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Everyone who has owned a horse, worked with horses or spent any time around horses knows they have emotions. Horses actually give us very clear signs of how they are feeling. Understanding these signs can lead to better relationships with our horses while to ignore them can be dangerous.

FEAR
Fear is the most obvious emotion displayed by horses. When horses feel afraid their instinct is to run. Under saddle this results in shying or bolting. When we understand the horse is afraid we can help them to overcome their fear through desensitization. If we ignore it and punish them for disobedience we will instead increase their fear of not only the situation but us.

LONELINESS
Horses are social creatures used to living in herds. When they have no contact with other horses they will make friends with other animals. Goats, cats and dogs are all well known as companion animals for horses forced to live separately from other horses. Unrelenting loneliness will cause behavioural problems that can manifest in many ways and lead to other deeper emotional problems.

DEPRESSION
Extreme loneliness can lead to depression particularly in horses that are constantly stabled. With a lack of company and environmental stimulation they begin to lack energy, lose spirit and their coat becomes lack luster to the point of being dull. Weaving and cribbing often attributed to boredom can also be caused by depression.

ANXIETY
We call the process weaning when we remove a foal from its mother. We know both will get used to being separated but during those first separations both the mare and foal will show clear signs of anxiety. In fact it takes some strength to ignore the cries of both as they attempt to avoid the separation.

JEALOUSY
Jealousy can display itself in different ways. The greedy pony may insist on checking all the feed bins to make sure he is getting the best or most feed. A gelding may chase all others away from a favorite mare in the paddock and this is why some people choose to keep geldings and mares in separate paddocks. Horses can even show jealousy in respect of their owner, getting restless or distressed when their owner spends too much time with other horses. This occurs more often with owners who have only one horse.

TENDERNESS
Witness not only a mare that has just foaled but also other mares as they welcome the new foal into the herd.

HAPPINESS
When your horse comes running up from the bottom of the paddock to greet you their joy to see you is obvious. Similar behavior can be observed when a paddock mate returns after a day out at a competition.

CONTENTMENT
This is the emotional state we would all wish for our horses. Horses grazing slowly around a paddock are doing what is natural, they are relaxed and content. When a horse is moved from one place to another they will take some time to settle in. Initially they will have a level of fear, as they become used to their surroundings they will become more relaxed. A clear indication of contentment is rolling. A horse will not get down on the ground to roll until they feel safe. When the fear is replaced by contentment they will roll.

Horses have a range of emotions just as we do. Understanding their emotions and the associated behaviors allows us to form a better partnership and long lasting relationship with our equine friends.

Learn more about this author, Marie Hurley.
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