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How Do Horses Communicate? New Signals Found
Forget talking horses like Mister Ed—when it comes to horse communication, the ears have it.
A new study revealed that a horse’s large, highly mobile ears can help tell another horse where to direct its
attention, which may help the observing animals locate food and evade predators.
Horses nuzzle in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Photograph by Glenn Jacobs, National Geographic Your Shot
As one of the first studies to examine communication avenues that humans lack—movable ears, for
example—it’s an important step in understanding how social animals interact, said study leader Jennifer
Wathan, a Ph.D. student at the University of Sussex in the U.K.
Traditionally, Wathan explained, scientists studying how animals communicate with one another focused
on traits that humans also have, such as body language. (Watch a video that explores the minds of
animals.)
But by thinking about the world as a horse experiences it, Wathan said, scientists can gain more insight
into how these animals share information.
Like humans, horses are social animals. While living in large groups of other members of your species has
its downsides, the arrangement also has benefits. Animals can watch each other’s backs, keeping a lookout
for potential predators while others are busy eating or looking for food.
To make this system work, however, animals have to have ways of communicating information to other
members of the species.
“Horses have really good vision—better than dogs or cats—but the use of facial expressions has been
overlooked,” Wathan said.
So Wathan hypothesized that horses could use ear direction as a cue for where to look and if they should
pay attention to something in the environment.
Horse Senses
To test this idea, Wathan and her adviser Karen McComb first photographed horses in a pasture looking at
one of two buckets of food.
In one set of photographs, the horse’s ears were covered by a mask. In a second set, the horse’s eyes were
covered. A third group of photos showed the horse’s head as normal. Then, Wathan and McComb turned
these photos into live-size pictures for a horse to look at as it chose between one of two buckets of food.
Preliminary experiments established that the horses were able to recognize that they were looking at
another horse in the photo. (Read “People of the Horse” in National Geographic magazine.)
When horses looked at a photo from the third set, where both eyes and ears were uncovered, they picked
the bucket of food the horse in the photo was looking at about 75 percent of the time.
When either the eyes or ears were covered by a mask in the photo, the observing horse selected between
the two buckets of food more or less randomly. However, the horses performed slightly better when the
photo showed the ears uncovered than when it showed the eyes uncovered, according to the study,
published August 4 in Current Biology.
“The horses actually looked at the photographs of the [horses with masked eyes and ears] less, which
indicated there was less information there, and not enough to change behavior,” Wathan said.
When asked to think about how horses and humans communicate with each other, most
people would likely conjure up the classic image of a rider on horseback, steering with
reins and giving a kick to signal “Go!”.
In this picture, the human is the communicator, the horse the receiver. The animal is
expected to obey the commands given, but not do much else. However, horses aren’t
passive creatures built for one-way communication with humans. In fact, they have their
own motivations, desires, and emotions, which they can attempt to communicate to the
humans they interact with.
There’s a wealth of recent research that has shed new light on horses’ abilities to
understand and communicate with human caretakers. This article examines the current
scientific understanding of the various ways horses communicate with the humans around
them.
Facial Expressions
Humans began domesticating horses sometime between 4,000 and 3,000 BCE. Amy V.
Smith, a researcher of horse communication and cognition, suggests that the natural
social behaviors of horses could have primed them for domestication: “Horses are highly
social herd animals by nature – they’re well evolved for herd life and are excellent
communicators with other horses (i.e. they recognise one another’s facial expressions,
body language, and a variety of contact calls). This sociality may have facilitated their
domestication, helping them cross the species barrier to understand human cues.”
In recent experiments,1 Smith and her team showed 28 domestic horses large photos of
human faces. The faces shown had varying expressions, displaying emotions like
happiness or anger.
Smith found that the photos of angry faces triggered negative responses in the horses.
Their heart rates increased significantly, and they stared at the photo with their left eye.
In mammalian brains, what’s seen by the left eye is processed in the right brain
hemisphere, which is specialized to process negative stimuli.
Because of the placement of horses’ eyes, they cannot view what’s directly in front of
them. They must shift their head to the side to get a good view of something straight
ahead. The fact that the horses would consistently shift their heads so that they could
view the angry photos with their left eye strongly indicates that they have negative
associations with the images.
“The domestication process itself may have played a significant role, despite
being relatively short (6,000 years ago, compared to cats’ 9,500 and dogs’ 15-
30,000 years). Horses may also acquire human communication skills during
their individual lifetimes, as they gain experience with humans and learn to
associate certain signals (such as attention, emotion, and intentional gestures)
with certain positive or negative outcomes.”
– Amy V. Smith.
They react by showing avoidant behavior. This increased sensitivity in two domestic
species could be an indication that living closely with humans can help animals become
more attuned to human emotions, gestures, and other communicative displays.
What’s interesting to note is that horses have facial expressions similar to those of humans,
as well as some other animal species.3
Despite the differences in anatomy, researchers found that there were striking similarities
in the movements of the eyes and lips. The leaders of this study believe that their findings
contribute to the growing evidence that the evolution of facial expressions has been
strongly influenced by social interaction.
Vocal Communication
Scientists have found that horses also convey their emotions through through their vocal
communication (whinnying and neighing).4 Now, most equestrians might sigh “I could
have told you that!”, but research has uncovered that the noises horses make are often
packed with incredibly detailed information.
The frequencies and lengths of horse whinnies change depending on whether a horse is
having a positive or negative emotion, and just how intense their feelings are at that
moment. This was discovered in experiments when horse companions would be separated,
and later reunited. Horse calls were also found to contain information about the individual
horse’s size, sex, and identity.5
The scientists who conducted these studies plan to further investigate the nature of horse
vocal communication, including whether or not the calls of domestic horses differ from
those of wild horses. If there’s a difference between wild and domestic horse calls, it could
be that human interaction has influenced the way they vocalize, or, at the very least, living
in human-constructed conditions has.
Given that it’s now well established that vocalizing is a rich communication method for
horses, humans that interact with them could benefit from better understanding what
they are trying to “say” with each call.
Physical Communication
Physical communication is the primary way that humans communicate with horses.
Whether by pulling on bridle reins or squeezing their legs against a horse’s sides, humans
have built the entire equestrian sport around physical communication by humans. But in
most common riding and handling methods, this physical communication is rigid, and
usually doesn’t permit horses to have any physical response other than submission. This
inhibition of behavior can have a negative effect on horses.
“What most people do with horses is consider them ‘horses’ and not single,
distinct individuals. They apply a ‘method’, therefore they standardize their
communication and do not listen to the single individual, do not know what is
important for him or her.
In summary, they do not let that horse BE. In such a contest, a horse
becomes passive because every effort to be itself, to try new strategies, to be
creative, is punished because it goes outside the ‘method’ and most people do
not know how to deal with it.”
“Most people are scared by the strength of horses and opt for controlling them, whereas
they do nothing but increase the horse’s need to escape from that condition.” said
Malavasi.
“Others fear that being in contact with other horses will procure injuries, so they keep
their horses in isolation. Obviously the horse, when out of its isolated box, will seek other
horses and not the rider. Some horses are so deprived that they lack the basic skills to
relate with other horses, and do not even search for them anymore. But they can learn,
and are willing to, if given the chance.”
