Illness, Discomfort, or Infection Sometimes horses bite because they’re ill or uncomfortable. Before administering punishment for biting, make sure your horse is healthy, especially if this behavior has come on suddenly and is out of character for your horse. Why Read more…
Horses are not maliciously aggressive, although some medical problems can result in severe aggressive behaviour. It is important to differentiate aggression from potentially similar looking behaviours which can cause injury such as play fighting, nipping and overzealous grooming behaviour. Are Read more…
Horses can develop stereotypies because of fear, frustration1, genetics, or due to a disorder of the nervous system2. Behaviours that are reinforced and goal-directed are not stereotypies. What is a stereotype in horses? Stereotypies are repetitive behaviors with no apparent Read more…
What does it mean when a horse rubs his head on you? He/she has an itch and humans make great scratching posts! It can also indicate the horse is trying to dominate you. What does head pressing mean in horses? Read more…
Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI, the governing body of international horse sport) research shows that the risk of a fall resulting in an injury ranges from 1 in every 250 starts for low-impact falls to 1 in every 520 starts for Read more…
Handlers are never loud or rowdy in their behaviour when near horses. Keep your voice low when around horses as yelling can cause a horse to startle. Do not allow anyone to run, throw things, or make loud noises near Read more…
(used to command an animal, especially a horse, to stop.) (used to tell a person to stop, wait, or slow down): Whoa, you need to sit over there and calm yourself. What do you say to a horse to stop? Read more…
Snorting is thought of as a positive form of horse communication. When a horse makes this noise, they are letting others around them know that they are happy and content. Snorting is typically accompanied by other forms of positive communication, Read more…
Don’t make a big deal out of it Don’t overreact when your horse does get frightened. Just stay relaxed, focus on your balance and work on getting the horse under control if he gets jumpy. If you get stiff, yank Read more…
Listen for a snort. This causes a loud fluttering sound in the nostrils which lasts for about a second. Snorting indicates your horse has identified a potential danger, and is investigating it. If your horse shies away from something after Read more…