How do horses comunicate?

Question

and also how would you discribe a horses apearance?

Answer 1

Vocalizations (whinnies and squeals), and probably 90% body language.

Answer 2

Horses communicate in a few ways. Besides vocalizations they also communicate through body language. Things as simple as a twitch of an ear or a flick of a tail can mean many things in their silent language. Perhaps check out some videos on horse whispering. this will give you an insight of horse body language and even how to communicate back.

Answer 3

Horses communicate by their niegh and their body language. You may notice that a bay will gab at another horse to day I'm just a baby or a horse my swish it's tail when it's annoyed, or plaster it's ears against it's head when it's mad. They do communicate through their niegh, but they use a lot body language to.

Answer 4

kicks, snorts, grunts, pushing, whinnying.

Tuesday one of my horses came up to the fence while I was getting in my truck and made some noises. Just enough so I'd talk to him, then he went to the watering trough and made some huffing sounds.

I went to check it out... Drowned Opossum! I thanked him for telling me and cleaned out the water trough. They will talk to people too if you listen

Hey this is a great site for cowboy stuff and you can post free ads.

'http://www.cowboy.com/index.php?refid=18908' is a great place to advertise for free

Answer 5

Body language, neighing, whinning.

The colouring of horses is chestnut (gingery), dark bay (black or dark brown), bay (light brown), grey (white), there are plenty of others but those are the most obvious ones I think of.

Answer 6

First it's (comMunicate)sorry.
They communicate by neighing and sniffing eachother.
And wat do u mean by appearance????

Answer 7

Horses communicate mostly through body language, touch and sound. This is good to keep around and refer to to best understand you horse and it's feelings.

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 stylized grooming signal.
*Biting mood
--Aggressive mood with clear intention to bite.
--Jaws and teeth held open and 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 lung
--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 tale
--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 personalized 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
--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 COMMUNICATIONS
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 poop and urine.
Smell is used in foal recognition by the mare as well as visual clues. For example: The foal locates the udder using smell.