The recent research of Malavasi and her colleagues has focused on the way that horses
try to physically communicate with humans.6 In the experiments, two treat-filled buckets
were placed where a horse could see them, but couldn’t reach them. A human handler
would stand near the horse, also able to see the buckets. The handler simply stood
and waited.
If the horse wanted to access the treats, they’d have to figure out some way to
communicate their intent to the handler.
When faced with this problem, the tested horses would use a variety of physical
communication methods in an attempt to get the handler to provide access to the buckets.
They would gaze back and forth between the handler and the buckets. They’d nod their
heads, even sometimes quickly jerking their heads toward the buckets in what Malavasi
described as a gesture similar to pointing. If one method didn’t work, they’d try another.
The horses would also make sure that they had the handler’s attention before making
their communication attempts. The handlers would shift the directions their bodies were
facing. The horses would look toward the handler to see if they had eye contact. If not,
the horses would often approach the handlers and touch them.
“Our study demonstrated that horses can not only read us, but can
adopt strategies to convey our attention and actions to the desired outcome.”-
Rachele Malavasi
The horses tested in the experiment are those living at the School of Ethical Equitation.
Here, they adopt an approach based on cognitive learning rather than conditioning. This
means they do not teach horses fixed behavioral modules (rigid ways of responding). Each
horse is stimulated be creative and find the solution to a specific request by working
together with a human. The goal is for the human interaction to be stimulating, not
controlling.
“The next step will be that of repeating the study in a traditional equestrian center, where
we expect to find opposite results.”
Malavasi contends that many horses in traditional equestrian settings may have given up
attempts at communicating with humans because their attempts are often not recognized
or responded to.
Overall, horses have been found to be very sensitive to the body signals of humans. Adult
horses notice and react to differences in human body orientation, head orientation, and
opening or closing of the eyes.11 Horses are more likely to approach humans that seem to
be paying more attention to them (facing and looking at them). If humans seem not to
be paying attention to them, horses tend to walk into their field of view and try to establish
eye contact.
The general experiences horses have with humans can have a profound influence on the
way horses view humans throughout their lives. In 2010, it was found that horses
remember when they’ve had positive interactions with a human.13
After several months of separation, tested horses gravitated strongly toward kind trainers
whom they were reunited with. Additionally, after the initial interactions with the kind
trainers, the horses were typically more accepting of new humans.
This indicates that their previous positive experiences with humans was a determining
factor in their receptiveness toward other people. They seemed to have developed
positive associations with human interaction overall.
Conclusion
Given the current state of research into horse communication and perception, the growing
knowledge of horses’ mental abilities is set to have an effect on the way humans relate
to and care for them.
Smith stated “Research is building to show that socially, emotionally, and indeed
cognitively, horses are more sophisticated than our cultural discourse often gives them
credit for. This knowledge is hugely important in terms of welfare – the more we discover
that horses (and this extends to other species, too) are thinking, feeling, and socially
engaged, the more likely we are to improve their welfare standards.”
Sources
1 – Amy V. Smith, Et al.
Functionally relevant responses to human facial expressions of emotion in the domestic horse (Equus caballus)
Biology Letters
2 – Amanda Pachniewska
Dogs Recognize Human Emotions
AnimalCognition.org
4 – Elodie F. Briefer
Segregation of information about emotional arousal and valence in horse whinnies
Scientific Reports
5 – A. Lemasson
Horse (Equus caballus) whinnies: a source of social information.
Animal Cognition
7 – Amanda Pachniewska
Horses Comprehend Human Gestures
AnimalCognition.org
10 – K. Kreuger, Et al.
Horses (Equus caballus) use human local enhancement cues and adjust to human attention.
Animal Cognition
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Posture, and VoiceUnderstanding Your Horse’s Head, Neck, and TailCommunity Q&A
Have you ever wondered what a horse is trying to say to you, or maybe to another
horse? Horses use their body language and vocalizations to communicate with each
other and to the people around them. All good horse training requires a thorough
understanding of horse behavior and language to achieve successful and caring
outcomes. Understanding your horse’s behavior and language will help you relate to
your horse in a much more meaningful way and will deepen the bond between you
and your horse.
Method 1
Understanding Your Horse’s Eyes, Ears, and Facial Expressions
1.
1
Look at your horse’s eyes. Paying attention to your horse’s eyes will help you understand
how your horse is feeling (eg, alert, sleepy) at any given moment. Keep in mind that a
horse’s vision is different from that of a person. For example, horses have a panoramic view
of their environment (like a panoramic camera); because they are prey animals in the wild, it
is important for them to have a wide view of their surrounding environment.[1] Horses can
also have poor depth perception, meaning that they cannot always perceive how deep or
shallow something is; what we see as a shallow puddle may look like a bottomless pit to
your horse.[2]
If your horse’s eyes are bright and wide open, this means that your horse is alert and aware
of his surroundings.[3]
Eyes that are open only halfway indicate a sleepy horse.[4]
If both of your horse’s eyes are shut, your horse is sleeping.
If only one eye is open, it is possible that something is wrong with the other eye. You may
need to call your veterinarian to determine why the other eye is closed.[5]
Sometimes your horse will move his head in different directions to get a better of view of his
surroundings.[6]
2.
2
Observe how your horse’s ears are positioned. Horses will hold their ears in different
ways to pick up different signals from their environment and indicate how they feel about
what’s going on around them. Horses can move both their ears at one time, or move them
individually.
Ears that are slightly forward indicate that a horse is relaxed. If your horse’s ears are pricked
forward, he may be feeling interested in, or maybe even threatened by, his environment.[7] If
his ears indicate that he is feeling threatened, his nostrils will flare and his eyes will widen.[8]
Ears that are flattened back are a clear sign that your horse is upset.[9] If you are near your
horse when you see this, move a safe distance away to protect yourself from injury.
If one ear is back, then your horse is likely listening to something behind him.[10]
If your horse’s ears are to the side, that means that he is concentrating yet relaxed. [11]
3.
3
Watch your horse’s facial expressions. Horses can make a variety of facial expressions in
response to their environment. Often, changes in a horse’s facial expression accompany
other changes in body language.
Your horse’s chin and/or mouth will droop when he’s feeling relaxed or sleepy.[12][13]
A curl of the upper lip indicates the flehmen response. Although this looks funny to people,
the flehmen response is a useful way for horses to interpret unfamiliar scents in their
environment.[14] In order to display the flehmen response, your horse will extend his neck,
raise his head, inhale, and roll his upper lip back and under itself; your horse's upper teeth
and gums will be exposed when he does this.[15]
Foals, weanlings (recently weaned from their mother), and submissive yearlings will clack
their teeth to make sure that older horses don’t hurt them. They’ll do this by first raising their
neck and pushing out their head. They will then curl their upper and lower lips to expose all
of their teeth, and repeatedly click their teeth together. You will hear a small clicking noise if
your horse does this.[16]
Method 2
Understanding Your Horse’s Legs, Posture, and Voice
1.
