Horse Behavior and Body Language 🐴

In today's video, I am covering horse behavior and body language. This is a basic overview to help you understand and read a horse's body language.
I cover some examples of behavior and body language that horses will display. Sometimes you get mixed signals from similar-looking body language in the ears or tail so I cover a couple examples speaking on this. Next, I show how learning to read a horse's behavior and body language helps when working with a horse. Finally, I give insight into how this later translates to riding your horse and improving communication.
I hope this video is a help in your journey of understanding and reading horse behavior and body language. Feel free to leave a comment with questions or if you would like to share a future video idea 😊
0:00​ Lesson Overview
0:26 Relaxed Signals
0:52 Tense or Worried Signals
1:27 Dominant & Testing Signals
2:30 Aggressive Signals
3:18 Playful Signals
3:47 Mixed Signals Body Language
4:42 Horse Training Body Language Examples
6:17 Undersaddle Communication
7:18 Tips To Develop Feeling Undersaddle
Disclaimers: When riding or working with a horse, I recommend having an equestrian professional present. If a workout routine is demonstrated in a video, and you feel in any way uncomfortable, I recommend consulting with a fitness trainer.
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#horsevideos #horseriding #equestriagirls

[@JSHorsemanship]

Feel free to leave questions or future videos you would like to see :)

[@miekewaterdrinker9715]

While riding my horse often turns her head towards me as if she wants to check if I am stil there.. is that ok?

[@henrysmith180]

I'm riding a horse who doesn't listen. She's known as a stubborn horse so I asked my instructor for a crop. I was told I'm not ready for one (I've ridden her 5 times) How would you decide when a student is capable of using a crop? When is it appropriate to use a crop? Background: Adult rider who has ridden on and off over the years. Can trot posting.

[@user-ui7sb7io4j]

good farm

[@habibawaleedd6666]

Can you make a video to help us to deal with fear while practicing and how often does it take to have the ability to run with a horse ? And thanks for those amazing videos. I am following you from Egypt.

[@farhansyed68]

I am a intermediate rider. I pay for riding and it started to get expensive. My question is “which option is better? Owning, leasing or paying for classes?” A lot of people have their own videos on this but I am hoping you can put a clear understanding and give us tips on how to ride more without wrecking your bank account. Thanks

[@radhikabathla]

Who doesn't have a horse but is mindlessly watching these videos 🤣

[@jossiesaavedra8350]

I’m literally only watching this bc I wanna know how a horse feels about me 😭😭 and so far a lot of horses hate me

[@Lbabyvlogger]

Me

[@huynhduongthanhson2806]

Yea I don't have a horse and I don't even know how to ride but still watching these video LoL

[@radhikabathla]

@@jossiesaavedra8350 I feel you

[@Hugo-lm7ed]

Broad general knowledge is good but have cons too

[@fluffychicken2581]

I love it how your videos always get straight to the point and you don't try to drag it out and make it confusing, they are always so straight forward and I love watching them. : )

[@dhnguyen68]

Totally agree.

[@AudioTones67]

As someone who is both immensely respectful for a horses size and power and (occasionally) intimidated by them, I found this video very useful. Thank you!

[@Tawny593]

Good suggestion about riding an experienced horse to get familiar what it should feel like. All beginners need to ride experienced horses.

[@jahid1833]

I don’t have a horse but I love them. So I’m following each video of this channel

[@cxs-yp6oc]

Another flawless tutorial. I wish I had seen this video in class, you present it in such a straightforward fashion and using REAL horses!!!!!!. Not drawings with bad printing clarity although your drawings are really good. Always enjoy your videos and look forward to them every week.

[@JSHorsemanship]

Hi😀 Thanks for the kind words💕 I’m so glad you are finding value and enjoying the videos🐴

[@matthewalexander2436]

Your talent and aptitude for horses is so gratifying, so thank you. ❤💪❤

[@karlahostetler6429]

I love this video!! I'm only ten and just rode our horse for the first time today, only after watching your videos. I really love our horse...Thankyou!

