Much is expressed by the twitch of an ear or a subtle facial expression but when one adds a snort, squeal, neigh or nicker, messages take on a whole new meaning.  Physical expressions are often accompanied by oral communication. Sometimes they will use a single gesture; at other times they will engage in a complicated pattern or sequence of indicators. A horse's oral repertoire is broken down into five main communicative sounds.  But given their oral limitations, when combined with non-verbal cues, they have the ability to participate in what experts refer to as incredibly intuitive responsive communicators that engage in complex communication patterns.

 

As a prey animal, horses eliminate oral communication and primarily use silent body language, to ensure their herd’s survival. In order to understand what a horse’s oral cues mean, researchers looked at what each sound would accomplish.

 

Neigh – The neigh is the most familiar and sometimes called a whinny, high-pitched, drawn outsound starts as a squeal then ends as a nicker and is the longest and loudest of all calls. It can be heard at a distance of over a mile.  It is used most often by horses that have been separated from the herd or from a very close companion.  Neighs have a sense of urgency to them intending to let others know where they are and to try to locate a herd mate.  They also respond to each other even when out of sight.  Research has found that horses respond more aggressively to members of their own group than to strangers.  This proves that the neigh is known as a call of belonging and is a means of personal identification.  When studied, it was clear that each horse has their own special sound as does different breeds, sexes and ages.  Some believe neighing or whinnying are calls of panic and fear but this is completely incorrect.  It is a call to request information, not a cry of alarm.

 

Nicker (greeting, courtship, maternal)– This is a soft, gentle, low pitched guttural sound, it sounds like a purr and a chuckle combined together. It is used by horses to greet one another and intended to be heard at only 30 yards away.  “Greeting nicker” is used as a general salutation in the horse world.  You can also hear nickering at feeding time caretakers approach with food, for this reason it is also called the “begging nicker”.  Stallions nicker (courtship nicker) at mares during courtship or when they have been away from the herd. The tone is slightly different (longer, lower and broken into syllables) and stallions will vigorously nod his head at the same time. (Maternal nicker) is performed when a mare calls out to her foal and is barely audible at any distance.  It is used when a mare is mildly concerned about her foal’s safety as she calls to him to come closer.  Foals react to this sound (unique to each mare) from the first moment of birth.

 

Roar – When horses are seriously fighting there is a savage emotional mood in the air.  There is intense fear and rage and it is expressed in the sound of a very loud, high pitched roar.  These sounds are rarely heard in domestic horses unless they are kept in a large, multiple-stallion breeding group.

 

Snort – Is the act of pulsating air expressed out the nostrils while the mouth is closed. It is often used to alert others in the herd there may be danger. Horses will snort in the direction of the alert, providing an indicator to others of the direction of which to be aware and focus their attention.  Snorting can only be heard for about 50 yards. Stallions often time snort during the breeding courtship and when they are being challenged of another.  (Blow – This is similar sound and message as a snort without the pulsing.  This sound says nothing more than “life is good!”)

 

Squeal – This seems to be a message of controlled aggression and often used as a defensive signal “don’t push me any further”. The squeal often denotes flirting by a stallion or mare.  Strange horses will also squeal as they approach one another with heads up and necks arched, after a short muzzle sniffing session, one horse squeals.  A lactating mare will squeal in pain when her nipples are sore and resents being touched.  Squeals vary with intensity depending the intended meaning.  An intense squeal can be heard up to 100 yards in the distance.

 

There are additional sounds that can be heard such as grunts and groans that are exertions of boredom, occasional sighs and loud snores that all carry the same significance that it does to their human counterpart.  It is important to note that whereas every sound carries it’s own meaning, when other social rules come into play, each call can be heard in a whole host of other situations and may alter the meaning.

 

PERSONALITY TRAITS

Like humans, horse’s personalities are developed largely through their life experiences.  To understand how a  horse’s personality is developed you need to understand life from their perspective on survival. Almost every action is based on their need to survive.  Quite simply, the things that are important to a horse, is first, the safety of the herd, second, their comfort/food and third, physical release, conditioning and playful relaxation.

 

Once a horse knows they are safe, they will put their energy into staying comfortable.  If they feel both safe and comfortable, they will play.  Horses are extremely playful, social animals with distinctive and unique personalities. While their personality traits can be similar, one to another, no two horses act or behave alike.  As with all species, some horses are more playful than others.  A correlation can be drawn to a horses age, breed and rank in the herd but the fact still remain that different energy levels, build in a significant contrast from one to another.

 

One of the most misunderstood equine characteristics relates to what is called Opposition Reflex.  Opposition Reflex is considered a instinct and by all intent and purpose causes a horse to do the opposite of what a predator would expect.  In a horse’s mind it is a reaction in self defense and will emerge when a horse is confused, or frustrated. In the context of EAL, the most common reactions are tail swishing, biting, refusing to move, pulling against the lead, laying ears back and moving right when asked to move left.  Most people think these behaviors are personality flaws or signs of disobedience but are actually directly related to the prey-predator relationship. 

 

Inside every wild horse is a gentle, trust driven horse and inside every domesticated horse is an instinct driven wild horse, explains internationally renowned horseman, Bill Dorrance.  He continues by saying that reflex behaviors are indeed part of a horse’s personality trait and that different horses expose different behaviors that happen to come to the surface when they are confused.  By understanding a horse’s innate desire to trust and be led, we can be instrumental in molding a horse’s personality as well as facilitate change in an individual.  Horses are wonderful metaphorical teachers and by observing simple gestures that are routinely provided by the horses used in equine assisted learning programs.