Behaviour

One of the most important natural behaviours for a horse is being able to graze. Horses can spend up to 15 hours a day grazing, so it is obviously very important to them. If you decide to own horses, it is very important you allow them to graze. You will need to have enough space so that the horses are comfortable, do not feel confined and have enough pasture for them to graze on and keep busy. An adult will need to maintain the horse’s pasture to make sure it stays healthy and of good quality. You can read more about this in the horse Nutrition section

Your horse is a herbivore and has a special digestive system (discussed in the Nutrition section). This means that your horse requires lots of pasture to graze on to stay healthy and fit. If your horse does not get the opportunity to graze, they can become depressed, ill and also develop problem behaviours. Remember, not being able to graze is not normal or natural for a horse.

Horses are naturally herded animals and are very social. This means it is normal for horses to want to be in herds (groups of horses). If you keep a horse alone, this means you are isolating your horse.

Isolation isn’t natural for horses and they should always be able to see and interact with at least one or two other horses. Horses can become panicked or depressed when they are on their own, so it is very important that they have other horses for company.

In order to make sure your horse can express their natural behaviours, you should keep your horse with at least one other compatible horse (this means that they will get on well). This will help your horse feel safe and happy.

When horses are together in groups or pairs, you will notice them interacting socially with the other horses.

Some natural social behaviours for horses in groups or pairs include:

• Grooming – horses will groom one another using their front teeth and scratch one another’s back. This helps them to reach places they can’t scratch on their own.
   
• Fly Swatting – in hot weather, horses will stand nose to tail together in the shade. Then they swing their tails near the other horse’s face, this way both horses keep the flies away from one another.
   
• Sharing body warmth – in cold or wet weather, horses will stand closely together and use each other’s body heat to stay warm

These behaviours are all very important for your horse and they will want the company of other horses so they can participate in these natural activities.

Tethering means leaving a horse tied up to one spot for long hours at a time. Some people do this as a way to contain their horse. Horses should not be tethered as it doesn’t allow your horse to express a range of its natural behaviours and can lead to your horse being frightened, being bored and sad, getting injured or falling ill.

• Tethered horses cannot explore pasture and graze for their own food.
   
• Tethered horses cannot go and try to find shelter if the weather gets too hot or too cold.
   
• Tethered horses do not get enough exercise since they are being forced to stay in one small area.
   
• Tethered horses cannot escape predators or anything that makes them feel frightened or threatened.
   
• Tethered horses cannot socialise with, play with, or groom other horses.
   
• Tethered horses can accidentally tangle themselves up to their rope and become badly injured or even killed!

Horses should only ever be tethered if there is an emergency.

Instead of tethering, good quality fencing should be used. If you don’t think you can provide a horse with a paddock in which they can roam freely, then you should really not get a horse.

You might be a bit surprised the first time you watch your horse drop to the ground and roll over on their back, but this is completely normal behaviour for horses and something they love doing! You might notice beforehand that your horse is pawing at the ground, walking in circles or bending their knees. Then, they will drop to the ground, and roll on their back and from side to side all through the dirt! Then they will often get up and run around a bit. So why does your horse do this?

Horses roll for a number of reasons:

• To relieve itches on their skin
• To dry themselves off after they have gotten wet
• To cover them self in natural dirt after being brushed and groomed
• To rub the sweat off after having their riding gear taken off
• To show excitement when they get let out of their stable or barn
• For fun!

You might notice that when one of your horses starts to roll, the others will want to copy straight away. Often, horses will all use the same area to roll and the area chosen will stay the same.

Horses need lots of exercise and freedom of movement. In the wild, horses travel many kilometres a day. For this reason, you need to make sure your horse has lots of space available in their field or paddock to explore and to run about in if they feel like it.

A horse that doesn’t get much exercise is likely to become overweight, which will lead to them being unhealthy and unhappy! Lack of exercise can also lead to your horse developing behavioural problems. You can also give your horse extra exercise by riding them if your horse is OK with this and you choose to.

If you choose to ride your horse, you will need to start out very slowly to let your horse get used to the idea. You should also make sure you have all the right equipment and train your horse appropriately.

• You will need to train your horse to become used to being approached by you, being touched by you, being used to all necessary riding gear, learning different riding commands
• You will need to purchase or borrow a range of riding gear. For example: a saddle, stirrups, reins, halter, bridle, and bit. It is important that this gear fits your horse well so that you do not hurt him/her or cause discomfort.
• Your safety is very important too so you will need a good helmet and riding boots.

When training your horse, you should only use positive reward-based methods.

Horses have been shown to learn well using reward-based training. You should never punish your horse for not doing something or learning something fast enough. Remember this is all new to your horse and it will take some time for it to learn what you want him/her to do.

Just like you, your horse can experience a range of emotions including happiness, anxiety, fear, and anger. It's important to understand which emotions a horse is feeling so that you can take any action necessary to make sure they are happy and healthy.

A horse's body language can give you signals about how they are feeling. All horses are individuals and they will all have differences in their behaviour, so it's really important to spend time watching your horse in order to learn what is normal behaviour for them.

If you're ever concerned about your horses' behaviour, always talk to an adult and ask them to speak to your vet.

Click on the image to download the infographic!