[@serenestitch71]

This was nice to watch and learn more about horses. I haven't been around horses much, but recently, I've been volunteering at a horse sanctuary/rescue and been working with older horses. Most of them are sweet, but there are a few aggressive or grumpy ones. It's good to be able to tell their mood.

[@Yorea]

I've been wondering about the ears back thing for so long! Apparently I've been thinking horses are grumpy at me when they're just listening backwards. Maybe I'll feel less anxious approaching horses now :) I'm always a little scared they'll bite me or something.

[@bohanyu981]

Have you considered posting videos to other platforms? Your videos are of very high quality, clear and succinct, and deserve more people to see.

[@iraskrisztina8801]

Hi! This video was very useful, thanks! My question is: How do horses make friends / show friendship with humans? There is a horse I train with, and sometimes he hits me once with his nose. It seems as he would say "good job" to me. 😄

[@marybeatie5528]

Could you post any links you have on this topic about horse body language with humans?

[@lizxu322]

Legend is a bloody beautiful horse

[@PeggyTeachesChinese]

Love this video! Thank you!

[@kananireynolds]

Wow I enjoy watching your videos so much! :)

[@amandatemple3328]

You have a very calming voice 😌 it's very easy to listen to when I am studying equine behaviour. This was so helpful, thank you!

[@shazibro7525]

Very good info.. Much appreciated 🙏

[@chloereneemccurran]

This was awesome thank you! Love your teaching style and kindness

[@propertyofranger]

Appreciate the thoroughness of this video exploring all the different behaviours. But I have to say, I’ve never encountered a horse named Zoloft before… I’m guessing there’s got to be an interesting story behind why he was named after an antidepressant! 😂

[@blueskyjax]

Very helpful thank you!

[@mingram008]

Excellent information! Much appreciated and looking forward to your next video!!!

[@julesgamblemom]

Good video! Informative!! 👍🏻

[@MrAsadaceabbas]

You are just absolutely brilliant ! i have a few questions which i need serious help with. 1 - If the horse is older can it still be retaught to better its behaviour and skill set? if so will he/she forget what was originally taught 2 - if you could make a bbehavioural correction technique video? For bucking, non-cooperative horses, for those that spook extremely quickly, or those that have been mistreated by previous owners (usually having a harder time adjusting to new environments). I would love to see/hear/read your perspective on these matters, and again absolutely love your channel, im a new horse owner for polo, and due to covid - youtube has been my source for correcting and developing my horses health, top line and now im stuck with bettering the bitting issue and schooling issue. Thank you for taking the time to even just read this email !

[@alimohtashimkhan2711]

Beautiful informative video, you are a good teacher.

[@EmiliaNagy777]

This was a very helpful video thank you!

[@barbll000]

Your instructions are very easy to understand. Thanks.

[@Fa_Mo00]

Amazing...great job...!👍🏻

[@sandeepbakshi7649]

Good ...keep on sharing your knowledge..🙏

[@anita83music]

REALLY good video. Thank you.

[@Fa_Mo00]

I wish I could attend your lessons practicaly not just online

[@user-qc5bw5uf9d]

great knowledge, thank you

[@pratikranawade6371]

Zoloft had his ears pinned when he was being handled, hence proving change in the body language. Cool! I'm loving your videos ✌️

[@fsusarge]

Thanks! I will take this knowledge with me into Zion!

[@bae404error]

love your videos!

[@belenquijano4130]

Thank you this helped a lot!

[@betterfly7398]

Nice Video! Really interested in horses! Hopefully someday I will be able to ride.

[@lenovoa-iz6kj]

Detailed video with an excellent editing software. Especially focus & zoom on different parts of the body to explain its mood was excellent. Thank you for this valuable video

[@Beckybirt]

Very practical and informative 😊

[@lauriedeveau2195]

I enjoy these informative videos you have created , as a former horse owner a number of years ago and also as someone who just got back into riding these are great refreshers , thank you

[@melissagates9936]

Just found you!! Love these videos!!

