Prodney’s blog: really, we’re not so hard to understand
We horses may not be big talkers, but tune in a little to our body language and you’ll understand us just fine. Take kicking our stalls, and pawing the ground.
What would you think if you walked along a line of stables and all the horses were kicking the doors? That they wanted out? That they were angry?
Possible but unlikely. It’s probably just coming up to dinner time and they’re just ‘gently reminding’ their humans to get a trot on, especially if they can hear feed buckets rattling. Play fair, we love our routines (and our food) as much as you do.
Kicking at stable doors, and pawing the ground with a front hoof, are often a sign of impatience, especially around normal feeding times. Horses will also often paw the ground if they’ve been brought to a stop to tell their rider they’re keen to get going again. Or if there’s snow on the ground and they’re clearing a patch of grass to eat. I always like to paw the ground to let humans know that I would like my withers scratched some more.
There will always be a reason, we don’t waste our energy for nothing. Savvy humans like Natalie know that occasionally pawing or kicking can be signs of pain caused by flies, injury, or even colic. Or just that a horse hasn’t appreciated his or her position in the pecking order and is trying to dominate. So perhaps it requires a bit more tuning in after all.
There’s a fine line between using kicking and pawing to remind your humans that you want something, and being persistent and aggressive. When I’m supervising the younger horses on the yard I always make clear that the gentler the tactic the more likely it is that we’ll be considered ‘cute’ and will get our own way. Besides, at an RDA yard especially, expressions of anger or dominance can’t be tolerated.
Luckily we all – horses and humans – know each other well enough to rub along just fine.
Maybe my next blog should be ‘Tips for reading human body language’. What do you think?
Prodney is Chief Equine Officer (CEO) at Park Lane Stables, and achieved celebrity status following the TV coverage in 2021. And yes, he really is a bit of a star on YouTube and TikTok. Just search for Park Lane Stables and do follow us!