From Left to Right: Narrowed eyes. These horses are angry/annoyed, Eyes wide with whites showing means this horse is clearly scared, Eyes relaxed and unfocused indicates this horse is relaxed.
As we discussed in Part 1, “Know the Body Language of a Horse,” the more aware you are of how horses communicate, the better a horse handler you will become.
How is horse behavior determined by seeing into those incredible eyes horses have? We all know how expressive and beautiful they are. Okay, okay so I’m getting wishy-washy I know. I can’t help it. You’ve got to admit, their eyes are gorgeous. Anyhow, a horse’s eyes tell us a great deal about how the horse is feeling and the attitude the horse is having at that particular time.
Here are some basics in reading a horse’s eyes and their meanings.
EYES:
Eyes Narrowed (like when a parent or teacher scolds a child):
This position is an expression of anger, warning or just plain annoyance. This eye position is normally accompanied by a set of pinned ears. Horses will do this in the summer along with stomping their feet and swishing their tails when the flies are swarming them and there is no relief. It is also what the eyes will look like when a horse is warning another to get out of the way!
Eyes Droopy:
The horse is not focused on anything. Horses do this when they are resting and/or bored. It often goes along with those floppy ears we discussed in part 1.
Eyes Focused on Something Specific:
The horse is focused on something it is curious about. For example, whenever a new horse in my pasture first sees a flock of wild turkeys saunter through the pasture, the eyes will look this way. Sometimes the turkeys terrify a horse who has never seen them before, but more often than not the horse just experiences good old curiosity.
Eyes Averted:
A horse is being submissive when the eyes are averted. The ears will be kind of floppy and the head will be held low.
Eyes Wide with the Whites Showing:
A wide-eyed horse is telling you he/she is afraid and very concerned about something. The eyes will be fixed on the source of the concern. Every horse has moments when they become afraid. But this is definitely not an emotion you want your horse to display habitually. Good, solid training that includes building trust and desensitizing the horse to things it is afraid of are what a fearful horse needs.
Please feel free to add your own experiences of a horse’s ears and their meanings in the comments field below.
See you next week where I’ll cover another body part and its horse language.
How is horse behavior determined by seeing into those incredible eyes horses have? We all know how expressive and beautiful they are. Okay, okay so I’m getting wishy-washy I know. I can’t help it. You’ve got to admit, their eyes are gorgeous. Anyhow, a horse’s eyes tell us a great deal about how the horse is feeling and the attitude the horse is having at that particular time.
Here are some basics in reading a horse’s eyes and their meanings.
EYES:
Eyes Narrowed (like when a parent or teacher scolds a child):
This position is an expression of anger, warning or just plain annoyance. This eye position is normally accompanied by a set of pinned ears. Horses will do this in the summer along with stomping their feet and swishing their tails when the flies are swarming them and there is no relief. It is also what the eyes will look like when a horse is warning another to get out of the way!
Eyes Droopy:
The horse is not focused on anything. Horses do this when they are resting and/or bored. It often goes along with those floppy ears we discussed in part 1.
Eyes Focused on Something Specific:
The horse is focused on something it is curious about. For example, whenever a new horse in my pasture first sees a flock of wild turkeys saunter through the pasture, the eyes will look this way. Sometimes the turkeys terrify a horse who has never seen them before, but more often than not the horse just experiences good old curiosity.
Eyes Averted:
A horse is being submissive when the eyes are averted. The ears will be kind of floppy and the head will be held low.
Eyes Wide with the Whites Showing:
A wide-eyed horse is telling you he/she is afraid and very concerned about something. The eyes will be fixed on the source of the concern. Every horse has moments when they become afraid. But this is definitely not an emotion you want your horse to display habitually. Good, solid training that includes building trust and desensitizing the horse to things it is afraid of are what a fearful horse needs.
Please feel free to add your own experiences of a horse’s ears and their meanings in the comments field below.
See you next week where I’ll cover another body part and its horse language.
Left to Right: This poor fella on is obviously terrified as displayed by his wide eyes for one thing, The center horse is about to go off to sleep - if not already, the horse to the far right has its eyes averted and appears submissive and willing.
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