09/03/2025
It will feel like people are just over analyzing horse behaviour if you are operating from a place where you have been oversimplifying it.
People who are capable of noticing more nuance in horse behavior, and can thereby notice signs of stress or anxiety building earlier will seem like they are nitpicking when they point these things out.
But, people who oversimplify horse behaviour are far more likely to be caught off guard when horses react out of nowhere.
They are also more likely to miss earlier signs that can signal potential lameness and other health issues before they are a major issue.
If you have ever found yourself in the headspace where you feel like other people are nitpicking horse behavior, before you write off their perspective, as nothing, consider whether or not there’s a possibility you have been taught to oversimplify horse behavior.
I would argue. It’s more common than not to be taught a very cursory and primitive understanding of horse behavior.
Growing up, I wasn’t taught much past “ears back equals bad” and “ears forward equals happy”
When I was initially exposed to people who would notice signs of discomfort like repeated swishing, I was initially outraged, and felt as if they were being hypercritical.
In reality, they were just more adept at noticing signs than I was because they had either taken the initiative to learn or had been taught by a better mentor than I had.
Their knowledge felt threatening initially because it exposed the holes in my own knowledge.
Admitting that they might be right admitting that I knew an awful lot less than I had thought that I did.
It also meant exposing myself to the reality that there are signs of stress that horses show on a regular basis that would call me to question the morality of a lot of things that I had come to blindly accept.
Leaning into the denial is tempting because it offers a temporary comfort.
But the discomfort of knowing that there might be something off always remains in the pit of your stomach.
And the discomfort of that being present, but you never cautiously answering the questions that are being asked, is a lot more burdensome over the years than doing the hard work of reflecting and reevaluating.
Being more open to learning how your horse communicates, even when they are not saying what you want to hear, opens the doors to build an even more beautiful partnership and understanding than you could possibly imagine.
Pictured: me and my horse, Milo nearly a decade ago at a clinic.
Looking back, his behaviour was screaming to be listened to. Tail swishing, facial tension, clenched jaw, grimace of the lips, bucking, refusing fences.
I’m glad I can see it now.
