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Horse Behavior and Training

Eye contact with a horse

By:
Horse addict (From the good old USA)
Date:
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed

I was just wondering something, whenever I bond with my cat, I look into her eyes, but with a horse, do you always have to look away from their eyes?

phantommustang1 Walsenburg, Colorado, USA
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Everyone says dont, but I always have, with no problems. I guess I dont look confrontational or something. Maybe it has something to do with what you are feeling. This is just my experience, many probably wont agree at all.

star
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed

Hi horse addict,

Well there are a lot of opinions about eye contact with a horse. Some say it's OK some say no way.
For me, there are times, when I am holding Star's head in my hands and stroking her nose I can look deeply into her eyes and she is fine. I also, talk very low and softly with Star, she likes that.
When I was sending her away, in the round pen, it was the way I looked at her that caused her to move, part of the body language.
Depending on what I am doing with her or what reaction I want from her will determine how I look at her.
That's how I do it.
Ronda

phantommustang1 Walsenburg, Colorado, USA
Please upload your photo 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed

Ronda, that is exactly the way I feel about it.

Kleinne - Utah, U.S.A.
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed

I agree, I think it would be difficult to never look at my horse or look into their eyes. In the round pen eye contact is an important part of the body language and should be used the right way but otherwise I like to look at my horse.

Horse addict (From the good old USA)
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed

Thanks guys for your answers, especially yours Ronda, glad to see u back.

nelliebell
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed

Hi Horse addict, Just to add to the conversation....I have found that my brumby, being born in the wild and there until he was 2, he is very sensitive to the WAY i look at him. Exactly as Ronda said, when we are having a smoochy moment i can look deeply into those gorgeous brown eyes but when i am sending him away the look in my eyes says i mean it! As Kleinne said, It would be very hard to never look at my horses eyes!
Janelle

Rudi - Pratteln, Switzerland
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed 400 lessons completed 450 lessons completed 500 lessons completed 550 lessons completed 600 lessons completed

What does the horse see, when we are "looking in their eyes"? They see two eyes and our head frontally. The same for dogs, if dogs move their head only some degrees away to the side they signal that they are not agressive. So, I think it is not the fact that we are looking in the horses eye but our position of the head and body that is sending the signal of agression to the horse.
Rudi

Horse addict (From the good old USA)
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed

Cool, thanks guys.

MaggieF, Melbourne - Australia
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed

Just to agree that I think it is the way we look them in the eye and the timing that matters. I think Monty would agree with this and someone who has done the certificate course may like to comment. I try to keep my eyes down when I first approach my horses to catch them and when I wish for them to come to me - I guess I just don't look directly into their eyes at these times. Other times like Ronda I will look into their eyes when I am cuddling their heads in a friendly way. If we always avoid looking them in the eyes directly then we would end up with a horse like my Uggs was when I first bought him. He was broken in by a Monty type trainer and certainly new join up perfectly but I couldn't approach him front on at all and looking in the eyes was a real no, no. It took me years to get him over this. If you have ever tried you will find it quite difficult to put a halter on without looking at them and direct eye contact is also hard to avoid at times.

Hollyberry
Hello! 100 lessons completed

Thanks for sharing this information. I was having difficulties with not looking them in the eye all of the time. I have wild horses that have not been handled in 10+ years. There are only 2 that I can touch and one is the stallion and the other is a crypt orchid. 2 of the mares have foaled and one is 6 months old and he is being weaned now and the other will be weaned in 5 months. I have touched the foals as soon as I could and have worked on imprinting them as much as possible. The mares seemed to know that I am not going hurt them but they won't even come close enough to touch and if they do they back off. I do look them in the eye to send them away when they get to pushy with the others. I just want to look into their dark rich eyes and let them know I won't hurt them. My one month old colt has beautiful blue eyes. He will be a beauty. Anyway, thanks for sharing this information I can feel a little more comfortable with looking into their eyes from time to time when done at the right times.

Holly

phantommustang1 Walsenburg, Colorado, USA
Please upload your photo 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed

Holly, what is a crypt orchid? I never heard of that. And what color is your blue eyed baby? My Princess is a cremello with blue eyes, first blue eyed horse I ever had. First cremello, too. Anyway, Im just curious.

Horse addict (From the good old USA)
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed

Yeah, I'm curious what crypt orchid is too, I never heard of that name.

Rudi - Pratteln, Switzerland
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed 400 lessons completed 450 lessons completed 500 lessons completed 550 lessons completed 600 lessons completed

cryptorchidism: undescended testicle
Rudi

phantommustang1 Walsenburg, Colorado, USA
Please upload your photo 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed

Oh. Thanks, Rudi, and here I thought it was a color or something. Thanks for clearing that up.

nelliebell
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed

I was thinking colour too! Thanks Rudi :-)

star
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed

Thanks Rudi,
I too thought it was a colour or type of horse and could not find it anywhere.
Now I know where to look.
Thank you,
Ronda

Horse addict (From the good old USA)
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed

Thanks Rudi.

corbengra
Hello! 100 lessons completed

I am new to the uni but thought I would comment just the same. When you look at the setting of our eyes and the setting of a horses eyes there is an obvious huge difference. As prey, the horses eyes are on the sides, and being able to see in a wider spectrum, they don't necessarily have to look directly AT something to see it. Where as us, as preditors, our eyes are directly infront. Notice a preditor when it is stalking it's prey. It is looking DIRECTLY at it, no questions asked, eyes locked on. So in my opinion, when you look directly into a horses eyes, it reverts back to the prey/preditor situation. That said, I do also feel that horses being domesticated, trusting to us, and having a relationship with us, can be looked in the eyes when the moment, body language is right.

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