1
Observe what your horse is doing with his legs. Horses will use their back and front legs
in different ways to indicate how they are feeling. Horses can inflict serious injury with their
legs, so understanding how your horse uses his legs to communicate will be very important
for your personal safety.
Your horse will paw or stamp the ground with his front legs when he is feeling impatient,
frustrated, or uncomfortable.[17][18]
Splayed (spread out) front legs indicates that your horse is getting ready to run or bolt. It
could also mean that your horse has medical issues that prevents him from standing
properly; your veterinarian will be needed to diagnose the underlying cause.[19]
Lifting either one front leg or back leg signals a threat. If you see your horse doing this, step
back to a safe distance; a horse kick can cause serious injury.[20]
Your horse may cock his back leg by resting the front edge of his hoof on the ground and
lowering his hip. This indicates that he is relaxed.[21]
Your horse will sometimes engage in Bucking behavior, which is when he raises his back
legs in the air. This is often playful behavior (sometimes accompanied by grunting and
squealing), but can also indicate uncertainty and fear, especially if he's being ridden for the
first time.[22]
Rearing up is another dual-sided behavior. It can signal playfulness in foals in the field but, if
it is an angry stallion in fight mode, it can be a sign of fear when the horse cannot escape the
situation.[23]
2.
2
Look at your horse’s overall posture. You can understand how your horse is feeling by
looking at him as a whole to see how he moves and stands. For example, if your horse’s
back is raised, he could be sore from having the saddle on him for a long time.[24]
Rigid muscles and stiff movements can mean that your horse is nervous, stressed, or in
pain.[25] If you are not sure why your horse looks rigid or stiff, your veterinarian can conduct
various behavioral and medical tests (dental exam, lameness exam) to determine the
cause.[26]
Trembling is a sign of fear. Your horse may tremble to the point of wanting to run or fight. If
he does this, give him plenty of space and time to calm down. He may also need to be
desensitized to his fear; an experienced veterinary behaviorist can help your horse
overcome his fear.[27]
Your horse may swing his hindquarters to indicate that he’s getting ready to kick; move away
quickly if he starts doing this. If your horse is female, she may swing her hindquarters to
indicate that she is in heat and trying to get the attention of a male horse.[28]
3.
3
Listen to what noises your horse makes. Horses have a range of noises that they will
make to communicate different things. Understanding what these different noises mean will
help you better understand what your horse is trying to communicate with you and other
horses.
Your horse will neigh for several reasons. He may neigh to indicate anxiety or distress; this
will be a very high-pitched sound and could be accompanied by a lowered tail and flickering
ears.[29] He may also neigh to acknowledge his presence.[30] A confident neigh will sound like
a bugle and will be accompanied by a slightly lifted tail, forward-pricked ears.[31]
A nicker is a soft, throaty sound. To make this sound, your horse will keep his mouth closed
while producing the sound from his vocal chords.[32] A mare will sometime use this sound
with her foal. Your horse may also make this sound when he knows that it’s almost feeding
time.[33] This is usually a friendly sound.
Squeals can be a display of threat. Two horses who are meeting each other for the first time
may squeal at each other.[34] Squeals can also be a sign of playfulness, such as when your
horse is bucking.
Your horse will snort by inhaling quickly and then exhaling through his nose. With this sound,
he could be signaling that he is alarmed when another animal has come too close to
him.[35] He could also be indicating that he's excited about something.[36] Be aware that the
act of snorting can get horses worked up; you may need to calm him down if this happens.[37]
Just like people, your horse will sigh to express relief and relaxation. The sighs are different
for each each emotion: relief–deep inhale, then a slow exhale through the nose or mouth;
relaxation–lowered head with an exhalation that makes a fluttering noise.[38]
Groans can indicate different things. For example, your horse may groan if he's in pain
during riding (eg, landing hard after a jumping a fence, his rider thuds heavily in the saddle).
He might also groan when he's happily exercising without pain. Groaning could also indicate
more serious medical issues, such as constipation or gastric pain due to ulcers. [39] If you
have trouble determine why your horse is groaning, consult a horse expert.
Method 3
Understanding Your Horse’s Head, Neck, and Tail
1.
1
Watch how your horse has his head positioned. As with other parts of the horse’s body,
your horse will move his head in different ways depending on how he’s feeling. The position
of his head signals a variety of moods.
If your horse is holding his head high, he is showing that he is alert and curious.[40]
A lowered head could mean several different things. It could mean that your horse has
accepted a particular situation or command.[41] It could also mean that your horse is
depressed, which could require additional workup from your veterinarian.[42]
If your horse is snaking his head (lowering his head slightly and moving his neck from side to
side), he is showing signs of aggression. If possible, remove your horse from whatever is
aggravating him. If you cannot do this safely, move as far back from your horse as you can
until he calms down.[43]
Your horse may turn his head to look back at its flank, which could signal abdominal
discomfort.[44]
2.
2
Observe how your horse moves his tail. Your horse will swish his tail for reasons than
swatting away flies or insects. Although natural tail position can vary by breed, there are
some tail positions that are common across breeds.[45]
In addition to swatting away bothersome pests, tail swishing can also indicate agitation and
can be a warning for other horses to keep their distance. If your horse is agitated, he will
swish his tail more quickly and aggressively than if he was swatting away pests.[46]
Your horse will often raise his tail when he is feeling happy and alert.[47] In foals, a tail held
high over the back can indicate either playfulness or alarm.[48]
If your horse’s tail is clamped down, your horse may be experiencing some discomfort, such
as a fly on his underside.[49]
3.
3
Observe how your horse's neck looks and feels. Your horse will hold his neck in different
ways to convey whether he's feeling tense, relaxed, etc. Knowing these different neck
positions will help you better understand your horse's body language.
If your horse's neck is stretched out and the muscles under his neck feel loose, this can
indicate that he is relaxed and happy.[50]
If the muscles under your horse's neck feel tense, your horse probably feel stressed and
unhappy.[51]
How do horses communicate?
A:
QUICK ANSWER
Horses communicate through body language. Horses grazing in a pasture can pick
up on another horse's emotions through subtle changes in movement or stance. A
dominant horse lifts its head with its chin up and its ears folded back to tell another
horse to move. The dominant horse lunges forward if the other horse does not follow
the orders.
CONTINUE READING
KEEP LEARNING
Can a newborn horse walk?
How do you find horses for sale?
What are some examples of behavioral adaptations in horses?
FULL ANSWER
A dominant horse may bite another horse in the shoulder or hindquarters if the horse
does not follow the dominant horse's body language. Dominant horses push against
other horses when they want them to move. If a horse does not move, the dominant
horse increases the amount of pressure until the horse gives in to the pressure.
Horses change their facial expressions to communicate. Horses use their eyes and
ears to express certain emotions. A horse often pins back its ears when it is
frustrated.
Horses use their tails to communicate fear or excitement. When a horse hides its tail
between its legs, it indicates fear. On the other hand, a horse with a spinning tail
means that it is angry or annoyed at something. This is different from a horse using
its tail to swat away insects. Horses raise their tails when they are excited as well.
