Before we talk about how horses communicate, you need to understand something important. Horses and humans think differently about being part of a group.
Humans are group-minded. If most people in our group don't like what one person is doing, we all get together and try to make that person change. We care a lot about what the group thinks. Everything we do is geared to placating the group.
Horses are individual-minded. Each horse looks out for itself first. In a horse herd, the strongest individual gets to be in charge. It's not about what's fair or what the group wants - it's about who can take control and keep it.
Many times, horses and humans get along okay because neither one does anything the other can't live with. But when problems happen, it's usually because we're trying to treat horses like humans instead of understanding how horses really think.
Horses have been talking to each other for millions of years, but they don't use words like we do. Instead, they use their whole body to communicate. Every movement means something - the way they hold their ears, where they put their head, how they move their tail.
The most powerful way horses communicate is through what I call "presence and pressure." A confident horse can make another horse move just by the way it carries itself. You've probably seen this happen. A strong horse walks up to the water trough where other horses are drinking, and the other horses just move away. The strong horse doesn't have to bite or kick - the others feel its authority and get out of the way.
Let me tell you about my mare, Sissa. When she walks up to where the other horses are drinking, they part like the Red Sea. At feeding time, she claims the first pile of hay. If another horse starts toward it, she just pins her ears back. If they keep coming (which almost never happens), she shakes her head at them. If they still don't listen, she squeals and swings her rear end toward them. That usually ends it right there.
For fun, I sometimes scatter horse treats all over the pasture. Sissa will find every single one while constantly telling the other horses "These are all mine!" She doesn't have to fight for them - the others just know she's in charge.
Ears tell you everything. When a horse's ears point forward, it means the horse is interested and paying attention. When the ears are pinned flat back against the head, the horse is angry or threatening someone. If one ear points forward and one points back, the horse is listening to two different things at once. If the ears don't move much at all, the horse has probably given up or shut down mentally.
Head and neck position show confidence. A horse with its head high and neck tight is either scared of danger or challenging someone's authority. A horse with a low, relaxed head and soft neck is saying "I'm calm and ready to follow." When a horse suddenly raises its head and hollows out its back, it's getting ready to run away or fight.
The tail tells you about emotions. A relaxed tail swings gently when the horse moves. A tail clamped tight against the body means the horse is tense or scared. A swishing tail usually means the horse is irritated (unless it's fly season - then you have to use common sense about what's causing the tail swishing).
Every group of horses has what we call a "pecking order." This is like a ladder where each horse has a specific rung. The horse at the top gets to boss around all the others. The horse at the bottom has to listen to everyone else. The horses in the middle can boss some horses but have to listen to others.
Here's the simple rule that governs everything: "Each horse can take any right it's strong enough to take and keep, and it must respect any right it's not strong enough to take."
At the top of the ladder is the alpha horse - the leader. This isn't always the biggest or strongest horse. It's the horse with the most leadership ability. This horse doesn't keep its position by fighting all the time. Instead, it earns respect through consistent, smart leadership.
The alpha horse gets first choice of food, water, and the best spots to rest. But here's something most people don't know - the leader is almost always a mare (female horse), not a stallion like in the movies.
Below the leader, every horse knows exactly where it stands. A horse might be able to boss around three other horses but has to listen to four others. Most horses are perfectly happy with their place in the order, as long as it stays clear and consistent.
The horses lower in the pecking order actually benefit a lot from this system. They get to relax and let someone else make the hard decisions. They don't have to watch for danger all the time - that's the leader's job. Each horse knows exactly who it can move and who it has to move for.
This system gives horses something very important: security. All comfort, all safety, all peace comes from knowing your place in the herd. When horses know the rules and their position, there's very little fighting.
Being in a herd makes each horse safer. There are many eyes watching for danger, so each horse can spend more time eating and less time worrying. They can even sleep better because someone is always on watch.
Here's a useful fact: when a predator attacks, a horse doesn't need to be the fastest horse in the herd - it just needs to not be the slowest one.
If you watch horses get spooked and run, you'll see something interesting. They'll run a little way, then look back to see if the lead mare is also running. If she's still calmly eating grass, they'll come back with an attitude like "We were just practicing!" But if the leader is also running, the whole herd will keep going until she stops.
The pecking order saves energy because horses don't waste time fighting over every little thing. Instead of every horse fighting every other horse for the best grass or water, the hierarchy decides who gets what. This prevents injuries and lets the herd focus on important things like finding food and staying safe.
Horses don't usually have big violent fights to determine who's boss. Most of the time, they figure it out through small tests and by seeing who's willing to stand their ground.
It might start simple. One horse walks toward another horse's food. If the second horse moves away, that's one small piece of the hierarchy established. If the second horse stands its ground, they might escalate - pinned ears, raised heads, maybe some threats with their front feet or back legs.
What's amazing is how rarely these confrontations turn into actual violence. Horses prefer to settle arguments through posturing and pressure rather than risking injury. In the wild, a serious injury means death, so horses have learned to work things out without hurting each other.
Once the order is established, it's maintained through constant small interactions. The dominant horse might just look at a lower-ranking horse and make it move. The lower-ranking horse moves automatically, which reinforces who's in charge. This system works so smoothly that most people watching a peaceful herd never notice all the communication happening.
Understanding how horses think about leadership gives us a roadmap for building good relationships with them. The key thing to remember is that horses are looking for leadership, not friendship in the human sense. They want to know where they stand with you and whether you can make good decisions for both of you.
To earn a horse's respect, you need to show the qualities of a good leader: consistency, fairness, confidence, and the ability to control movement and space. This doesn't mean being mean or aggressive. The best horse leaders are calm, quiet, and confident, not loud and pushy.
You establish leadership by consistently controlling where the horse's feet go and putting them exactly where you want them. You do this by giving the horse simple directions that you know you can get it to follow without being physically connected to it.
The way to work with horses is to insert yourself into their natural herd dynamics. You use their genetic programming to bring the horse from thinking like an individual into thinking like part of a social group - with you as the leader.
The most important thing is being consistent in your leadership. Horses lose respect for leaders who change their minds or don't follow through. If you ask a horse to do something and then don't make sure it happens, the horse quickly learns that your directions are optional.
But good leadership also means being fair. Just like a good alpha horse doesn't bully the herd for no reason, a good human leader doesn't make unreasonable demands. You ask for what you need, you're clear in your communication, and you reward the horse immediately when it cooperates.
By understanding and working with horses' natural social system instead of fighting against it, you can develop a relationship based on mutual respect and clear communication. The horse gets the security of having a competent leader, and you get a willing partner who understands and accepts your authority.
Remember, this isn't about dominating the horse through force. It's about earning leadership through consistent, fair, and confident behavior that makes sense to the horse's natural instincts. When you do this right, both you and the horse benefit from the partnership.
I teach how to quickly and easily insert yourself into the horse’s head and use its instincts to rapidly use that ability to resolve attention, trust, fear, and respect issues.
If you wish to speak with me for any reason my phone number is 706 816-7190. If you miss me, leave your name and number and I’ll return your call. I do not return missed international calls so if you are calling from outside the U.S. email me at Marv@MarvWalker.com and we’ll set a time for me to be ready to answer your call.