How To Act Around A Horse

I’m sure that many of you have had the opportunity to spend some time around horses. Whether you were riding them or just hanging out with them while they grazed in a pasture, hopefully it was an experience that made you feel closer to nature and more relaxed than you usually do when interacting with other people. While I won’t go so far as saying that horses are more intelligent than humans — because I don’t think they are, at least not on a par with us — I will say that we can learn much from observing how these beautiful creatures interact with each other and their environment. So without further ado…

Always ask permission to approach the horse.

When you first meet a horse, ask permission to approach. If the owner says yes, then move forward slowly and cautiously. You can show respect by bending at the waist with your eyes downcast as you get closer to the animal.

When close enough to touch the horse, be sure not to surprise him or her by reaching out suddenly or making loud noises like clapping your hands. Instead, tap gently on his or her shoulder until he or she looks at you before slowly putting out one hand toward the animal with palm up so that he knows what’s coming next (this is called “asking”). Once he accepts it—by licking your hand or sniffing it—you can pet him on his neck and face (but not anywhere else).

If you want to feed your new friend some hay bales in exchange for carrots from his pocket flask instead of just taking them without asking first, go ahead! Just make sure there are no other people around who might think this was rude behavior because otherwise they’ll probably get really mad if they find out later how badly things went wrong between us two.”

When approaching a horse from behind, approach from its left side, gently patting its hindquarters as you say hello.

When approaching a horse from behind, approach from its left side and gently pat the horse’s hindquarters as you say hello. This will help calm it down and make it feel more comfortable with your presence. If you want to pet the horse, keep your hands in front of you—not below its head or anywhere near their feet. If there are other people around who are also attempting to greet the animal, wait until they’re done before approaching so that you don’t scare it away by getting too close at once.

Stand close to the horse’s shoulder when it is tied. If you stand too far away, it may become frightened and try to kick at you.

If a horse is tied, it’s best to stand at its shoulder when talking to the animal. If you are approaching the horse from the left side (or behind) and it has room to run away from you, stand between the animal and anything that might spook it.

Never stand directly in front of a horse. It may kick at you if it feels threatened or scared.

Stand close to the horse’s shoulder and slightly to its left, so that the animal will have to turn its head slightly to see you.

Talk to the horse before approaching it, then move slowly toward them with your hand outstretched with palm up (if they’re not familiar with this gesture, try placing an apple or carrot in their palm).

Approach from behind: Never approach from directly behind or get between a horse and its stables; these areas are sensitive zones for horses, who might kick out at an unfamiliar person approaching them too quickly from either direction.

Talk to a horse before approaching it. This gives it time to get used to your presence and feel less afraid of you. There should be little tension in the voice; not a soft voice or a shrill one either.

If you can, try to approach the horse from the front by walking toward it in a straight line. Don’t walk around or behind it because that will make it feel threatened and nervous.

Don’t approach a horse from above or below as this could make them feel vulnerable or trapped in some way.

Make sure that your hands are clean and dry before touching the horse — or any animal — they are sensitive to such things. Moisture interferes with their ability to communicate with us through touch, and residual odors can further interfere with this communication by overriding the horse’s sense of smell which is much more important than ours.

Make sure that your hands are clean and dry before touching the horse — or any animal — they are sensitive to such things. Moisture interferes with their ability to communicate with us through touch, and residual odors can further interfere with this communication by overriding the horse’s sense of smell which is much more important than ours.
Never put your face in a horse’s mouth. There are many reasons for this! The most important reason is that it can cause injury or death if the horse bites you in self defense, but also because horses have a highly developed sense of taste and smell; their mouths hold lots of bacteria which could make you sick if he licks you (and vice versa).

Conclusion

A horse will never hurt you on purpose, but it does need to be treated with respect. The more you know about how to approach and interact with horses, the safer your experience will be.