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A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING
So how do these methods of communication apply to our own relationships with
horses? The answer is simply down to the art of body language. Just a basic
understanding of the common expressions outlined here can improve your day-to-day
relations. For example, if you wish your horse to relax, then, as his leader, you should
adopt a relaxed, non-aggressive stance yourself: lower your posture, allow your
shoulders to sag, and cast your eyes downward. Allowing your bottom lip to droop may
be taking things a little too far - but only if people are watching! Whilst in the saddle
remember that your horse is communicating with you through his body. A swishing tail
can be a sign of tension - relaxation is signalled by a tail that gently swings. Flattened
ears would suggest discomfort or pain, whilst one ear pointing in your direction is a
sign of submission and attentiveness. For those who take the time to gain an in-depth
knowledge of equine communication, harmony between horse and rider will be much
simpler to achieve, and the scales of training easier to accomplish.
Apr 9, 2015
Topics:
o Behavior
o Horsemanship Science
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The researchers found that horses needed to see detailed facial features of both eyes and ears before they
would use another horse’s head direction to guide their feed choice.
Photo: Thinkstock
Most owners quickly learn that horses communicate through body language: the
warning lift of a hoof or chomp of the teeth that says, “I don’t like that,” for instance.
And now, a study from the United Kingdom is offering insight into how horses also
use their faces to communicate with herdmates.
Jennifer Wathan, a PhD student, and Karen McComb, BCs, PhD, a professor of
animal behavior and cognition at the University of Sussex, in England, designed a
study in which horses viewed life-sized photos of two different “model” horses. The
model horses were pictured with their heads turned toward food with either their
eyes covered, their ears covered, or nothing covered. Researchers then studied
which facial features appeared to direct the study horses' food choices.
The team found that study horses chose the bucket that the models with uncovered
faces were looking at 75% of the time. The researchers said that when the model
horses' eyes or ears were covered, the study horses' bucket choices were random.
Wathan said that because of the side placement of the equine eye, her team was
surprised to find that gaze was important. More surprising was that horses were
using their ears to communicate, she said.
“We found that in horses, their ear position was a crucial visual signal that other
horses respond to,” she explained. “In fact, horses needed to see the detailed facial
features of both eyes and ears before they would use another horse’s head direction
to guide their choice.
This is just the basic foundation to more complex communication and socialization.
So what does this mean for domestic horses? Wathan said owners could be
affecting equine communication when they put on equipment that covers the horse's
face.
“It is worth taking this into consideration when making management decisions,” said
Wathan. “For example, how bad is the horse's allergy to flies, and do they really
need the mask? In future it will be interesting to further investigate the extent to
which these masks might have any influence on their ability to communicate with
other horses in the field, or even humans.”
The study, “The eyes and ears are visual indicators of attention in domestic horses,”
was published in Current Biology.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
To better identify the limb that hurts, have a friend jog your horse over a
flat, smooth surface while you stand about 20 feet away, perpendicular to
their path. Ask your helper to leave the lead line slack so that your horse's
head is not restricted. As the pair jogs past, keep your eyes straight ahead
and let them cross your field of vision, keeping the entire horse in
perspective. If you follow the horse with your eyes, you may focus too
closely on a single leg and reach the wrong conclusion. You may need to
watch the horse pass several times to determine which leg is affected, and
mild lameness may be noticeable only when the horse is turning.
Topics:
o Stable and Other Vices
o Behavior
o Headshaking
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Photo: Photos.com
Q. What causes horses to shake their heads, and how can this issue be
resolved?
A. This is actually a question that could have quite an expansive answer.
The head toss seen with play behavior and inter-male aggression;
We do see some horses that standing at rest in their stall perform a rhythmic, unchanging,
vertical nodding. This seems to be a stereotypy much like other movement stereotypies in
confined horses, including weaving.. This should be distinguished from more dramatic and
sometimes debilitating headshaking that may include incessant vertical tossing of the head,
frequent snorting, and urgent attempts to rub the nose.
Both of these types of horses should first have a thorough physical exam by a veterinarian.
A certain number will have a diagnosable medical condition causing this behavior, including
bone, dental, sinus, or eye problems. Some could have persistent irritation from parasites or
vegetation such as foxtails. Tack should be investigated, but unfortunately that is not so
commonly the cause of the severe head shaker.
A large number of these severe head shakers fall into another category, essentially
diagnosed by exclusion of all the other potential causes. This is seen often but not
exclusively when the horse is at work. A subset of these horses seem to show signs only in
daylight or brightly lit areas and are called photic head shakers. Another subset is linked to
any number of trigger factors seemingly from the environment, and some are distinctly
seasonal. Much research has been done linking these cases to problems with trigeminal
nerve function. The trigeminal nerve, in part, conducts sensory information from the face,
mouth, nose, and eye. A dysfunction in the nerve causes the horse in essence to be
hypersensitive or perhaps even experience pain in response to stimuli from the environment
that would otherwise be ignored by unaffected horses.
Treatments vary from physical protection from triggers, such as stockings over the nose or
fly masks to cover the eyes, to a variety of medications. Veterinarians have even tried
surgical procedures on the trigeminal nerve. All of these treatments have widely varying
success rates along with adverse effects, not to mention many are not suitable for show
horses.
It might be possible that headshaking can be emancipated from its initiating cause and
become a stereotypy. However, with these severe head shakers it is much more likely that
an underlying cause is still present even if attempts at diagnosis have been unrewarding.
As I've mentioned before, keeping a physical record of your horse's behavior, along with
detailed notes on environmental factors that might be at play could help you recognize
triggers (e.g., wind, sunlight, pollen, etc.) and assist with the diagnosis and treatment.
No matter what we do with horses, it is important that we read their body language all the time.
This horse started out being afraid of things touching his body. In the first picture, he is still fearful
of the ball. He is holding his head high, his body is braced, and his tail clamped.
In the second picture he started to relax, his tail is lifted and curled, and his head is low. The brace in
his body is gone.
For example, if your horse turns his hind end to you, it is up to you, the trainer (remember, every time
you are with a horse, you are training the horse, for better or for worse), to figure out whether the
horse is being disrespectful and defiant, or if the horse is doing it out of self-defense and/or fear
because you have, in fact, asked or caused the horse to do so. In order to know how hard of a push is
needed for that particular horse in that particular situation, you need to look at the rest of his body. If,
for example, his tail is clamped tight between his hind legs, which is a sign of fear, don’t push him too
hard or he won’t trust you. A low to level flick of the whip towards his hind end is most likely more
than enough energy. On the other hand, if his tail is wringing, which is a sign of aggression, you’d
better push him a little harder, or he won’t respect you.
Another good example is a horse’s head. If he flips his head indignantly into the air, he is challenging
your leadership and needs to be pushed away. If the horse’s head is twirling, which is a sign of
aggression, a strong push from you is needed to let him know that you don’t put up with his ignorant
attitude. The push, however, should be aimed at the horse’s body, never at his head. Sending
impulsive (pushing) energy towards the horse’s head and neck is bullish behaviour and only causes
stress, anger, fear, defiance, and/or sullenness.
This horse is ok with having a tarp draped over his back. His tail is curled and relaxed, his ribcage is
politely bent away from me, his head is low, and his ears are forward.
