How To Approach A Horse

If you’re new to horseback riding, it can be intimidating to try and approach a horse for the first time. However, once you learn how to approach a horse properly and read its body language, you’ll be able to easily interact with them! Let’s go over some basics on how to approach a horse so that you’ll feel more comfortable when interacting with these beautiful creatures.

When approaching a horse, always be sure to approach from the front left side at a 90 degree angle.

When approaching a horse, always be sure to approach from the front left side at a 90 degree angle. Approach the horse slowly, and calmly. Approach with your hands down at your side, or in your pockets. Do not approach with your hands up or out in front of you as this may frighten the animal.

How to Approach Your Horse (with Pictures) - wikiHow

DO NOT APPROACH FROM THE REAR!

Approach from the front left side.
Approach at a 90 degree angle, not straight on from the side or head-on in front of them.
Do it slowly and calmly, don’t startle them!

If the horse whinnies at you, this is normal – it means that he/she is excited to see you!

When a horse whinnies at you, this is normal – it means that he/she is excited to see you!

Whinnying is a friendly greeting. It’s a way for the horse to get your attention and say hello, or that it is happy to see you. In some cases, it can also be a polite way for the horse to say thank you when someone does something nice for him/her!

If the horse begins to stomp its feet, it means that it is hungry.

If you see your horse stomping, it’s probably because it’s hungry. Horses will also stomp as a sign of frustration, fear or happiness. If you’ve ever seen a horse prance around with its head held high, you know what I mean when I say that they’re happy!

Stomping is also an unmistakable sign of anger and aggression; if your horse has any reason to be angry with you (like if you were the one who left him in the barn all day without any food), he might start stomping his feet.

If the horse nods its head up and down rapidly, this means he/she is nervous or startled.

A nod from a horse can be a sign of many different emotions:

Happy. Horses throw their heads back when they’re happy, which could mean that they’re playing with you, or it could indicate that they like what you’re doing with them!
Scared. If your horse is scared of something near him/herself (or even far away), these movements will increase in speed as the intensity increases until he/she finally runs away. Be careful not to approach too closely if this happens—not only might your presence scare off an already frightened animal (which isn’t safe for either of us), but some horses may even charge at other animals who are considered dangerous predators such as bears!
Excited. When horses get excited about something, they’ll throw their head back quickly from left to right several times before returning back again so fast that it becomes difficult for humans to see what’s going on under all those mane hairs…but we’ll try anyway because we know how much fun it makes them feel!

Horses are friendly animals and are overall very easy to read!

Horses are social animals, and they like to be around other horses. They are also very friendly and like to be petted and scratched; this is how you will get your horse to interact with you. Horses are very easy to read, and you can tell what they are feeling by the way they act. If a horse is scared or startled, they will flinch away from you with their ears pinned back against their head (ears forward = happy). If they want more attention from you, they may come closer while looking at you with soft eyes (eyes forward = nervous). If a horse comes up behind me on its own volition, it means that we have bonded well enough for them to trust me not to hurt them!

Conclusion

Horses are a valuable part of our society, used for transportation and as work animals. They deserve to be treated well, so if you’re planning on getting one we hope this article has helped you understand them better!