THE WHOLE PICTURE

Learning to understand equine body language means that we need to put together several pieces of a jigsaw: Horses use their whole bodies to communicate

Messages may be conveyed via several movements or positions, so body language signals can only be interpreted correctly when the body is seen as a whole. For example, facial expressions may be supported by the position or movements in the rest of the body. The position of the head and neck, hindquarters and tail are of particular importance, as is overall body posture. If your horse has his ears back, for example, he may either be listening behind him or threatening to bite. The position of his head and neck — high and alert when listening, or low and extended towards you when aggressive — can help us to understand what he’s saying. Body language and behaviour is context specific

How a horse behaves can mean different things in different situations, so it’s vital to take the context or situation in which the behaviour occurs into account. Body language and behaviour can differ between individual horses

Not all horses respond the same way to events in the environment. Some are extremely stoic and may be much more frightened or stressed than their body language suggests. This can be particularly true of coldblooded horses like cobs and Shires who may freeze if they are frightened rather than spook or run about.

Conversely, hotblooded breeds like Arabs and Thoroughbreds may be very reactive and expressive in their behaviour and body language if they are anxious.