It was a smart thing for traders to look in a horse's mouth in detail before buying it. When given a gift however, the saying is suggesting that one shouldn't look over it with too much scrutiny because it's a gift. Essentially the saying means “don't quibble about a gift and be grateful for it”.
The idiom itself probably stems from the practice of determining a horse's age from looking at its teeth. It would be rude to receive a horse for your birthday and immediately examine its mouth in front of the person who gave it to you, as if you were trying to figure out the value of your gift.
Don't question the value of a gift. The proverb refers to the practice of evaluating the age of a horse by looking at its teeth. This practice is also the source of the expression “long in the tooth,” meaning old.
The saying, “Don't look a gift horse in the mouth,” came from equestrians long ago. They knew a person could size up a horse's value by checking his mouth. Looking at that area can tell a lot about a horse's age, habits and overall health. As such, checking his mouth was considered impolite and disrespectful.
And then other trainers say you should avoid direct eye contact altogether as this will frighten the horse because it will make them think you are stalking them.
Never look a horse in the eye
This common misconception comes from a very basic and old idea that horses are prey animals and because of that fact, they cannot tolerate the peering eyes of a predator. Many novice trainers and some more advanced trainers stick to this principle. But they are misguided.
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.
The phrase, “don't look a gift horse in the mouth” originates in St. Jerome's commentary (400 AD) on Paul's letter to the Ephesians. In Latin the proverb is “Noli equi dentes inspicere donati” (never inspect the teeth of a given horse).
The present study shows that beyond remembering what they have learned or the interactions they have had with humans, horses also have an excellent memory of people and particularly of their faces.
Most horses do not like having their head or face touched. Many people want to scratch the horse near an ear, but you'll make a better impression if you gently stroke their neck instead. ...
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.
Horses may stare at you when they want your attention. If you are distracted or out of reach, your horse may stare at you to get you to focus on them. If there's a barrier such as a fence between you and your horse, they may stare at you since they can't reach you to nudge you.
Horses and humans may develop a connection or trust through contact or riding or by way of grooming / care. They may show signs of recognition when you or other humans approach them.
Not only is the research robust that horses will remember us, it is also the case that they probably like us and possibly miss us when we are not there. Horses, as herd animals, are evolutionarily designed to be social, to form bonds with herdmates, and to form particular attachments to specific others.
Move confidently and slowly when approaching a horse; walk, never run. Approach the horse from the front, toward their shoulder. Speak to the horse when approaching and extend your hand. Never approach a horse from the rear.
Why do horses nudge you? Have you ever been nudged by a horse? Horses use body language to communicate with humans (and other horses), and one of the ways they do this is through touch. Nudging is a way for a horse to get your attention, which can signify affection or impatience.
Horses stomp to indicate irritation. Usually, it's something minor, such as a fly they're trying to dislodge. However, stomping may also indicate your horse is frustrated with something you are doing, and if you don't address it, he may resort to stronger signals.
Answer (1 of 3): I wouldn't say they like hugs as we do but they will tolerate them. Horses show affection with other horses by close contact, exchanging breath, and mutual grooming. You'll often see one horse biting at the others withers or neck, sometime putting their neck on top of the other....
It really depends. They may show signs of sadness, much like when they leave a favorite herd mate. On the other hand, if you weren't that close they will likely have no emotional response to being sold. If they do appear sad, it's only time before they get comfortable in their new home and let go of those feelings.
Horses can see only two of the visible wavelengths in the light spectrum because they have only blue-sensitive cone cells and yellow-sensitive cone cells. Thus, they see blue, green, and variations of the two colors, but do not see red or shades of red.
Of 69 horse owners, 79 per cent of them reported that horses felt jealous, although the specific contexts in which this jealousy occurred, or whether a horse or human relationship was being threatened, was not explored.
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.
Researchers confirmed that horses can smell specific odors in human sweat that reflect emotions like fear and happiness, which could open doors to a whole new way of understanding emotion transfer from human to horse, they say.
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.