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

a job interview for instance. While you wait to be called your anxious body will go into stress referred to as fight or flight to prepare to escape. You want to leave but have to stay and its difficult to sit still. You may walk up and down tap your feet drum your fingers or fiddle with a pen. Moving in this way goes some way towards relieving the stress.
Our horses perform displacement behaviours too. Here are just a few example of what this might look like in your horse
Playing with the lead rope when tied up
Pawing at the ground
Chewing the fence lead rope or anything in reach
Excessive yawning.
Research into animal welfare often uses the number of displacement behaviours an animal performs as a measure of stress. They are useful indicators that show how your horse feels about their environment handling training or being ridden.
Behaviour between horse breeds
Coldblooded horses like cobs are often thought to be more relaxed than hotblooded breeds like Arabs or Thoroughbreds. However research has shown that they have similar levels of the stress hormone cortisol as hotblooded horses in stressful situations they just behave differently. So Shetlands Shires horses cobs etc appear to be less reactive and more stoic when stressed. They may freeze rather than flee or fidget. Sadly as a result theyre often thought to be stubborn or naughty when in fact they may simply be too frightened to move.
Subtle horse behaviour to watch for
We owe it to our horses to be vigilant about their behaviour so we can help them. Below are the subtle signs to watch for. They may only show one or two and they dont come in any order. Stress manifests differently in every horse.
In the stable
Your horse may kick the stable door if theyre frustrated stressed or frightened. They might call to others turn their quarters as you enter the stable or churn up their bedding. Being unusually withdrawn depressed and not eating are also signs of stress. If not spotted this could lead to aggressive horse behaviour such as wall kicking rushing at the door barging weaving crib biting wind sucking or box walking.
On the ground
Some behaviour you experience when handling a horse on the ground if not the norm for your horse could be a sign that they are nervous of being handled have had a bad experience or have been frightened by a handler in the