Monty Roberts Equus Online University | Monty's Horse Training Post: Baring Teeth

Learn all about Equus • Dually Halter • Shy Boy Mustang • Jumping Horses
• Story of a Horse Whisperer • Riding Horsemanship • Dressage Horses • Willing Partners
• Horse Training • Round Pen Lessons • Performance Horses • Join-Up

Watch Monty's horse training videos to learn how he demonstrates communication through horse training techniques that the amateur and professional alike consider to be the trainable skills of a horse whisperer yet Monty calls it horse gentling.
Monty's horse training techniques are non violent with intelligent natural horsemanship. In addition to video instructions, Monty has written many books related to natural horsemanship. Monty trains safe horses for nervous riders called Willing Partners. Monty trains world class race horses for sale.
“I am very proud to be a part of Her Majesty’s horse training and her passion for their welfare. I believe she is the leading monarch for the advocacy of horses in the world. She is a thought leader in this field. Her Majesty's horses are trained using the Dually Halter, making a difference in the training of sensitive animals by giving the horse the choice to partner in the training.” ~ Monty
“I communicate with a horse in what I call the Language of Equus; a silent language of gestures that is discernible, predictable and effective. Now you can learn from my videos, audio and notes to help you understand the horse as I do. This language is really quite simple, but simplicity becomes its greatest strength.” ~ Monty
Monty Roberts is a renowned horse trainer known as the man who listens to horses and the original horse whisperer. Monty's horse training instructions are accepted worldwide.
Monty has helped thousands of people globally through his Monty Roberts Online Videos to learn how to Join-Up with horses, training young horses, spooky horses, horses that bite. His mustang , Shy Boy , is his most famous horse.
Join-Up methods help horse and trainer to establish a bond of communication and trust. “You must somehow understand that we as horsemen can do very little to teach the horse. What we can do is to create an environment in which he can learn.” ~ Monty
Monty says, “We hear that ‘actions speak louder than words,’ but generally we do not live by it too successfully.” Now Monty has taught thousands of people worldwide how to build trust in animals through our actions and body language.
Monty’s principles really amount to common sense and immense patience. He believes that children and horses have the same behavioral patterns. They are both naturally “flight” animals. "If you frighten them and resort to confrontation, you’ll lose their trust." ~ Monty
"Simple one-on-one reassurances and praise reap long term dividends that can all be undone with the quick slamming of a book on a desk or shouting back." ~ Monty Roberts
"No one of us was born with the right to say 'You must or I'll hurt you' to any other living thing, animal or human". ~ Monty Roberts
"My life's goal is to leave the world a better place than I found it, for horses and for people too". ~ Monty Roberts

← back

Horse Behavior and Training

Baring Teeth

By:

bothellfarm

Date:

2013-Oct-06 at 06:28PM

My horse is incredibly sweet and well behaved, but she occasionally lifts her lip and bares her teeth and I don't understand the meaning of the gesture. I know horses bite each other in play, but don't know if I should interpret it that way or as a threat. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

vicci - UK (North Wales) 2013-Oct-06 at 08:31PM

Lifting her lip if there is no indication of aggression is probably due to "Flehmaes response" - the usual reasons for this are catching a scent, inhaling it deeply and allowing it to permeate the vomeronasal organ situated in the roof of the mouth - this is why horses and dogs can smell so much better than we can! (we dont have that organ. Now, there is one other occasion I have seen my friends horse uses it...she learnt that it makes us laugh and gets her attention (yes really!). If we are standing talking to each other and she gets bored waiting she will often pull this Flehmen face and try as I might I can't help laughing at her :-) So, as long as the rest of her body language is calm you need not fear that it is an aggressive gesture at all.

vicci - UK (North Wales) 2013-Oct-06 at 08:32PM

Flehmens ...sorry for the typo

vicci - UK (North Wales) 2013-Oct-06 at 08:35PM

Hmm, just been checking this in more detail to make sure I had got it right and saw a comment that occasionally it can be done by horses who are experiencing some abdominal discomfort...may be worth exploring that too - this is new to me, I didn't know there was any link to that and it may be an anecdotal comment with no evidenc to back it up so would be interested in your findings :-)