Communication signals among horses can be:

• Visual - signals using all parts of the body.
• Acoustic - sound signals
• Tactile - touch
• Chemical - smells
• You will see all combinations of these used in different circumstances.

Visual signals

• There’s a wide range of visual signals in the horse using most parts of the body.
• Because of acute vision, horses can pick up slight changes in these signals.
• They are associated with other body signals - all interacting.

Face signals

• Snapping
  • Opening and shutting the mouth, sometimes making teeth contact.
  • Used a lot by foals to denote submission to the mare.
  • It’s a stylised grooming signal.
• Biting mood
  • Aggressive mood with clear intention to bite
  • Jaws and teeth held open.
  • Teeth fully exposed.
  • Stiff lips
  • This is opposed to soft lips which shows relaxation.
  • Shows tension but less violent.
• Flehmen response
  • Top lip curled up and head raised high.
  • Characteristic of stallions smelling mare’s genitals and urine.
  • Can be seen in mares smelling other mare’s urine.
• Nostrils
  • Can be wrinkled showing disgust.
  • Are flared in excitement or fear.
• Eye
  • Closed in pain or when exhausted.
  • Open wide in fear.
  • Shows whites of eyes when angry or terrified.
  • Half closed in peaceful relaxation or submission.

Neck signals

• Head shake
  • Sideways shake suggesting stress.
  • Sharp upwards head toss showing annoyance
  • Head jerk - upwards and backwards showing annoyance.
• Head bobbing
  • Ducks head down and back repeatedly.
  • Used to increase range of vision.
• Head wobble
  • Nose moves with top of head still.
  • Indicates horse is ready for action
• Head thrust and lunge
  • Pushes head forward in assertive move.
  • Threat or indication of aggression.
  • The next action will be biting.
• Nose nudge
  • Attention seeking.
  • Warning to take notice of me.
• Head snaking
  • Used by stallion to round up mares.
  • Side to side wobble.
  • Biting threats often accompany it.
• Head weaving
  • Common in boxed horses with little mental stimulation.
  • Seen in bored caged birds.
  • Same problem in horse - boredom.
• Head circling
  • Horse stands making circular neck movements.
  • Shows intense stress.
  • Found in boxed horses with no mental stimulation.

Ear signals

• Pricked
  • Shows alertness
  • Horse is paying attention
• Airplane ears
  • Held out to the side with openings downwards
  • Horse is psychologically low
  • Lost interest in things
• Drooped
  • Horse is dozy or in pain
  • Showing feelings or inferiority
• Drooped backwards
  • Seen in ridden horse
  • Showing submission to rider
  • Sign of brutal owner
  • Mare approaches stallion often in this pose
• Twitching and flicking
  • Sign of a stressed horse
  • Sign of confusion
• Pinned ears
  • Flattened back
  • Shows aggression
  • Provides protection when fighting

Tail signals

• Tail high
  • Sign of excitement
  • Sign of intention to play among young horses
  • Seen when stallion approaches mare
  • Shown by mare when ready for service - hold tail to the side.
• Tail low
  • Sign of submission.
  • Sign of exhaustion
  • Sign of illness
• Tail straight out
  • Seen in very aggressive horse.
  • Stallions ready for battle
• Swishing tail
  • First sideways then up and down
  • Shows horse is ill at ease, anxious or confused.
  • Increased power of side flick in real rage.
  • Flicked high in air and slapped down hard is warning that kicking will follow.

Sound signals

• Snort
  • Sign of anxiety
  • Horse sensing danger
• Squeal
  • Defensive signal
  • Don’t push me signal
  • Varies in intensity denoting degree of concern.
• Greeting snicker
  • Low pitched and guttural
  • A salutation
• Courtship snicker
  • Long low pitched snicker
  • Mares do this when stallion approaches.
  • Stallions have personalised courtship snickers
• Maternal snicker
  • Soft and barely audible to humans.
  • Mare’s message to foal
• Neigh and whinny
  • Starts as a squeal and ends as a snicker.
  • The loudest and longest call.
  • Isolated horse uses it for security like wolf howl
  • It’s a request for information rather than alarm.
• Roar
  • Shows intense rage of a fighting stallion
  • Contains a fair element of fear too.
• Blow
  • Sign of wellbeing
  • An enquiry sound - what’s this
  • Remove dust from nose when feeding.
• Grunt or groan
  • Sign of exhaustion - when overloading pack horse
  • Sign of excess exertion
  • Boredom
• Hoof stamping/kicking
  • These sound can be heard over long distances
  • Seen in stressed or bored horses in stables
  • Some horses kick the walls in boredom
• Flattus (passing wind)
  • Can be slow release of gas when horse relaxed.
  • Short sharp burst when anal sphincter under tension in fear or stress.

Touch signals

• These are a very common means of communication.
• Seen when horses meet - nose to nose.
• Mares use nudges to direct foals to udder and away from it.
• Foals use it to warn the mare they are going to look for the udder.
• Handlers use it , along with the voice, to warn a horse of where they are.
• Aggression is all about tactile communication - pushing and biting.
• Touch is used by riders to direct the horse.

Chemical communication

• Horses have an excellent sense of smell.
• It’s important in meeting and greeting, they smell noses, breath, flanks and genital area.
• Smelling continues to dung and urine.
• Smell is used in foal recognition by the mare as well as visual clues.
• The foal to locate the udder using smell.