[@kimhannan4892]

So, so helpful. I've never really had anyone explain horse behavior/body language before! Immensely helpful!

[@Diana-wt4ny]

Great job! I am studying to become a Vet Tech and I found this very helpful and not boring!

[@jeremytroccola5844]

I'm starting tomorrow thanks for tips

[@tinasaxon1232]

Great job

[@tkmckenzie4]

Thank you for the great video! I appreciate how you broke it down into sections and took a freeze-frame to explain further. I am going to show this in my Animal Assisted Therapy course!

[@JSHorsemanship]

That is wonderful ❤️ Glad to hear it was such a help

[@maryhobbs7310]

Powerful content particularly since I'm getting back in the saddle after many years away. :)

[@born_again_barbie]

I use to horse back ride I believe in middle school or late elementary sadly my mom didn't have money to continue to pay. I am 29 now and want to get back into it. Thank you for thr videos.

[@SKhan-lt7ci]

Very very helpfull

[@afiii5913]

Very nice..

[@amygrund3178]

Hello! I am new to your channel but I really enjoyed how detailed and the visuals of ur video. Do you have any information regarding foals, or specifically orphans? I’ve have older well trained horses but never started one (and she’s so young only 3 weeks). Thanks :)

[@karthika8182]

Having an intimate horse is my life desire 🐎❤️

[@lyndonbrookins5300]

I recently got back into riding as I haven't done it since I was 10 some 50 years ago. What seemed to work is, before I ride Jordan, I spend few minutes with her, feeding her baby carrots, red apples. I talking to her, rubbing her and lightly scratching her, the way one might do a cat or dog. Of course I end up having to do the same with her friends, because; they want love, red apples and baby carrots too.

[@gabriellaszecsi78]

♥Can you please do a video on ♥"How to control a horse with legs! For novice or begginers"♥ and show what to do to make the horse turn right/left in trot and what to do to make them turn right/left in canter. I want to avoid using my reins, just use them as little as possible and want to use my body and legs to give instructions to the horse but I'm only a novice and don't ride often enough to be able to memorise all these. If there was a very nice and slow pace video showing the legs movements and whole body language of the rider on how to control direction i reckon a lot of horses would be grateful for you for not being yanked in the mouth by the beginners and novices that watch the video on it. ♥Also i don't know if western is that different but i would appreciate if you could show all this in English riding so i can move onto jumping and dressage with these, that would be amazing!!!♥

[@lisafraser7446]

Great video ❤️. Some horses however do pin their ears when playing too 😁

[@kinggsaul]

When playing with the dead corpse they caused

[@comoeres88]

@@kinggsaul 😆

[@lucaskip3772]

I need to learn more about horse riding. I am still a beginner

[@manny_f]

I don't ride horses but found this rather interesting

[@nataliaglisky316]

Cute 😊

[@mohammedalhosani9405]

Bought my first horse yesterday, she looks tired and depressed and she doesn’t eat from my hands maybe I’ll pay attention to the body language today

[@harrybrown9948]

Hi love your videos. Can you explain the various horse verbal commands you use. Like in your backup video do you use "backup" as the command. Canter gallop etc.

[@JSHorsemanship]

Hi😀 I’m so glad your enjoying the videos. I don’t use verbal commands for many things under saddle. I do use some on the ground depending on what I’m doing. I may do a video in the future going over more of the cues I use on the ground and under saddle:)

[@harrybrown9948]

Thanks for your reply. Looking forward to your next video. Best horsemanship on KZbin.

[@jacquelineberger5571]

Let's say you're on a horse & they display that aggressive behavior towards another horse in the arena, or vice versa - pinning of the ears, flaring of the nostrils, tension, etc. What tips do you have for redirecting their attention or helping them feel release that pressure?