To know what type of energy and how much energy to apply to the appropriate body part at any given
moment takes a lot of observation and experience.
Remember, if your horse is being disrespectful, make sure his rude behaviour wasn’t caused by you in
the first place. Often horses’ actions are actually re-actions to our own body language and how we are
working with them. So if you are trying to fix what the horse sees you as causing in the first place, it
will be difficult to earn his trust and respect. Horses don’t know what we don’t know. Often they don’t
know we have made a mistake, they just think we did something offensive or weren’t paying attention.
For example if your horse is reading your body language as telling him to come closer to you, but you
thought you were telling your horse to stay away from you and therefore punish him for coming to
you, this will lead to confusion and possibly fear or rude behaviour from your horse (cause and effect).
Depending on your horse’s character, passive, passive-aggressive or aggressive, he may challenge your
leadership in several ways. An aggressive horse may fight you by kicking, biting, striking, rearing or
pressing in against you to push you, while a passive horse may be stubborn, evasive or lazy. A passive
horse may also just run away.
If you have ever watched a great horseman (or horsewoman) communicating with a horse, you were
most likely amazed at the subtle, almost unnoticeable human body language. We have to remember,
however, that, in order to achieve this high level of communication, it takes a lot of awareness and
observation on the human part, and a willingness to listen to and focus on the human on the horse’s
part. This, again, means having earned the horse’s trust and respect first. It may also mean that at first
we may have to “shout” with our body language in order to get the horse to focus and listen.
“Shouting” with correct body language produces not only much better results than does using physical
force, and it also proactively prevents a great deal of “challenge” from the horse. Correct timing is of
utmost importance with body language. For example, you can push a horse’s shoulder back onto the
rail of the round pen by randomly hitting the horse’s front end somewhere with a rope or a whip, and
the horse will most likely go back to the rail, but his frame will likely be inverted (high-headed and
hollow-backed) and not aligned (his hind end will likely drop in). On the other hand, a correctly timed
(when the horse is physically able to move the part you want moved) precise push to the point of the
shoulder will typically move the horse back to the rail more quickly and often without inversion.
If you learn to consistently use the proper energy, at the right time, at the right spot (body part), with
the right amount of energy, your horse will eventually respect and trust you and be willing to focus
and listen to you. This, however, requires consistency in your actions and body language and
awareness to constantly reading the horse’s body language and responding to it appropriately and
immediately.
This mare is nicely focused on me. Her head is low, her ears are forward, and her body is relaxed.
She is in a frame of mind where she can learn.
Remember, a horse’s body and mind are linked to the point of being one. Horses don’t pretend or lie.
So if you are able to read a horse’s body language, you are actually reading his mind and know what he
feels.
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Umi R
Tentang perasaan dan temperamen kuda, perlu disadari bahwa kuda adalah hewan cerdas yang
sensitif dan memiliki kemampuan atletik yang tinggi. Kita tertarik pada kuda sebagian karena dia
adalah binatang liar yang telah dijinakkan. Jika penunggang kuda yang baik, laki-laki atau pun
perempuan, bekerja sama dengan kuda yang terlatih maka sebagai tim mereka bisa sangat
hebat. Untuk mengembangkan kerjasama seperti itu, atau untuk menangani kuda secara aman,
kita harus mengerti bagaimana kuda berpikir dan bereaksi. Secara psikis pemilik kuda harus
selaras dengan kuda.
Perasaan Kuda
Kuda memiliki ingatan yang lebih baik daripada manusia, tetapi cara mereka berpikir tidak
seperti kita, dan sering orangmembuat kesalahan karena menganggap demikian. Kuda adalah
hewan buruan. Sebagian besar reaksi alaminya adalah melarikan diri kecuali dia nyaman
dengan situasi yang dia hadapi. Ketika ia merasa khawatir, ia menjadi gugup dan siapuntuk
melarikan diri. Dia memiliki naluri kawanan yang kuat; dia senang danmerasa paling aman
berada bersama kuda lain. Kuda dan manusia dapat mengembangkan ikatan kesetiaan yang
kuat - kuda mentransfer kebutuhannya akan keselamatan dan kenyamanan pada orang yang ia
percaya.
Kuda merasa paling nyaman ketika manusia yang menangani mereka bertindak sepertianggota
kawanan yang dominan (bos kuda) tanpa sikap terlalu agresif atauterlalu tunduk. Sebagai hewan
yang hidup berkelompok, kuda terbiasa menjadisuka memerintah atau diperintah. Secara
naluriah dia tunduk pada individu yanglebih dominan, jadi ini adalah peran yang harus diambil
pemilik kuda saatmenangani kuda. Cara-cara ekstrem dalam penanganan kuda diantaranya
adalahpaksaan dan penyuapan. Paksaan dapat membuat kuda agresif menjadi marah,
selalumelawan, atau kuda penakut menjadi semakin takut. Suap akan cepat merusak kuda;ia
segera belajar bahwa ia (bukan Anda) yang memegang kendali. Metodepenanganan paling
efektif ada di antara keduanya, dengan penunggang kuda yangmengambil peran kepemimpinan
yang tegas selaras dengan kemampuan dan sifat kudayang khas.
TINGKAT KOMUNIKASI
Disadari atau pun tidak, Anda selalu mengirimkan sinyal ke kuda melalui emosi, tindakan dan
bahasa tubuh Anda. Setiap kali Anda menanganinya Anda melatih dia (mungkin ke arah negatif),
membuat dia jadi lebih baik atau lebih buruk. Segala sesuatu yang Anda lakukan dengan kuda
harus dipikirkan bagaimana responnya nanti. Dengan setiap tindakanyang Anda lakukan,
tanyakan pada diri sendiri apakah Anda membantu mencapaiatau malah menjauh dari tujuan
Anda melatihnya yaitu agar bersikap baik dan mudah ditangani.
Saat menangani kuda, usahakanuntuk mengatasi temperamen mereka, memastikan kuda yang
berani tidak berusahamendominasi Anda, yang malas tidak menipu dan mencoba menghindari
untukmelakukan apa yang seharusnya mereka lakukan, dan yang pemalu tidak menjadilebih
takut dan gugup. Gunakan penilaian yang baik dan selalu ingat kepribadianmasing-masing kuda
saat menangkap, menuntun, menangani kaki, dan sebagainya,maka akan jauh lebih mudah bagi
Anda untuk menanganinya
Menangani kuda jauh lebih mudah jika Anda menyesuaikan diri dengan apa yang dia lakukan
dan pikirkan. Diajuga harus nyaman dengan sinyal ia tangkap dari Anda. Ingat bahwa Anda
mengontrol dan berkomunikasi tidak hanya dengan cara isyarat dan tindakan fisik tetapi juga
dengan pikiran Anda. Jenis kontrol atas kuda seperti ini juga disertai dengan keakraban
(mengenal kuda dengan baik) dan pemahaman Andaterhadap satu sama lain, yang diperoleh
melalui bekerja sama - kuda mengetahuiapa yang Anda inginkan dan dikondisikan (melalui
penanganan yang tepat dan pelatihan) untuk mematuhi Anda. Dia merasakan sikap Anda yang
santai tapi dominan dan bukannya takut, marah, atau gugup. Dia menghormati Anda
sebagaiorang yang dominan (bos kuda); itu bagian dari hubungan yang Anda kembangkan
dengan dia saat bekerja sama dan menanganinya setiap hari. Dia bisa membaca apayang Anda
pikirkan dari bahasa tubuh dan cara Anda bertindak. Jika Andamemberikan sinyal campuran -
misalnya, bertindak agresif padahal Anda gugup atau takut kuda - maka kuda akan menjadi
sangat gugup dan tidak percaya.
