Allow the horse to smell your hand. This is important, as horses use their sense of smell to determine potential threats. Let it sniff for as long as it needs to. You'll know your horse finished sniffing when it puts its head up.
Approaching a Horse
The key here is to make sure that you let the horse see you and smell you from as far away as possible as you approach. Making a noise, then moving in, then giving him your hand to smell, then moving in to touch the horse is the best course of action.
Affection. Another reason horses put their noses in your face is to show affection. Horses show affection for one another by gently blowing into each other's nostrils, and your horse may be trying to show affection for you as if you were another horse.
Move confidently and slowly when approaching a horse; walk, never run. Approach the horse from the front, toward their shoulder. Speak to the horse when approaching and extend your hand. Never approach a horse from the rear.
They will accept you as their leader and do what they are told, while not running over or cramping you. Sometimes they may even follow you around. Sometimes horses will blow air in your face through their nostrils to show you they love you, like they do with other horses.
In one study, the heart rhythms of horses and humans were analyzed over the course of various interactions with one another. The findings indicated that horses care capable of detecting when a human is expressing and projecting positive feelings towards them and is likely to reciprocate those positive feelings.
The first rule is always Safety First!
If the horse is startled or scared, the horse will try to run away.
The number one trust builder is to be predictable by being consistent. Be consistent with your energy level, emotions, and how you show up around your horse. Stay consistent with your communication, always sending and receiving messages in the same way – a way that both you and your horse clearly understand.
When a trained horse becomes frustrated with the rider, the signs may be as subtle as a shake of his head or tensing/hollowing of his body, or as blatant as swishing the tail, kicking out or flat out refusing to do what the rider asks.
Why do horses nudge you? Have you ever been nudged by a horse? 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.
What is this? How can you tell if your horse trusts you? A horse that trusts you will be willing to follow your instructions even when you ask them to do something they haven't done before, they'll come to you when you go to get them, and they will respect you and your personal space.
Answer (1 of 3): I wouldn't say they like hugs as we do but they will tolerate them. Horses show affection with other horses by close contact, exchanging breath, and mutual grooming. You'll often see one horse biting at the others withers or neck, sometime putting their neck on top of the other....
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.
Whatever movement you're riding, your horse should stay listening to you and not take over. Always have in your mind that you must be in control of each and every step he takes.
Dominance occurs when a horse forces the other to move against its will. One horse will move its body in the direction of or in contact with the other forcing it to move. Fighting usually occurs when the dominant horse is challenged by the other horse not moving, or responding aggressively.
Dominance/Aggression:
The horse will pin his ears and may curl his upper lip. He may swing his hindquarters toward whomever he's trying to control and have a hard, staring look to his eye. Everything about his expression says, “Get out of my way!”
Allow the horse to smell your hand.
This is important, as horses use their sense of smell to determine potential threats. Let it sniff for as long as it needs to. You'll know your horse finished sniffing when it puts its head up.
Much like other pets, horses use licking as a way to show their love! Breathing on you, licking, and kissing are all ways a horse may be trying to tell you how much you mean to them. They also may grasp you with their lips to pull you in, and then lick.
In the wild, as well as in domestic care, horses will show affection to one another by sharing breath with one another. Horses will put their noses together and then share the air. THis tendency extends to horses showing love to their owners as well!
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.