[@JSHorsemanship]

Hi😊 With out seeing you and your horse it is difficult to give exact device. I topically start with ground work in a quiet space to develop my horses confidence and focus. Once the ground work exercises are good, I work on softening and relaxation under saddle. I am currently working with Zoloft ( the rescue horse in the video) he has some aggression and fear around other horses. I may do a future video covering what I am doing with him to help this issue.

[@jacquelineberger5571]

@@JSHorsemanship That completely makes sense! I should have clarified that I'm currently riding a school horse. He doesn't exhibit this behavior often but there are 2 horses in particular that he'll do this kind of behavior with during lessons. All of the horses at the stable are rescues & receive lots of groundwork training by the team at the barn. But this is more of a question for me as I'm in the saddle & what I can do as his leader in those moments. Thanks!

[@henrysmith180]

@@JSHorsemanship I'd be interested in that video

[@joannesmartens9442]

Very interesting and fashionathing explication. I learned a lot in this first video that i saw from you. How the horses show us his love, because it's not like a dog, where we can see and feel it very clear. Why theyput soks or heelprotectors, because experts say that they can prohibite heel cooling when they have to ride a long time. Or is it because of a decoration? Why there are so many horses with saddle problems? I saw much in a german channel pferdephysiotherapie hof eicheneck. And in a dutch channel with translation en english jolanda adelaar we can see special saddles from gaston mercier who are more short, and prohibite those problems, because they are more backwards. I don't know if you see this old videos, but i recieved this only now. But i suscribed, so i will see following videos 🎄💖💞

[@alyssaweidemann4284]

I’m currently breaking my young 4 years olds under saddle and I’ve found she’s very desensitized to pressure. What are some exercises I can do to get her more forward and moving off of my leg and cues.

[@raniagh3200]

Hey I have a question, so when did u start learning about horses...

[@Daniel_Muniz]

What's your horse breed? I love the video.

[@Kira20113]

Hi, Thanks for the videos, I want to ask you about something. My horse when I am riding here she keeps moving here head towards the grass to eat , even when we were running she would stop and go for the grass, "even she eats before riding" what this tells me ?

[@alanouda2047]

5:15 When you tried to stop the horse head from pulling I remembered something, have you heard about the Arabian way of riding?

[@enaxtry]

Id like to ask what it means if horse is biting everyone but she doesnt really look agressive nor she acts agressive. When I was a child and was training to horse ride, we had a female horse in stable that was just biting everyone who approached her, even when we were cleaning her hooves. Was it just playfulness from her?

[@zaynabchunawala6550]

For beginner wht type of horse should i ride

[@manoshano4909]

I have come to know that horse shoe is put in its foot with extremely hot iron and that iron immersed in horse foot and then horse feel pain .....is it so..is there any way to keep horse pain free

[@CoreyB777]

Well I don't know where to find the answers I need. Every horse I meet does one of two things always without fail. 1.) Instant tries to attack me 2.) Immediately scared and runs off and avoids me. I love horses and one day I want to have a horse of my own. Im usually calm around them but sometimes I get nervous because of past experiences. But I try to seem calm and confident. I use a calm soft tone of voice when I'm near horses. I figured that there is one thing about me that all horses in general just hates. But what that thing is, I haven't a clue. Any advice is welcomed plz and thank you.

[@manoshano4909]

One horse dentist showed horse teeth which were dirty and yellow/ black......is there any way to keep horses teeth clean

[@lauraalbertson7821]

Hi there, I am new to your channel . Your video was very helped to me . I have an 8 more old Gypsy Canner cross Paint , Bear has gotten very comfortable with us. Now he wants to play by occasionally jumping up . He has landed on my Husband a few times 😳 I am hesitant to go in His corral now. We take Bear out to play in a larger space . He also will be gelded in 2 weeks . So what do you suggest we do to avoid getting hurt ? Will Him being gelded help relax him from wanting to be aggressive in play ? He does not bite or show any behavior is intentionally wanting to hurt us . Thank you so much for caring. Horses will be better off if we understand them . Laura 💜 Bear

[@JSHorsemanship]

Hi Laura, Teaching Bear how to back away from you on the ground at a distance is a good exercises. This technique can be helpful when teaching a horse not to come into your space unless they are invited. Once Bear is gelded that should help. Stallions are more likely to display this behavior then geldings.