Santai Saja
Kudadapat membaca seseorang dengan baik. Mereka bisa merasakan perubahan dalam
ketegangan fisik atau emosional yang memberitahu mereka bahwa seseorang takut, gugup, atau
marah. Sungguh mereka dapat merasakan suasana hati dan perasaankita tidak peduli berapa
keras kita mencoba untuk menyembunyikannya. Hewan memiliki kemampuan untuk
berkomunikasi satu sama lain melalui kombinasi bahasatubuh dan empati, dan mereka mampu
menerapkan ini terhadap manusia sampai-sampai dapat memahami kita seperti membaca buku.
Andaharus benar-benar merasa nyaman dalam hubungan Anda. Meskipun dari gerak
Andabersikap sebagai anggota tim yang dominan dalam kata-kata dan tindakan, tapidalam
pikiran Anda takut kuda maka dia bisa merasakannya. Rasa takut Anda akanmembayangi
tindakan Anda dan akan membuat dia lebih gugup atau lebih agresif.
Cara terbaik menenangkan kuda yang panik agar menjadi santai dan bisa bekerja sama adalah
kita terlebih duluharus santai, baik secara psikhis atau pun fisik. Jika Anda tegang dan
gugup,maka kuda juga ikut gelisah, dan karena ia berpikir bahwa apa pun yangmengkhawatirkan
Anda juga berpotensi berbahaya untuk dia, dia bisa menjadisangat khawatir.
Kombinasi bahasa tubuh dan sikap percaya diri memberikan dominasi atas kuda dan
menempatkan Anda di posisibos dan guru, yang memungkinkan kuda juga menjadi nyaman
dalam hubungan - tidak merasa perlu untuk bersikap agresif melawan Anda dengan tidak
adanya rasahormat atau terlalu takut pada Anda. Jika Anda memiliki dominasi penuh percayadiri
terhadapnya, kuda akan menghormati dan mempercayai Anda, menerima Andasebagai bos.
Jarang sekali Anda harus membentak dengan suara keras, menghukum atau pamer kekuatan
fisik saat menanganinya.
Hukuman harus berdurasi pendek, langsung, dan cukup kuat untuk memperbaiki keadaan.
Aspek psikologis (menyadari ia telah melanggar batas dan telah menyinggung anggota tim yang
dominan) lebih efektif daripada ketidaknyamanan fisik atau rasa sakit, meskipun hukuman
harusnya cukup untuk mempengaruhi perubahanperilaku tertentu kuda. Bagi beberapa kuda,
suara tanda tidak setuju sudahcukup. Bagi kuda lain, terutama yang berani atau sangat agresif
yang mengujiotoritas Anda, mungkin diperlukan sebuah pukulan keras (pada tubuh,
janganpernah kepala). Jika kuda itu menguji dominasi Anda, seperti yang akan dialakukan dalam
kawanan mencoba untuk menjadi bos kuda sendiri, Anda harus mengingatkannya bahwa Anda
masih di atasnya dalam urutan kekuasaan.
TIP KESELAMATAN
Jangan pernah percaya begitu saja pada kuda. Bahkan kuda yang paling bisa diandalkan pun
bisa bergeraktiba-tiba jika terkejut dan melukai Anda secara tidak sengaja jika Anda didepannya.
Miliki kebiasaan bekerja sadar keselamatan meski di sekitar kuda yangAnda kenal dan percayai;
ini memperkecil kemungkinan terinjak, kepala terbentur, atau kecelakaan yang lebih serius.
Waspadalah selalu kemana kuda bergerak, dan selalu siap untuk bergerak dengannya.
Hati-hati
Kuda adalah hewan yang besardan kuat. Jika ia marah atau takut, atau bergerak secara tiba-
tiba, orang yangmenangani bisa terluka jika dia berada di tempat dan waktu yang salah.
Sebagian besar kecelakaan dapat dicegah jika Anda membiasakan diri untuk menangani diri
sendiri dan kuda sedemikian rupa sehingga meminimalkan terjadinya masalah tak terduga.Jika
keselamatan adalah hal utama dalam pikiran Anda dan Anda bisa melakukan antisipasi, selalu
siap dengan apa pun yang mungkin dilakukan kuda, kemungkinanAnda terluka semakin kecil.
Salahsatu faktor penting dalam meminimalkan kecelakaan adalah selalu bersikap baikdan penuh
percaya diri - tegas tapi lembut. Sehingga berkurang kecenderungankuda untuk "menggoda"
Anda (jika dia kuda pemberani) atau menjaditakut dan bertingkah (jika dia penakut). Anda ingin
agar dia rileks dan mempercayai Anda. Kuda panik yang tidak nyaman dengan cara Anda
menanganinya lebih cenderung menjadi tidak terkendali daripada kuda yang merasa aman
denganAnda.
Menangani kuda dengan aman adalah masalah kesadaran (yang diselaraskan dengan apa
dilakukan dan dipikirkan kuda, selalu siap dengan yang apa yang akan dilakukankuda
selanjutnya) dan posisi tubuh. Anda mendominasi kuda melalui sikap percayadiri dan posisi
tubuh. Kontrol mental seperti ini dicapai dengan pemahaman satusama lain. Kuda harus tahu
apa yang Anda inginkan dan dikondisikan agarmenurut; dia tahu "hup" artinya berhenti dan
diam, bahwa ia harus terima untuk menahan diri dengan tali kekang, dan bahwa ia
harusbersikap baik saat Anda mememilihnya.
Kuda itulebih kuat dari Anda, tetapi melalui pelatihan dan sikap percaya diri Anda, ia menerima
dominasi Anda. Namun, jika ia sesaat menjadi takut atau marah, ataukhawatir dengan rasa sakit
yang disebabkan oleh Anda atau dokter hewan saat iaharus divaksinasi atau diobati, ia mungkin
lupa untuk berperilaku baik. Pada saat seperti itu, Anda harus bisa menenangkan dan
menahannya dan menjaga diri agar tidak terluka olehnya, meskipun Anda tidak sekuat dia. Anda
dapat menggunakanposisi tubuh dan pengaruh (dan kontak fisik dengan kuda) untuk
keuntunganmaksimal Anda untuk membuatnya tetap di bawah kontrol dan agar terhindar dari
tendangan, benturan, atau terluka.
- See more at: http://turanggakuda.blogspot.co.id/2015/06/perasaan-kuda1.html#sthash.7xj3jvIk.dpuf
ubuh kuda termasuk besar, lebih besar daripada tubuh manusia. Meskipun begitu, dengan kepandaiannya,
manusia bisa mengendalikan kuda.
