Is Your Horse Talking To You?
What does it mean when your horse snorts? Is he trying to tell you something? Lets explore the different sounds horses make and what they may mean.
The Snort: When a horse snorts, usually he's holding his head up high, exhaling strongly through his nose with his mouth shut. The force of the exhale creates a vibrating or fluttering sound in the nostrils. It only lasts for about a second and can be heard up to 30 feet away. He could be saying, "There may be danger near." or wondering, "Is this dangerous?" If he ignores whatever made him react and/or he relaxes, he's saying, "It isn't dangerous." If he tenses up and moves away, he's saying, "There is something dangerous and I better leave."
The Blow: It is similar to the snort because she exhales through her nose with her mouth shut, but without the vibrating sound. A horse will usually do this when she meets someone or is curious. You can tell when she may be saying by her body movements and the force of the blow. If two horses meet nose to nose and blow at each other, they're saying, "Are you a friend or a foe?" If they both keep blowing gently and nuzzling or other gentle reactions they are saying, "I'm your friend." If either one or both of them stomp their feet, nip each other, or squeal they're saying, "Get away from me, I'm not your friend!" Another possibility is she could be asking, "What is this?" and she would aim the blow at whatever she is curious about. In this case, if she is relaxed and ignores or nudges it, she's saying, "It's okay, it's safe." If she backs away and tenses up she's saying, "This is dangerous."
The Nicker: With his mouth closed, the horse makes a vibrating sound with his vocal cords. The volume and strength of it vary greatly and give you a clue to what he may be saying. If he is nickering at another horse or person fairly quietly and moves towards them, he may be saying, "Hi, nice to see you." If it's a stallion and it's during mating season, he may be saying to a mare, "Hey there beautiful," if the nicker is stronger and he's also shaking his head. If it is a mare nickering to her foal as she gives a protective nudge with her nose, it means, "Come closer," and will be more quiet and soft than the "Hello."
The Neigh or Whinny: This is the loudest and longest of the sounds a horse makes. It begins as a squeal then turns into a nicker. Although it may sound like it, it's not a scared sound, a horse uses it when he's been separated from others. If he's looking around with his head held high, he's saying, "Is there anybody else here?" He will usually neigh many times. If he does it after another horse answers, it means he's asking, "Where are you?" Another horse will nicker back in response to a neigh to say, "Here I am!" and let the other horse know he's not alone.
The Squeal: It can be short and quiet or long and loud and is done with the horses mouth closed. If loud enough it can be heard from a far distance. If she is either backing away or forcefully approaching or pushing whatever she's squealing at, she may be saying, "Don't mess with me!" or "I don't want to do this!"
The Scream: This usually only happens when two horses are fighting and mostly only in the wild. It is a very loud scream of anger rarely heard from a domesticated horse. If one horse is moving aggressively towards another while striking and biting he is saying, "I want to kill you." If they both act that way they are saying, "It's time to fight!" If one backs or runs away and has his tail down he's saying, "I give up. You win."
You may not be able to talk to your horse, but the next time he or she makes any kind of noise, you will have a pretty good idea what your horse is saying. And even though they can't understand what you say, maybe you can help them when they say they need something.