How to Talk to a Horse

You don't have to be a horse whisperer or know the equine language to talk to a horse, but it helps to know a few things about horse behavior. A horse doesn't care what you say as much as how and when you say it.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Approach the horse from the side so you don't startle it. Horses have wide-set eyes that, in the wild, helps them see approaching predators; they can't see what's directly in front or behind them.

2. Avoid looking the horse in the eye. Like most animals, horses interpret this as a sign of aggression.

3. Look for the horse's ears to turn in your direction, its head to drop and its mouth to be moving. A horse that's afraid will hold its head up, swivel its ears toward the threat and have tension in its muzzle. A relaxed horse often makes chewing and smacking noises.

4. Stroke, don't pat, the horse. Although it may tolerate patting, stroking reminds it of being licked by its mother.

5. Watch your tone. If you want to calm a nervous horse, keep your pitch low and the tempo of your speech slow. To perk up a horse, talk faster. There's a reason why the long, low "whoa" is used to stop a horse and "giddyup" is used to get a horse moving.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't be alarmed if the horse seems to want to chew on your clothes or your hair. This is called whuffling, and it's the horse's way of getting to know you better by feeling you with its lips.
• Beware of a horse that turns its hindquarters toward you, lays its ears back or starts swishing its tail when you approach. This horse doesn't want to be talked to.

Resources

• Horse trainer Sylvia Scott.

[presnick]

on 1/31/2008 This works. I haven't been around horses a lot, but I found one loose, panicky, with no tack, on a side road by a freeway. It was a blind hill, and he could have been hit by a car at any moment. A lot of white to the eye says a horse is scared, and this horse was flashing a lot of white.
My husband stopped traffic and called for help while I used these techniques. I was able to lead him off the road, by his mane, to a safe spot until help came. By the time someone came with a halter, he was making chewing motions.
BTW, you'll see those same chewing, smacking motions in a happy dog.