Taylor LaPierre

Dunham

Biology H

Equine Behavior: Facial Expressions

Horses are magnificent animals that live and act upon instincts rooted back to

prehistoric times. It is estimated that the first horse walked the earth around 55 billion

years ago. The sizes of these horses were widely ranged from approximately 15 hands

(60 inches) at the shoulder to no bigger than a domestic dog (6 hands/24inches) (The

Horse).

SHAPE \* MERGEFORMAT

No matter what the size of these equidae, they lived in herds. A herd, very much like a

family, would consist of a hierarchy. While horses are not developed as far as humans,

their way of communication is a mastered form of body language. Horses not only
communicate with animals this way but also with people. In the movie “The Horse

Whisperer,” a horse and his rider undergo a tragic accident involving an 18-wheeler and

survive. However, after the accident the horse is left traumatized. Without the ability to

communicate with people the horse’s condition is diminishing. A “horse whisperer” is

then contacted and through equine communication the horse recovers. The main focus of

this communication is reading and understanding the horses’ body language. The main

focus of this communication between equine and human is based on facial expressions.

Without the man’s understanding of how horses correspond to each other’s expressions

and movements the horse probably would not have recuperated. Anyone who interacts

with horses regularly knows how to read a horse’s body language and what they are

trying to communicate; these signs are often vital to the person’s health as well as the

horses. If a horse is sick or injured, being capable of interpreting the body language,

especially facial expressions, of the horse is essential. While the horse will communicate

with its entire body, the most pronounce expressions are found in the face. Similar to

humans, horses can show emotions such as fear, anger, pain or excitement with facial

expressions alone. The facial expressions of a horse are widely diverse and can convey an

assortment of meanings as to how the horse feels, reacts to its environment and

communicates with other organisms.

An equine face is very unique in the animal world. Being a prey animal, all of a

horse’s attributes are organized to keep the animal alive; first the head itself. Horses have

large heads. This is to provide room for the horse’s significant facial attributes. Next, is

the nose. A horse’s nose is very prominent. Like humans horses have control of the

cartilage surrounding the nostrils. This allows the to greatly widen their nostrils, up twice
their normal size. The widening of the nostrils is a tool used to get a better smell of the

surroundings. If a horse…..

Fear is an easily recognizable emotion in equine behavior; this is because horses

are prey animals, meaning they live by the “flight” rule of life. When a horse feels

threatened or danger presents itself, the horse would rather run than fight. However, if the

flight technique is unsuccessful the horse will exhibit fear and eventually anger. The main

facial expressions that show a horse is fearful of something can be seen by changes in the

eyes, ears, nostrils and the mouth. When the horse is frightened, the eyes will roll,

revealing the white sclera around the eye. The horse’s nostrils will widen or flare, as he

tries to smell what is around him. The ears will swivel in many directions trying to catch

any sound surrounding him. Even the mouth will change. Due to the widening of the

nostrils the top lip will extend out further than the bottom.