you spoke of and how to read your horse. My young stallion is afraid of other horses if they appear to pose a threat (running, playing in turnout). So how do you stay so balanced when that happens that you can quickly recover and use the tools you mentioned. He is WELL socialized w/other horses, so I don't get it.....Also saw the video a little while ago about the "tools"....thx, love your videos!!!
Hi Carol!! Haha. I think this comes from falling off a lot when I was younger!!
just have a simple question, (but it's not directly related to the body language, but the horse's condition)when i'm riding and sometimes my horse doesn't listen to me and express their negative feelings like not following my directions or so.in this case, do i have to finish the workout? or should i push my horse to finish what i'm doing. (like drawing the course of things.) thanks for you videos. it really helps!!!
A good thing to remember is that when the horses head is down there are good endorphins that are released into their brain that have a calming effect.
Yes!!
I want to know when I ride my horse why does she always pull the rein? Is it called that in English? Idk but she always pulls it forward wich makes me kinda go forward too? Is she having gum pains? Or is she just bored? Also why does she start moving when i try to get on her? It wasn't like that first then as time goes she starts to walk when i try to get on? She's an icelandic horse btw
So nice to know these things. Does petting and patting put them at ease? And, what would make them bite? Thank you.
Yes I rub my horse's neck if I can but never pat her. I experience with horses that bit can be mouthy and pushy looking for cookies or resentment.
@@danw6014 Thank you for the reply. Have a blessed year.
@@trishhart8766 your welcome. You too!
I had a mare who was very...er, assertive and extremely girthy. Basically, a boss mare on crack when it came time to saddle up. One day shortly after I got her she whipped around when I was tightening her girth and bit me on the shoulder. Didn't break the skin (I had a few layers on) but it left a heck of a bruise.
Biting is an aggressive act--squabbling horses will bite each other (or try to). If a horse bites you, it is displaying both aggression and a serious lack of respect, and those issues need to be dealt with IMMEDIATELY.
@@ponygirl6258 Thank you. Blessings!
I think Trap Town REALLY wants to be TH-cam friends lol
At 1:14 I have never been...
I have been riding for 6-8 years and I am 14.
I am kind of surprised, but at the same time I am not. Because I ride lesson horses and the one I am riding right now is kind of lazy, and pretty chill.
Oh and a video idea, unless you have already done it (I am new)
A video; how to make horses stop pinning their ears at other horses, or something like that...
Because I am afraid that she will be worse, and actually she kind of is. If a horse isn't even really close to her, she pins her ears.
She has never done anything else then pin her ears, but I don't want to take my chances on it.
Hi! Great idea for a video topic! Wow! You started riding when you were young!!
A cranky or boss mare will pin her ears at other horses as a warning to stay away from her. You are right about not taking chances. If you push her to get close to other horses (maybe to talk to the riders), or let the others approach her too closely, there could be big trouble. The other horses might act up because they are afraid of your mare, or your mare might act up because she is angry that the other horses aren't moving away from her. Stay safe!
@@ponygirl6258 yeah, I think she just doesn't really like other horses, because she is fine with me... oh, how I wish she was mine😭😭 Also I had a lesson on her today, and we were the only ones riding today, she was so so so much better!!
I ride with 2 other riders/horses;
-1 is really nice and calm and doesn't normally care what Moca (the mare I ride) does.
-but the other one is a bad little pony, she bucks/kicks when other horses get too close... So that doesn't really help😂
Could the determined dropping of the head on a horse who is not paying attention signal a potential buck? I was riding a friend's horse who is really spoiled. He kept dropping his head with her and me. I pushed him forward and asked for turns to try to get him to pay attention -- get engaged. Worked some. Still wondering if too much or too frequent head drops could signal something other than relaxation. Thank you. Good video. I shared.
Hi! YES! I think you're right! In this case it seems that the head dropping is a disobedience and it can be the precursor to bucking! Again this is where you have to be horse savvy and be able to read the horse! Sounds like you are on the right track...
@@AmeliaNewcombDressage Thank you. I'm an "ever-student" so I soak up the learning so feel/see the nuances. Thank you. Part of me thinks I should stay with my schooling horses. The "hmmm, let's see what I can do" voice says try him again. I'll watch your video again. (Smile.)
Wow i thought i was watching Tom Brady
Answer: Don't try cause horse can kill you no matter what! 😂