Reading Your Horse From the Saddle

Reading your horse from up in the saddle is one of the most valuable skills you could ever learn. So many times, riders often just hop on and go for a ride, opting to be merely a passenger. While there are many instances where “enjoying the ride” is completely ok, it is far better for both you and your horse if you decide to be the driver and drive according to the ‘road conditions.’

Why Reading Your Horse in the Saddle is Such a Valuable Tool

Safety – Being able to detect, and then prevent, dangerous behavior in your horse is crucial. A rider who can sense a buck or rear and then prevent it from ever happening is a far more skilled rider than one who rides though it.
Focus – Being able to tell when your horse is not focusing on you is a great tool to improve your schooling. The quicker you can get your horse’s mind back on you, the faster you can move on and work on your schooling. Learn how to tell is your horse is paying attention to you here.
Partnership – Your overall relationship with your horse in the saddle will change. You can better serve your horse’s needs when you can read him well, and he will be happier to work harder for you as a result. If you can tell he’s becoming annoyed with you, you might want to check yourself to see what you are doing to get that reaction. And then change something. Pushing a horse through something against his will is not a long term fix, and it will often create more problems in the future. Getting your horse to actually want to do something on his own is a far better choice.

Reading Your Horse – How to Do It

All horses are different and one particular symptom might be true for some and not for all. So it’s important to really practice paying attention to your own horse and taking note of patterns. But there are some classic signs to look out for.

The Ears

The horse’s ears are quite possibly the best tool to be able to read your horse. The horse often uses his ears to broadcast loud and clear what he is feeling or thinking.

Soft, floppy ears – This is what you want. The horse is relaxed and going with the flow. His mind is not preoccupied, so he will most likely respond quickly to your aids or requests.
Stiff, pricked forward – The horse is alert and has no idea about the rider on top of him. He will most likely not respond if you give an aid. The horse might be ready to spook or bolt. You need to get his attention ASAP. Turn him into a circle or leg yield to get his mind back on you.
Pinned ears – The horse is angry and could do anything at that moment. Figure out what caused him to suddenly pin his ears back and change it.
Ears constantly moving around – The horse is most likely checking everything out. Give him a ‘check’ and say something to him to make sure he readily puts an ear back toward you. It’s ok for him to check out a new environment as long as he doesn’t forgot that he has a rider on top.

The most important thing about the ears is that the horse does not have BOTH ears stiffly pricked up and forward, and that he always has at least one ear checking in on the rider. An ideal situation would be where the horse has soft floppy ears that settle somewhat off to the sides and immediately flick back toward the rider anytime the rider makes some sort of communication.

The Body

A stiff body is a telltale sign that there is a problem. An experience rider can feel this. But you can learn to feel this on your own horse through time. He might be more difficult to bend or he may feel like a block between your legs when you put your legs around his barrel.

Something that works for me is a spur test. If I put a spur gently into the horse’s side I can tell how stiff his body is. If my spur easily pushes in, he’s probable ok. But if my spur resists going into the horse or if it bounces back outward, the horse is stiff in the body. Note; I don’t just poke the horse for no reason. It’s only when I’m using the spur already and notice how the spur affects the horse.

Typically a high neck is a sign of uneasiness or inattention. A low neck is most likely a relaxed horse. A horse who rushes, who normally does not rush, would also be a sign that he’s not comfortable with something.

Sounds

A blow out – this is music to my ears, because it usually indicates that the horse is relaxing.
A squeal – he probably didn’t like whatever you just did and this could be a warning sound. Or he’s full of energy and wants to play. Either way, a buck is about to come.
A neigh – the horse is not paying attention to you at all. He is most likely trying to communicate to one of his friends. You need to get his attention ASAP!

The Take Away Message – Keep Your Horse’s Attention on YOU

A horse who is not paying any attention to the rider could quite possible create a dangerous situation. It depends on the horse, of course, but you must remember that horses have one-track minds. Wherever they are in each moment, that is where they are 100%, full heartedly.

So if a horse’s mind is on the deer that just jumped out of the bush, then the horse’s mind is 100% on the deer, period. So in turn, that means that the horse’s mind is not on the rider, and some horses may totally forget that there’s a rider on top!

So if a horse is scared of a deer, and he also totally forgets that he’s carrying a rider, a horse might go into flight mode without any regard to the safety of the rider. And that is no fun!

That is why you need to pay attention to ensure that your horse is paying attention. But isn’t that fair anyway? If we fully expect our horse to engage and pay attention to us, shouldn’t we do the same? So when you are with your horse, really be with your horse. Forget about the bills, or whatever your evening plans are. Be in the moment with your horse, and he will learn to do the same.