Many horses willingly and happily opt to work with humans and express positive behaviors while being ridden. On the flip side, some horses run the other way when they look up from the round bale and see a halter in hand.
Ridden horses express pain through facial behaviors differently from horses at rest, one researcher says. Scientists have already described how to spot signs of pain, such as from colic or castration, in horses by their facial expressions.
I say “likely”, because while scientists have yet to devise a way to accurately ask large number of horses how they feel about being ridden, there has been research done that looks at horse preferences as it relates to ridden work.
Yes, they do. Very much so. And they have long memories for both the humans they've bonded with in a positive way and the ones who have damaged or abused or frightened them. The depth of the connection depends greatly on several things, not the least of which is the amount of time the human spends with the animal.
Exhaustion may develop with any prolonged period of exercise such as endurance rides, three-day events, and extended trail rides.
Some horses have physical conditions or diseases that require an early retirement. Other horses can be ridden late into their life without issues. As a general rule, most horses should stop being ridden between 20 to 25 years old.
The researchers conclude that, assuming a similar riding ability between riders, there is no fundamental difference in a horse's stress responses elicited by male and female riders.
Horses can read human facial expressions and remember a person's mood, a study has shown. The animals respond more positively to people they have previously seen smiling and are wary of those they recall frowning, scientists found.
Horses also understand words better than expected, according to the research, and possess "excellent memories," allowing horses to not only recall their human friends after periods of separation, but also to remember complex, problem-solving strategies for ten years or more.
Horses let humans ride them because of a relationship of trust developed through hard work, time, and training. Humans sitting on the back of a horse and guiding it isn't natural. In the wild, horses run when humans attempt to approach them.
Horses prefer to be rubbed and stroked over being tickled or slapped, and they often don't want rubbing on sensitive areas like the flank, girth, belly, nose, ears, and legs.
Of 69 horse owners, 79 per cent of them reported that horses felt jealous, although the specific contexts in which this jealousy occurred, or whether a horse or human relationship was being threatened, was not explored.
Affection in Horse Terms
Kissing and hugging are human ideas of affection. Horses do “spar” (play fight) and bite at the lips, but that's even more of a reason not to kiss them there. Keep your horse's lips away from your lips. You don't want him to think you're playing and be bitten.
Many experts agree that horses do, in fact, remember their owners. Studies performed over the years suggest that horses do remember their owners similar to the way they would remember another horse. Past experiences, memories, and auditory cues provide the horse with information as to who an individual is.
Horses aren't just for humans to show one another affection. Did you know that horses hug too? Just make sure that you're on the horse's good side before hugging them, and remember that if they start licking you or breathing on you it is often because they appreciate your company.
Maybe you have a favorite scent that helps you relax: something like eucalyptus, or lilac, or jasmine, or cinnamon. Well, according to a recent study, horses do as well — and it's lavender.
“Horses generally neigh to attract attention of other horses or of people.” She adds that it can also be “a sign of separation anxiety or a sign of social isolation.
Horses use body language to communicate with humans (and other horses), and one of the ways they do this is through touch. Nudging is a way for a horse to get your attention, which can signify affection or impatience.
Are they really as gender-neutral as we've come to believe? Research has so far failed to find any differences in the way horses respond to male and female humans — not just during ridden work, but also when handled.
But is it possible for a woman to get turned on riding a horse? Yes. Speaking for myself; I'm rather responsive, and at times I actually got aroused while horseback riding. It didn't happen all of the time, but the rhythmic grinding could get me 'in the mood'.
But women develop loving and even romantic feelings towards horses—because the connection with the horse is how a woman's psychological gifts enable her to gain beauty, grace, swiftness and strength.
Research has shown that horses require at least 8 to 10 hours of turnout per day, on good quality pasture, to achieve the minimum dry matter intake of 1% of their body weight.
This is an instinctive defense mechanism. Having found that bucking the rider off results in not having to work, the horse does it to avoid being ridden.
Typically, your more endurance-trained horses can cover up to 100 miles per day. An average trail horse can cover upwards of 50 miles within a day. Mostly, either type of horse can not go more than a few consecutive days at this distance without a few days of rest and recovery in between.