Karena sejak dulu manusia telah mengenal kuda, maka mereka juga telah menamai bagian-magian tubuh
kuda dengan teliti.
Gerakan Kuda
Cara kuda berjalan atau berlari juga memiliki nama sendiri. Amati gambar-gambar di bawah ini.
Di dalam gambar di atas cara gerak kuda dibagi menjadi empat: berjalan (walk), berderap (trot), berlari
kecil (amble), dan berlari (gallop). Tetapi jika kita membuka buku berkuda yang lain, maka akan ada
perbedaan pembaguan cara gerak kuda ini. Bahasa Inggris Amerika dan Inggris British juga memiliki
perbedaan dalam hal ini.
Untuk berjalan, orang Inggris dan Amerika menyebutnya sama, yakni "walk".
Untuk berderap, orang Inggris menyebutnya trot sedangkan orang Amerika menyebutnya jog.
Di dalam gambar di atas kecepatan kuda yang lebih cepat dari pada berderap, tetapi lebih lambat daripada
berlari disebut amble. Ada juga buku yang menyebutkan amble itu lebih cepat daripada berjalan. Yang
penting amble itu lebih lambat daripada gallop.
Di banyak buku ada gerak kuda yang disebut Lope oleh orang Amerika atau Canter oleh orang Inggris.
Sementara itu yang lebih cepat lagi adalah gallop.
Di dalam tulisan ini, kami akan memakai "walk, trot, canter", dan "gallop" untuk membahas cara gerak
kuda. Inilah yangdisebut "cara gerak alami kuda".
Jalan (walk):
Jalan adalah gerakan normal kuda untuk berpindah tempat. Di dalam satu langkah, ada 4 depak (4-beat
gait). Saat berjalan, kuda mendepak (mengangkat kaki) dengan urutan sebagai berikut.
Setiap kali satu kaki diangkat, tiga kaki yang lainnya menapak di tanah.
Perhatikan bahwa kaki depan kiri digerakkan bersamaan dengan kaki belakang kanan dan kaki depan
kanan digerakkan bersamaan dengan kaki belakang kiri. Pola inilah yang disebut dengan diagonal.
Gerakan pola diagonal inilah yang menyebabkan tubuh penunggang dan kudanya naik-turun (posting).
Penunggang seyogianya mengikuti irama ini pula.
Canter:
Kanter (canter) adalah gerakan 3 depak (3-beat gait). Dalam gait ini terdapat waktu suspensi setelah setiap
langkah. Gerakan ini mulai dengan kaki belakang, kemudian dimajukan ke depan dengan ayunan. Saat
kanter, pantat penunggang tetap di sadel, tidak seperti saat “trotting”. Sebelum mencoba kanter, Anda
harus sudah mahir trot.
Dalam pembahasan gerakan kanter ini ada istilah “lead”. Istilah ini untuk menjelaskan kaki depan mana
yang menapak paling depan. “lead kiri” berarti kaki depan kiri berada di posisi paling depan, sementara
“lead kanan” berarti kaki depan kanan berada di posisi paling depan. Istilah “lead” hanya digunakan dalam
“canter” dan “gallop”.
Begini urutan pengangkatan kaki dalam gerakan kanter ‘lead’ kanan:
Berikut ini urutan pengangkatan kaki dalam gerakan kanter ‘lead’ kiri:
Gallop:
Gallop adalah gerakan 4 depak (4-beat movement). Gerakan (gait) ini mirip kanter, tetapi kaki kuda
bergerak satu-per-satu. Gallop rasanya seperti kanter cepat. Saat menunggang dengan gerakan gallop,
angkat pantat Anda sedikit dari sadel, tumpukan berat badan Anda pada tapak kaki Anda. Sebelum
mencoba gallop, Anda harus sudah mahir kanter.
Berikut ini urutan pengangkatan kaki dalam gerakan ‘gallop’ lead-kanan:
Gallop lead-kiri:
Nah, back to the topic. Jadi apa niat saya kali ini? Let’s
say…menulis laporan (atau lebih santainya essai) tentang
liputan yang saya lihat di Trans 7, tepatnya acara “Tahu Nggak
Sih” sore tadi. So mari kita mulai menulis.
Class: Mammalia
Order: Perissodactyla
Family: Equidae
Species:Equus caballus
Kuda adalah hewan mamalia menurut sejarah telah banyak membantu manusia dalam mengerjakan
aktifitas sehari-hari. Kuda telah ada sejak zaman dahulu kala (sekitar 3000 BC) setelah mengalami
proses domestikasi yang panjang. Dewasa ini, kuda tidak hanya sebagai hewan pekerja yang
memperingan pekerjaan manuisa, tetapi kini kuda telah menjadi salah satu dari hewan kesayangan
dan bahkan menjadi salah satu dari cabang olahraga yaitu berkuda.
Anatomis
Kuda merupakan hewan yang berjalan dengan kukunya, disebut hewan unguligradi. Keempat jari yang
lainnya telah berevolusi menjadi kastanye.
Ilustrasi digitigradi, plantigradi, dan unguligradi
Kuda memiliki mata terbesar di antara mammalia darat lainnya, terletak di samping(monokular).
Matanya pun dikromatik(di berarti 'dua' dan chromo berarti 'warna') yang memiliki sel kerucut dan sel
batang seperti milik manusia, meskipun penglihatannya poor vision tidak sebaik manusia.
Penglihatan manusia terhadap apel merah dan hijau(atas) dibandingkan dengan penglihatan kuda terhadap apel merah
dan hijau(bawah)
Selain itu, mata kuda memiliki tapetum lucidum, yang dapat bercahaya pada malam hari apabila
terkena paparan cahaya(memantulkan cahaya), sehingga kuda dapat melihat pada malam hari.
Tapetum lucidum
Mata ini didesain untuk mengamati sekitar dari predator yang sewaktu-waktu mengincar. Namun, tipe
mata seperti ini memiliki kekurangan tersendiri yaitu terdapatnya beberapa titik buta atau blind spots,
yaitu titik-titik dimana kuda tidak mampu melihat, letaknya tepat di tengah antara mata kanan dan
kiri dan di belakang.Warna iris matanya pun bervariasi, namun umumnya hitam dan coklat, ada pula
yang biru.
Warna iris mata coklat(atas) dan beberapa kuda iris matanya biru(bawah)
Struktur telinga kuda
Kuda memiliki pendengaran yang sangat baik terlebih pinna (daun telinga) dapat berotasi 180°
sehingga kuda memiliki kemampuan mendengar 360°. Dengan bentuk telinganya lurus miring ke
bawah. Kemampuan mendengar yang bagus ini kuda membuat kuda mampu mendengar suara
berfrekuensi rendah dan sangat tinggi. Ambang batas frekuensi pendengaran kuda adalah 10 Hz to
100,000 Hz.
