Things You'll Need
- Your horse, time to spend with him or her, and patience.
Instructions
One of the most expressive parts of your horse's face is his ears. Learn to pay close attention to his ears, which direction they are being held at, and the angle. All these will tell you a lot. Ears that are turned backwards usually means that he is listening behind him, especially when he has a rider on his back. Ears forward are alert, and when his head is up it usually means something has caught his interest. When his ears are pinned back against his head, though, he's issuing a major threat. But ears tipping back at a gentle angle can just mean he's bored; learn to tell the difference.
Horses have incredibly expressive eyes; observe her eyes and watch what she is looking at and what is around her. When horses are frightened or angry, the whites of their eyes will show. Learn to recognize the "soft" look that their eyes will take when they are content and comfortable. If you notice your horse's eyes narrow, she's probably in a bad mood.
What a horse does with his mouth is also telling. Licking and chewing is a sign of submission; especially when you're working with your horse, it's a good sign that he's giving in to your will, acknowledging that he'll do what you want and telling you that you've won. Learn to watch his mouth; once you can pick up on him telling you that way that he's ready to submit to you, take a look at his eyes and his ears as well, and notice the impression you get from them, too.