A high-pitched, piercing squeal is also heard from horses in some situations. It can be a sign of anger and exuberance, but it can also be a warning. For example, when horses, especially mares, first come into close contact with a conspecific, they will occasionally squeal to communicate their excited state.
A scream is generally a high-pitched, loud, and long vocalization. However, some horses have lower voices. Screams are generally heard in situations of increasing conflict between two horses. A terrified horse may also scream.
The squeal is a loud, high-pitched sound that often resembles a scream. Horses usually squeal during aggressive encounters with other horses, typically around feeding time or when a new horse is introduced to the herd. The squeal is a clear signal of annoyance or protest, warning others to keep their distance.
In short, horses' neighs are meant to reflect their emotions. They may neigh to communicate anxiety or confidence. Horses also neigh to locate other horses. Finally, many horses neigh to greet their owner or other horses.
Like all four audible communications, squealing has a very specific meaning and it means 'aggression is about to ensue'. In other words, it means, “I'm about to kick your butt!” Sometimes it's a just a threat and sometimes the horse will take action.
Listen for a snort.
This causes a loud fluttering sound in the nostrils which lasts for about a second. Snorting indicates your horse has identified a potential danger, and is investigating it. If your horse shies away from something after snorting, this indicates fear.
However, other instances when your horse might blow and snort are when they are stressed or excited. For example, they might blow and snort if they are in a new place or excited to be turned out. What is this? A horse will also make sounds like blowing and snorting when they are stressed due to pain.
Common Displayed Behaviors:
jerking their head up when you ask them to lower it. not picking up their feet when asked. refusing to go forward. pulling back on the lead rope when tied.
They may rest their head on you when you're near them or give you a nudge to get your attention. Horses also blow air on each other through their nostrils. If your horse breathes on your face, this is a sign of affection and that they consider you part of their family. Horses also use vocalizations to show affection.
Horses can smell specific odors in human sweat that reflect emotions like fear and happiness, Italian researchers have learned.
Potentially, when horses have limited or no opportunity to form attachments with other horses, jealous feelings might arise in relation to a human owner if a horse feels those bonds are being threatened by a usurper.
Whinnies are contact calls heard on separation and reunion. They're the longest and loudest noise a horse makes because they need to be heard over long distances. Horses distressed by separation make drawn-out, higher pitched whinnies.
Snort/Blow
He may be ready to make a sudden movement with little regard to you. Make sure to get his attention as soon as possible. If you are riding with friends, be extra cautious to get his attention, as his snorting can trigger the same excitement in the rest of the horses.
The ears laid flat against the neck, head raised and the horse may lunge at you, whites of the eyes showing, and their mouth open showing their teeth. You should avoid approaching a horse from behind. If you do, they may warn you if they're angry and want you to stay away or go away. If you ignore this, they may kick.
But he also shows a lot of calming signals: He half closes his eyes, chews with his tongue out, turn his head. He might also offer all kinds of other behaviours that he has learned (“I don't know what you want, but I know this, maybe that's what you mean”).
In one study, the heart rhythms of horses and humans were analyzed over the course of various interactions with one another. The findings indicated that horses care capable of detecting when a human is expressing and projecting positive feelings towards them and is likely to reciprocate those positive feelings.
He may nibble at your shoulders or head, lay his head on your shoulders, or nudge you in the back, like a mini “back massage.” When a horse shows you respect, that also indicates that he likes you. They will accept you as their leader and do what they are told, while not running over or cramping you.
The great thing is, most horses actually love when humans pet them. They will stand quietly for hours as you run your fingers over their soft hair.
Fortunately for us, horses don't stand around the water cooler and decide which humans they like and dislike, or who did what to whom. They live in the present moment and they react to your actions (good or bad). They learn to trust you—or not—based on your actions, not whether they like you.
A horse's respect is earned by moving his feet forward, backward, left, and right, and always rewarding the slightest try. Think about respect from your horse's point of view. When horses are thrown together out in a pasture, it's natural for them to establish a pecking order.
Squealing and roaring
A high-pitched, piercing squeal is also heard from horses in some situations. It can be a sign of anger and exuberance, but it can also be a warning.
Horses can read human emotions, too, often in uncannily accurate ways; alerting us to our sadness or nervousness, sometimes before we've even consciously registered it. As Herman Melville wrote in Redburn, "No philosophers so thoroughly comprehend us as dogs and horses."
Horses are Capable of Cross-Modal Recognition of Human Emotions. In line with our hypothesis, horses successfully discriminated between the two pictures of human faces (one expressing joy and the other expressing anger) based on their congruence with the vocalization they were hearing.