Subtle horse behaviour: learn to read what they are trying to say

Horses are naturally fight or flight animals and we must always have this in the forefront of our mind when considering horse behaviour. In the wild they are highly tuned to signs of danger or stress for the herd and theyll do one of four things in response to it. The following Four Fs can happen in isolation or combination
Flight Fleeing from danger is naturally a horses preferred option. In ridden horses this behaviour may manifest itself as bolting or trying to escape a situation.
Freeze Planting or refusing to go forwards if nervous or frightened. We often see this sort of behaviour when loading a horse into a trailer or lorry.

Fight If a horse is cornered or has learned that this strategy work and they cant run perhaps theyre cornered in a stable they may fight back using behaviour such as rearing kicking out or biting.
Fidget If a horse cant escape for example if they are tied up or in a stable they may fidget which is also known as a displacement horse behaviour.
With this in mind we can all learn much about how our horse is feeling simply by reading and understanding their behaviour and body language. However the signs horses give us are often subtle and hard to recognise especially if youre not sure what to look for.
Recognising horse behaviour
Unfortunately we often misinterpret dont see or even ignore the early signs of anxiety or stress in horses and this can escalate their behaviour to something more dangerous like bucking or biting. I often see horses being punished for behaviour such as barging biting rearing bolting or being anxious. But the only way a horse can communicate with us is through their behaviour and body language and chances are theyll have been showing subtle signs of stress long before it got to the bad behaviour stage. This is why it is vital to read the cues our horses display so that we can keep them mentally and physically healthy and ourselves safe.
Displacement behaviour is something you will see your horse doing all the time. Its when they exhibit them in an inappropriate context that you should take note. They can be a sign of stress for example when horses are in conflict. This is when theyre anxious about a situation confused by whats being asked frustrated or in pain.
Displacement horse behaviour
Think about when youre facing a stressful situation but cant escape