NOTICE THE EARS AND EYES…
A lot of information is out there that talks about how to know a horse is upset, so I went looking for something written about how to know if a horse is happy.
In equine assisted learning, the focus is on moving humans to that “happy place” where horses live most of the time.
It’s a place of calm, peace, and stillness. Horses live for equilibrium, and they help humans find that place just by being around them.
When I look at a horse, I can sense the horse is happy by the look in their eyes. I can see a soft muzzle and relaxed ears and a stillness in their feet. I look at their ears and their tail.
Here’s what I read in a blog about equine body language: “Happy horses create the “equine smile” by half-closing their eyes, stretching out their upper lips, and pointing their ears backward, almost in line with the nose, she says, based on a new study her team just released about desirable grooming techniques. Sometimes they keep the upper lip still; sometimes they twitch it a bit. In combination with that smile, they usually lift or tilt their necks slightly.”
I experienced that yesterday at the farm in a session with Hunter and Brayleigh. Brayleigh sensed Hunter’s stillness, and came close to share a sweet moment of happiness. It was pretty simple, but profoundly amazing!