[@lauraalbertson7821]

@@JSHorsemanship thank you answering me so quickly. We will just keep Backing Him away then . We use voice and our Hand to back him . Then tell him to stay with one Hand just at face level. I don’t use any tools . He is a good sport about telling him no . It’s very hard to tell if Bear wants to just cuddle or be more aggressive. Hoping as you said , after He is gelded I can be comfortable are Him . I don’t pick up His feet anymore because He feels a bit like He wants more l. Ugh 😑 Laura 💜 Bear

[@nahalalam1998]

My Question is whenever we go near to horse if they open a mouth little bit what does it mean

[@JuliaN-fi9zw]

Can listening ears still be signs of annoyance? I can tell that he doesn’t love being tacked up and is definitely a tail swisher in the middle of winter. He isn’t pinning his ears just putting them back. I’ve always taken that as annoyance so I didn’t know if it was just listening or not

[@JSHorsemanship]

Hi😀 This is a really interesting observation. The first thing I do when trying to identify a potential problem is looking for patterns. It sounds like you have done that:) The next thing I do is try to rule out any physical pain. A few reasons that I have found horses can tail swish during cold weather are: Pain from ulcers, a saddle that doesn’t properly fit, a horse that needs body work and so on. I feel as horse owners we often spend a lot of time with our horse. If we are noticing a pattern were our horse is doing a behavior that seems uncomfortable or unusual it’s always good to have a professional check it out.

[@JuliaN-fi9zw]

@@JSHorsemanship Yeah everything you’ve said is definitely adding up. I recently got him from a terrible situation. He was lame, emaciated, teeth weren’t done, feet weren’t done, etc. Now I think I about it, it’s probably everything you’ve listed. He most likely has ulcers and since he was in such terrible condition his back muscles atrophied. I honestly think he’s just super sore now that he is slowly being brought into work. Thank you for replying so quickly :)

[@JackdawMori9510]

Don’t forget licking and chewing! Horse’s lick and chew with their mouths when they are feeling relaxed or, if they were previously tense, it’s a way to show the release of tension and that they are calming down.

[@dhnguyen68]

As the bit hurts the horse, should we ban its usage ? A video about the topic is well appreciated.

[@JSHorsemanship]

This is a great question and topic. I will definitely add it to my list of future videos. Thank you for the recommendation.

[@EchoLog]

in llamas and sheep droopy lip is a sign of overheating, is it really a good sign in horses? 😮

[@MaryKDayPetrano]

I'm autistic, and I can't read human body language at all. And, this is very typical of many, many autistic people. Yet, autistics are drawn to animals and horses in particular. It has been my life experience that when learning to ride and even going to train with BNTs, all these trainers assume neurotypicality, that is, the student already understands how to read human body language so they operate their lessons and training under the assumption the student will just pick up horse body language. This is a huge problem, because when the student is autistic, the BNT by omitting horse behavior and body language training, is actually placing their student in danger. Autistic people don't pick up on human or horse body language, but need to have it explicitly taught. Just an observation. Hope it was helpful. Pretty good video !

[@SanthoshKana]

🥰🥰

[@gabriellaszecsi78]

🥰

[@SanthoshKana]

How do horses show love and affection?

[@abigray8585]

I’ve watched a few horses pin their ears (it’s intimidating) but it wasn’t at me it was at their herd mates. I work with horses at a college (still nervous around the, but I’m getting much better). Im studying animal care if anyone wanted to know.

