Horse Talk - Part 3: How Horses Communicate with Each Other

We’ve covered many aspects of horse communication in Part 1 and 2. Today let’s talk about the equine language in its purest form: communication among the horses themselves. And to understand them better we need to understand how they are wired and why they do what they do.

First and foremost, horses are prey animals; they know that there are predators out there that can take them. Why is it so crucial that we remember this? This one fact influences almost every aspect of a horse's life - how they eat, sleep, move, and interact. As we’ve learned earlier, horses' main source of communication is through body language, followed by the use of sound. This is dictated by trying to stay out of predators' radar by not drawing attention to themselves. Another important factor of horse life is herd hierarchy. This is also driven by their position as prey animals. For the horse, leadership is crucial. They crave direction and guidance. Someone will always be the unquestioned leader. We call this the pecking order and each horse has its place, its rank.

Dominance:

If you were standing looking out over a field of horses, it wouldn’t take you long to figure out which horses had a higher spot in the pecking order. The show of dominance, however slight, is easily recognizable and is a strong form of communication. The leader will almost always be in front. When the leader walks, the others will move out of their way. If they flick their ears back, the horse nearest them will be attentive. And if the lead horse runs, every horse will follow. The leader is responsible for everyone’s safety and the herd depends on the leader’s ability to detect danger. Thus the need for instant attention and obedience. The lead horse will assert its leadership a lot during feeding time or even just getting water, as it will have the first choice on anything. Generally, horses will stand in pecking order as they wait in line. Some horses have a gift for leadership, while others would much rather be followers. It’s not something that’s forced on them; it’s the way they stay alive in the wild; it’s their way of life.

Submission:

How the less-dominant horses act is also a large part of their language. Every horse, after the leader, answers to someone and they are all very aware of where they stand in the pecking order. The further down the line, the more submissive the horse will be. Signs of submission include dropping their head lower, moving out of a higher-ranking horse’s way, a constant awareness of where their leaders are, and a licking and chewing motion. If a submissive horse is afraid of something, it may begin to react, but will almost always look to the leader next. If the lead horse isn’t spooked by it, the submissive horse will then relax as well. They are secure knowing that their leader knows best. They will wait their turn and back up when asked. And should they want what the leader has, they will ask for it, politely, with a lowered head and tiny steps towards it. If the leader allows them to join in, they may say thank you with a head movement or even a soft nicker; and they will accept the answer no with little or no argument.

Correction:

There will be times when correction is needed: a young horse is being too rambunctious, another horse is being stubborn, or perhaps even questioning or challenging the lead horse. The higher ranking horse can correct through merely a look or pinned ears, or it may come in a stronger form such as a bite or even a swift kick or series of kicks. If the correction is ignored, the lead horse may push the misbehaving horse out of the herd circle, not letting it return until it shows signs of submission (such as those mentioned above: lower head, licking and chewing, etc.).

Affection:

Horses are extremely affectionate animals and become very attached to those they are with; but we often don’t see it, because we don’t know what to look for. Their affection can be very subtle. It may be simply grazing together or letting the other horse drink out of the water first. It may be a low nicker when a horse returns to the pasture or standing side by side in the shade. More obvious ways of communicating affection are nuzzling - rubbing their noses against each other in greeting or it could be mutual grooming - a scratch-my-itch-&-I’ll scratch-yours- kind of act. Mutual grooming is a sign of bonded horses and it will always be initiated by the higher-ranking horse. They will use their upper teeth to scratch another horse’s neck, shoulders, or withers, and the more submissive horse will mimic that back to them. This is a beautiful image of friendship in the herd.

I hope you have enjoyed these small glimpses into the wonderful world of the horse language! Next time you find yourself seeing horses - whether in person, in a movie, or a video - take some time to watch for some of these forms of communication. I think you’ll be surprised at how quickly you’ll be able to spot them!