Do you ever feel like you can tell what your horse is thinking?

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Tonty Tont

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Do any of you, when riding your horse, that you can somehow tell what they are thinking? :)

For instance, I can suddenly tell that Tont is going to spin around and bugger off :rolleyes:

I don't know whether I'm just picking up on subtle changes of his body language, or whether I just know him too well :D

Do any of you ever feel like this? :)

Nicole :D
 
Sometimes... I know when he's enjoying himself, and I think I know him well enough now to know when he's genuinely scared/worried/unsure of something or when he's just being a knob. And often when I'm on I can tell exactly what expression is on his face just from his ears. I also know fairly soon after catching him whether he's in a cooperative mood or a stubborn mood.

He has a very expressive face and makes everyone at the yard calf with laughter a lot of the time. Today, for instance, he got a telling off for throwing brushes and buckets around the yard (I thought I'd left them out of reach but I didn't reckon on his skill of knocking them into reach with his hoof) and his face really did look like a scolded child. He has different expressions/stances/ear positions for when his dinner's coming, one for when he sees his tack, one for when he's been told off, one for when he's being really bold etc... I have assumed that there are certain emotions connected with each, and I just suppose that I have them right. The dinner appearing is definitely joy anyways! ;)

Then the rest of the time I have absolutely no idea what he's thinking but I wish I did!
 
I know what my horse is thinking about right now evan though he is a mile away from me. he is thinking about food. what he has just eaten what he will eat next and what will be brought to him in the morning. FOOD!!
 
Bravo! You're picking up the little physical signals that he is sending you. The recognition of these is what separates a passenger from a real rider. Once you can develop the feel then you can really communicate with your horse and pre-empt spooks, bad behaviour,etc, and take your riding p to antother level.
 
Cappy- yes, you only have to look at his face to know what he is thinking/ plotting!
Fany - not so much from her face but when you are riding her you can feel her change mood, especially when it is at the end of a ride and turning for home. Also she is permanently thinking about food!
FDC
 
Absolutely do I know what she is thinking! She gives me a really hard stare when she wants something and as soon as I say "what's the matter?" I always get an answer. Usually it is because she wants a good scratch so having got my attention she then directs me, either by pointing with her nose (if she can reach - this is why I have to do the scratching!) or lifting up the appropriate back leg so that I can get to her udder or the bit inside the thigh where it joins the body. The harder and more intense the stare, the more urgent things are. If she whinnies to me I know she is upset about something as generally she is silent. She often comes over when I'm poo picking. Sometimes she loiters about for a bit and pretends she just happens to be grazing there, then waits to be asked if there is a problem, but generally she just marches over, puts herself between me and the barrow and parks the itchy bit against my hands. She brings horse flies to me so that I can kill them for her, rushes over with a worried expression .It never fails to amaze me how she communicates with me so successfully without ever saying a word. If you want to really know your horse, you must watch and watch and watch.
 
I don't know if I can say that I know what he is think, but I can feel when he is not feeling good.
It's like a "premonition". And everytime I have this feeling, there is always something wrong.
For example : during 1week I had a stomach ache when I see him, and in fact I discover he had worms. (Althought he was dewormed)

I think horses can feel our feelings and moods, and always want to please us. So if we like jumping, even if the horse likes it too, he will like even more because he knows it makes us happy.
 
Yep, generally as he is very expressive:

  • Ears forward, handsome face = I can see food!
  • Chucking of hoof pick/random objects around yard = pay me attention biattchh!
  • Backing up into my space arse first when I am talking = I am going to fart on you for not paying me enough attention.. oh and whilst you are there can you scratch my tail!
  • Head up, dragon snorting = I am possibly scared of that, or I am bored and pretending to be!
  • Above but looking back at me with his eye for reassurance = I really am scared of that
  • Snorting whilst riding = I now have the 'cob' on and if all riding does not cease then I will commence with the spooking/head tossing and possible buck!
  • trying really hard to undo his leadrope = let me out now!
  • Tolerating me and being a generally super boy = he must actually like me!:D:D
 
Our two are very different, and as I don't ride Fol, I can only say what she is like on the ground. She is exactly the same as Fatpiggy's mare.

Without making a sound, I know exactly what she wants, especially when it's a fly, she will rush over with that Get it off, GET IT OFF look about her and nearly nock me over in her rush to present the pesky blighter. She's the same when it comes to scratching or food or water, she sort of sneaks up behind me while I'm doing chores and STARES. She is very sweet, for a grumpy old ginger.

H is pretty easy to read on the ground, but a lot subtler to ride. I do pick up the signals pretty well, and on occasions when I get it wrong, it is usually because I have ignored him, rather than misread.

Here's a good'un though. Can your horses hear what you are thinking?

H can definitely hear me, and the more absent mindedly I think about something, usually where we are going to hack, the easier he picks it up, most often when we are out on our own.
 
NeilM said:
Here's a good'un though. Can your horses hear what you are thinking?

H can definitely hear me, and the more absent mindedly I think about something, usually where we are going to hack, the easier he picks it up, most often when we are out on our own.
Click to expand...

Often wondered this. I know that on Monty's really good days, I 'only have to think' something and he'll do it... I must of course be making some small physical changes, but I haven't noticed them. Similarly whenever I even think about having a canter in the school, he immediately perks up. Yesterday I was very deliberately conscious of my riding and couldn't find any changes I made thinking about cantering, but as soon as the thought crossed my mind he was ready to go.
 
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