[@SarahM-lw2gd]

I'm curious about the story behind the name Zoloft.

[@mohammedyunus1780]

I am also a horse rider from India 🇮🇳 I want to meet you 😃🤠🤗 I ride mostly on kathiawari breed horses

[@varunatmakur9830]

what happened to zoloft's tail

[@SKhan-lt7ci]

How can make horse my friend? Suggest plzzzz

[@themaskedBfromkashmir]

Please make a video on "How to give bath to a horse? "

[@MoonFireGypsy]

What kind of horse is Legend and Crosby?

[@JSHorsemanship]

Legend is a Morgan gelding and Crosby is an off the track Thoroughbred gelding:)

[@MoonFireGypsy]

@@JSHorsemanship They’re beautiful 😍

[@sharpmindedgenius8071]

Which is your favorite horse from your collection of horses 🐎

[@dhnguyen68]

Hi Joan, what happened to Zoloft’s tail ? Poor horse, he was mutilated . Right ?

[@JSHorsemanship]

Hi😀 Zoloft was rescued from a feed Lot. Unfortunately we don’t know his history or how he lost his tail. He had a lot of anxiety when he first came to the barn, so sadly we don’t think he had a very good past. He has relaxed and recovered a lot since coming to the barn. I have been working with him and he is doing well in his training. I may do a video update on his progress and story in the future:)

[@dhnguyen68]

@@JSHorsemanship yes please keep us update about Zoloft’s progress. He deserves happines with humans.

[@Bandofbrothers437]

how to make confidence when you are scared sooo much

[@JuliaN-fi9zw]

I would just start with identifying what ur scared of! I think that will help you :) If ur new to horses I would say just spend more time around them, new things are scary!

[@dhnguyen68]

You are right to be scared (as riding is a sport at risks, see Christopher Reeve story) . But you can mitigate with prevention (helmet) and assessment of your limits and avoid situation beyond that line.

[@wjsc]

Do you have any tips for less aggressive but constant nipping esp during grooming

[@varunatmakur9830]

what happened to zoloft

[@eyesea123]

Poor Zoloff, what happened to his tail?

[@JSHorsemanship]

Hi😀 Zoloft was rescued from a feed Lot. Unfortunately we don’t know his history or how he lost his tail. He had a lot of anxiety when he first came to the barn, so sadly we don’t think he had a very good past. He has relaxed and recovered a lot since coming to the barn. I have been working with him and he is doing well in his training. I may do a video update on his progress and story in the future:)

[@learleywells4498]

I live on a farm with some people I roommate with them and they have horses in the back cows guineas and chickens and ducks a beautiful place I live at. Now, I have fallen in love with the horses. There is a total of four all together and all females with one being pregnant. The one horse which is black her name is Maggie, and every time I feed her treats and then love on her and rub her around her neck area and under her jaw line gently she has a tendency to head butt me under my armpit or head butt me and push me hard. What does that mean? And let me tell you, I realized a horse's head has power behind it for sure! 😳 So what does it mean when the horse head butts me in my chest or under my armpit and she does manage powerfully push me or pushes me away. At first I thought she was being playful with me. So what does it mean? ,🙂

[@alanouda2047]

7:22 Instead of developing feeling, why don't you think about developing your nerve? working with horses by nerve is way faster than feeling, this is what I learned from the Arabian way of riding

[@sabrthecat]

I used to be so confident with my horse, and now I can't bring myself to even walk him😐😥😥😥

[@yvetteraddohl4535]

Where is his tail?

[@WorldofPundir]

Have you ever ride Indian "Marwadi" horse ? They are the most active horse the world, most good looking but bit desi and moody horses. They were used by Indian great warrior king Community "Rajput" to defeated Alexander the great, Trukey-Afgan invaders and Changez Mangolian. No one can defeat Rajputs on bettle that we all know. Riding Marwadi horses is an achievement itself.

[@janetenmen6410]

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