Bryce, Cover and Body Language

This is Bryce, age 1 1/2, pointing to his Mom's horse. We aren't really sure what Bryce was saying to Cover, but he jabbered away for three or four minutes before wandering off to find something more interesting.

Do horses understand the words we use? Probably not. But they do respond to tone of voice and body language. 

If you approach a horse in a field head on, and that horse doesn't want to get caught, they will turn away. However, if you approach that same horse with your palm outstretched, speaking quietly, you still may not catch him, but he will at least wait to see what kind of treat you may have in your hand. He is responding to your body language. 

You have probably heard that a horse can sense when you are afraid and their reaction is to become afraid as well. When a horse's natural "fight or flight" instinct kicks in, they might rear, strike out, or run off. When dealing with horses it is important to know that they believe we are bigger than they are by the way we behave around them. So if you "speak" to them with confident body language, they will respond (usually) with good behavior.