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Horse Senses | Behavior | Herd Behavior | Life Cycle | Advanced RPG Words | Fighting Tactics
Eyes and Sight:
The eyes are set wide apart so that when the head is raised, it has almost complete all-round vision turning its head, and advantage developed in order to give protection from predators. The eyes are generally kind and trusting, but they also express a range of reactions, including curiosity, suspicion, fear, aggression, courage, pleasure, and contentment. They also reveal signs of health.
Ears and Hearing:
They have acute hearing, and the ears are constantly mobile, turning forwards, sideways, and backward, like antennae. They can express diverse reactions, like interest, enthusiasm, boredom, reluctance, irritation, weariness or aggression.
Smell:
Nostrils designed to take in air at great speed, or when under stress. They are able to detect fear, and are sensitive to the smell of blood. They show their suspicion or dislike of new smells by sniffing or snorting and backing off.
Taste:
Touch:
Some react more strongly to touch than others, especially those with fine skin. Horses seem to be reassured if they can touch a strange object with their muzzle.
Atmosphere:
Horses are easily influenced by atmosphere... if they sense nervousness, it will make the horse hesitant... the same goes with boldness making the horse be bold, as well! They often show their unease by refusing their feed, sweating, pacing, neighing, and generally being tense. Happy horses will willingly overcome any demands made upon it.
Communication:
The voice is very crucial for communication with each other. Neighing loudly, and often repeatedly or even frantically, to attract a response, especially when recently separated from others, feeling insecure or lonely. The horse will neigh or nicker a bit quieter when greeting a friend, or calling a foal. Two horses meeting for the first time approach each other warily before touching noses, which often ends in high pitched squeals, particularly from females, or lower sounds and a shake of the head.
Two colts or stallions kept together may fight, and a mare defending her foal may attack outsiders, producing a roar or screaming noise. Friends recognize each other by sight and smell. Especially when a mare's scent sends sexual messages to a stallion. They often Greet each other by touching noses, and companions will rub, lick, or nuzzle one another. Colts may nip and grab each other in play. When two horses stand head to withers, and scratch or nibble each other, it is known as mutual grooming.
Hierarchy:
The leader will assert itself with intimidating behavior, such as chasing, biting, kicking or simply making threatening gestures, like laying back its ears or baring its teeth. A dominant horse may drive away a newcomer. A timid horse may be a victim of bullying. It can be cornered, kicked, bitten, or chased. It will starve to death rather than approach food that is guarded by a threatening horse. A horse that stands aloof will usually be respected.
Flight:
A horse will react to fear by kicking out, or by running away. Shying, spinning around, or rearing are all natural reflex actions. Scared horses may also quiver and shake, show the whites of their eyes or sweat.
Rolling and Pawing:
Horses roll either for pleasure, to scratch an itch, or to remove sweat or shedding hair. They enjoy rolling in mud, sand, dust, and snow.
Pawing the ground may be an act of impatience or irritation. Horses also scrape the ground to dig up minerals, or to scuff up the earth where they want to roll.
An impatient horse may also pace, perhaps galloping and neighing.
Kicking:
A horse kicks in self defense, when threatened, or startled from behind. Fighting horses will use their heels, and an aggressive horse may back into another to kick it.
Biting:
Biting is natural among wild horses when asserting superiority or showing aggression.
High Spirits:
Horses are more easily excited in herds. High spirits are infectious, and lead to galloping, bucking, kicking, rearing up, and playing. When excited, the horse's head and neck are held erect, the ears are sharply pricked and mobile, and the nostrils flare. It might gallop wildly, tail carried high, and become lathered with sweat.
Horses and ponies in the wild live in groups or herds, which can vary greatly in size. Being a browser, the horse is constantly on the move in search of food and water for its survival.
Herd Instinct:
For horses, there is always security in numbers, and they feel insecure when seperated from their home and/or family. Horses enjoy racing with others, indulging their natural instinct of flight.
Pecking Order:
Those with the strongest urges to survive, eat, and reproduce tend to take precedence over the rest. This may not be a male. Often a strong-minded mare leads the order, putting any challenger in its place. The horse is not naturally a fighter, except over food and mates.
Natural groups:
Families tend to stay together in the wild. A mare will reject the colt foals as they mature, but may keep a filly foal for several years. In a herd, stallions usually start fighting over mares from the age of two. An older, dominant male, may drive them away. Mares rarely fight, and because of that, herd life is usually a peaceful one. When mares have foals afoot, they are naturally protective, whickering to bring them back if they stray too close to another horse. They are usually very attentive mothers.
The foal has a downy 'milk' coat and the mane and tail is fluffy and soft. The legs are very long in relation to their body. Foals are usually weaned from their mothers between six and eight months old.
Year 2:
The 'milk' coat will have disappeared. Fillies come into 'season' for the first time, and then occurs every 18-21 days, from early spring to autumn. The season lasting 5-7 days. The two-year-old is usually too immature in growth and development, and should be left for at least another year. In the wild, nature makes such decisions.
Years 3-4:
Young horses reach full height at about 4 years old. At about 5 or 6, muscles develop to give the animal strength over the neck, back and loins, while the chest broadens and the body deepens at the girth. Meanwhile, the bones are hardening and maturing.
Ears:
Lappetts
Lobes
Antennae
Auditives
Audreys
Harks
Acoustic Organs
Auditory Apparatus
Tympanum
Hearer
Auditor
Listener
Eavesdropper
Nostrils:
Nares
Nasal Passages
Nadirs
Louvre
Ventiduct
Muzzle:
Proboscis
Mug
Orifice
Ositum
Hatch
Eyes:
Optics
Opticals
Orbs
Occuli
Pools
Spheres
Retinas
Pupils
Iris
Corneas
Saucers
Hooves:
Pedates
Nails
Peds
Pedastals
Wainscot
Mane/Tail:
Tresses
Plume
Flag
Filament
Line
Fiber
Fibril
Vunicle
Vein
Capillament
Cilium
Tendril
Gossamer
Veinlet
Venula
Skin:
Pelt
Canvas
Coat
Exteriority
Extramundane
Discoid
Body:
Barrel
Form
Bodice
Figure
Silhouette
Ensemble
Complexus
Hull
Prominence
Head:
Crown
Cranium
Poll
Dial
Visage
Pate
Faculties
Cognitive facilities
Cerebrum
Skull
Vernunft
Sconce
Sensorium
Zenith
Fragma
Female:
Fair sex
Softer Sex
Dame
Mistress
Donna
Belle
Matron
Dowager
Gammer
Vrouw
Squaw
Suffragette
Nymph
Wench
Grisette
Vixen
Fatale
Femme
One of Estrogen
Male:
gentleman
Sahib
Yeoman
Swain
Fellow
Beau
Gaffer
Masculine
Virile
Stallion
One of Testosterone
Beast