A. Soring is the unethical and illegal1 practice of deliberately inflicting pain to exaggerate the leg motion of horses to gain an unfair advantage in the show ring. How do you sore a horse? Soring involves the intentional infliction of Read more…
Sight. Sight is probably the most important of the equine senses. With eyes on the side of its head, the horse can see almost all around, although a blind zone exists behind it and a little in front of its Read more…
The varieties of aggression toward people include fear, pain induced, sexual (hormonal), learned, and dominance related. Some horses, especially young ones, play with each other while showing signs of aggression such as kicking and biting. Although benign to other horses, Read more…
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…