Look to see if their nostrils are relaxed. A happy horse's nostrils will look relaxed. They'll also appear soft and round. Horses that are unhappy may have tense nostrils that appear thin and rigid.
The ears laid flat against the neck, head raised and the horse may lunge at you, whites of the eyes showing, and their mouth open showing their teeth. You should avoid approaching a horse from behind. If you do, they may warn you if they're angry and want you to stay away or go away. If you ignore this, they may kick.
A horse that is usually enthusiastic about work may become unmotivated or appear depressed. Horses that are stressed may also act out by bucking, bolting, biting, rearing or pawing, even if they are generally even-tempered and well-behaved.
Causes of depression:
Illness or injury that causes pain or discomfort. Lack of adequate positive social interaction with other horses. Lack of adequate exercise and/or turnout. Stress during training, showing or in the daily routine.
Their instincts tell them that there are predators lurking around every corner and therefore they still feel much safer in a herd than alone. Horses that live alone do not get to benefit from the shared responsibilities of herd life and all the benefits of social behaviour.
Bugs, bugs and more bugs!
Not only do flies and mosquitoes drive your horse crazy, but they bother you too.
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.
For a particularly edgy or nervous horse, simply painting the inside of his stall a soothing green or blue will help calm him. For a low-energy ungrounded steed, the color red might be most beneficial.
A variety of behavior problems occur in horses. Some of the most common are those associated with aggression (including aggression towards people), fear and phobias, sexual behavioral problems, performance problems (such as bucking), abnormal eating habits, and undesirable stall behaviors.
Never look a horse in the eye
You're only a predator if you intend to eat what you're looking at. Horses can easily tell the difference between a predator looking to eat and predator looking in curiosity and wonder. Horses do, however, struggle to understand the intention of a human who hides his eyes.
The movements of your horse's eyes tell you not just what he's thinking but also where his attention is focused: A horse with a “soft” eye is generally relaxed. Tension. As with tension around the muzzle, tightening of the muscles around the eyes is a subtle, early sign of stress, fear or discomfort.
The most basic equine exercise is to connect with an untethered horse in a paddock. An Equest facilitator explained that the proper way to say hello to a horse is by gently extending your closed hand. The horse returns the greeting by touching your hand with its muzzle. Simple enough.
4- Many horses like to be rubbed on the neck, shoulder, hip, or on the chest. Some horses enjoy having their heads and ears rubbed. Horses often groom each other on the whither, so this would be a good place to try too.
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.
Temperature, pulse, and respiration (TPR) are three critical vital signs evaluated when assessing a horse's health. These signs indicate the horse's internal body temperature, heart rate, and breathing rate, respectively.
If the horse needs a mild calming effect, I'll typically recommend a magnesium or herbal product with tryptophan, such as Quietex or Quiessence. There are lots of combinations of other ingredients including valerian root or Thiamine/Vitamin B1. An alternative is Mare's Magic- made of raspberry leaf extract.
Apples and carrots are traditional favorites. You can safely offer your horse raisins, grapes, bananas, strawberries, cantaloupe or other melons, celery, pumpkin, and snow peas. Most horses will chew these treats before swallowing, but horses that gulp large pieces of a fruit or vegetable have a risk of choking.
If your horse trusts you, they will willingly leave their herd. They'll be relaxed around you, stand still as you brush them, lower their heads, and lick and chew. These are all signs that a horse trusts you.