Horse Expressions
The horse has many ways of telling you how he is feeling (which is a lot easier than with people).
Below are a few examples of Red expressing how she is feeling. In time, with your own horse, you will learn what is normal for them and be able to tell, very easily, how they are feeling and how to act as a result.
Here she is expressing anger, aggression, keep away, she may also be swishing her tail to warn that she will kick.
Here she is relaxed -just chilling – see how her mouth, nostrils and ears are relaxed.
Here she is happy and interested in what is going on.
This is “I’m not happy, I’m having a think about what is going on”. She is ready to react with flight, spook or attack if needed. This is shown by her stiff ears, head up and nostrils up and open.
Here she is alert and looking around, assessing her surroundings and not as tense as in the previous picture
In these pictures Red is relaxed and sleeping, something she is very good at.
Final Thoughts
It is important that you spend as much time as possible just observing your horse, so you can tell how they are feeling and react accordingly.
This is the very basis your connection will be built on.