Pili hidung
Pili atau rambut halus yang terletak di nasal (hidung) kuda membantu dalam proses seleksi dan
pendeteksi letak makanan sehingga kuda mampu memilih pakan yang baik untuk dicerna olehnya dan
kadang sesuai seleranya. Oleh karena itulah pili ini tidak boleh dipotong agar kuda tetap memiliki
kemampuan memilah makanan dengan baik. Terlebih dari aroma saja kuda mampu mendeteksi ada
tidaknya predator di sekitar melalui aroma yang terbawa angin. Dengan begitu tidak salah kalau kuda
memiliki penciuman yang baik pula.
Bay
Black
Chestnut
Brown
Grey
Dun
Palomino
Piebald
Roan
Skewbald
Bahasa Tubuh
Perasaan dan pikiran kuda dapat diketahui dengan melihat tanda-tanda yang tampak dari kuda
tersebut. Tanda-tanda tersebut dapat kita lihat dari kenampakan telinganya.
Ilustrasi bahsa tubuh kuda melalui pergerakan telinga
Telinga kuda saat merasa gembira dan tertarik keduanya akan mengarah ke depan.
Telinga kuda saat merasa tidak gembira atau terganggu akan datar ke belakang
Telinga kuda saat kondisi relax, bosan atau tidak nyaman akan jatuh ke bawah
Telinga kuda saat mendengarkan dan perhatian akan terbuka lebar selayaknya sedang mencari
sumber suara
Horse breed
Kuda memiliki 85 ras yang ada di dunia, namun yang paling populer menurut American Quarter
Horse adalah Thoroughbred and Arabian horse to the exotic Friesian, Akhal-Teke and Gypsy Horse.
Oke, segitu dulu aja edisi belajar mengenal kudanya. Semoga artikel ini dapat bermanfaat bagi kita
semua. Salam dream!
Sumber :
Bahan
http://equine-world.co.uk/
http://www.merckmanuals.com/pethealth/horse
http://www.extension.org/pages/15174/basics-of-equine-behavior
http://www.lsu.edu/deafness/HearingRange.html
http://www.horsechannel.com/horse-breeds/
http://vetandsociety.blogspot.com/2011/10/anatomi-kuda.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equine_vision
Komunikasi hewan
Dari Wikipedia bahasa Indonesia, ensiklopedia bebas
Belum Diperiksa
Metakomunikasi adalah sinyal-sinyal yang mengubah makna dari sinyal berikutnya. Salah satu contoh
yaitu wajah bermain dan sinyal-sinyal ekor pada anjing, yang mengindikasikan bahwa sinyal agresif
berikutnya adalah bagian dari suatu permainan berkelahi daripada peristiwa agresif yang serius.
Komunikasi hewan adalah semua perpindahan informasi pada bagian dari salah
satu hewan yang memiliki efek pada perilaku sekarang atau masa depan dari hewan lainnya.
Kajian mengenai komunikasi hewan—terkadang disebut Zoosemiotik (didefinisikan sebagai
ilmu komunikasi sinyal atau semiosis pada hewan; dibedakan dengan antroposemiotik, ilmu
komunikasi manusia) -- telah memainkan peranan penting dalam metodologi
dari etologi, sosiobiologi, dan ilmu kognisi hewan.
Komunikasi hewan adalah wilayah ilmu yang tumbuh cepat. Bahkan pada abad 21, banyak
pemahaman sebelumnya yang berhubungan dengan berbagai bidang seperti
penggunaan nama simbolik personal, emosi hewan, kultur hewan, pembelajaran, dan
bahkan perilaku seksual hewan, yang lama dianggap telah cukup dipahami, telah dirombak
kembali.
Bagian dari seri tentang
Etologi
Cabang-cabang
Kognisi hewan
Komunikasi hewan
Kesadaran hewan
Kultur hewan
Perilaku seksual hewan
Ilmu kesejahteraan hewan
Antrozoologi
Perilaku ekologi
Perilaku genetis
Etologi kognitif
Psikologi komparatif
Emosi pada hewan
Neurosains evolusioner
Insting
Pembelajaran
Neurotologi
Sosiobiologi
Alat yang digunakan oleh hewan
Zoosemiotis
Zoomusikologi
Etologiwan terkenal
Patrick Bateson
Charles Darwin
Richard Dawkins
Irenäus Eibl-Eibesfeldt
Dian Fossey
Jane Goodall
Heini Hediger
Konrad Lorenz
Desmond Morris
Thomas Sebeok
William Homan Thorpe
Nikolaas Tinbergen
E.O. Wilson
Jakob von Uexküll
Portal Hewan
Portal Biologi
Kategori
L
B
S
Seekor domba muda menginvestigasi seekor kelinci, sebuah contoh dari komunikasi antarspesifik lewat
bahasa tubuh dan bau.
Daftar isi
[sembunyikan]
1Bentuk-bentuk
o 1.1Visual
o 1.2Suara
o 1.3Penciuman
o 1.4Listrik
o 1.5Seismik
2Fungsi-fungsi
3Interpretasi
4Intraspesifik
5Interspesifik
o 5.1Mangsa ke pemangsa
o 5.2Pemangsa ke mangsa
o 5.3Manusia/hewan
6Aspek-aspek lain
o 6.1Evolusi
o 6.2Aspek Kognitif
o 6.3Komunikasi hewan dan perilaku manusia
o 6.4Komunikasi hewan dan linguistik
7Lihat juga
8Referensi
9Tautan luar
Interaksi agonistik: semua hal yang berkaitan dengan kontes dan agresi antar individu.
Banyak spesies memiliki pemameran ancaman yang berbeda yang dibentuk selama
kompetisi untuk makanan, pasangan atau wilayah; kebanyakan lagu burung berfungsi
dengan cara tersebut. Terkadang ada pemameran penyampaian kecocokan, dengan
individu yang terancam akan membuat mereka mengetahui dominasi sosial dari si
pengancam; hal ini memiliki efek berhentinya episod agresif dan membuat hewan yang
dominan memiliki akses tak terbatas terhadap sumber yang dipersengketakan. Beberapa
spesies juga memiliki pemameran afiliatif yang dibentuk untuk mengindikasikan bahwa
hewan yang dominan menerima kehadiran hewan lain.
Ritual-ritual perkawinan: sinyal-sinyal yang dibuat oleh salah satu anggota jenis kelamin
untuk menarik atau menjaga perhatian dari pasangan yang berpotensi, atau untuk
mengukuhkan suatu ikatan pasangan. Hal ini sering mengikutkan pemameran bagian tubuh,
postur tubuh (Kijang mengasumsikan karakteristik yang ditampilkan sebagai sebuah sinyal
untuk memulai perkawinan), atau pengeluaran bau atau teriakan, yang unik pada spesies,
yang menyebabkan individu-individu tersebut menghindari perkawinan dengan anggota dari
spesies lain yang akan menyebabkan infertil. Hewan-hewan yang membentuk ikatan
pasangan yang abadi terkadang memiliki bentuk simetris yang mereka buat satu sama lain:
contoh terkenalnya adalah presentasi mutual dari buluh oleh Burung grebe jambul besar,
yang diteliti oleh Julian Huxley, pemameran kemenangan yang diperlihatkan oleh banyak
spesies angsa dan penguin pada situs sarang mereka dan pemameran perkawinan
spektakuler dari Burung-burung cendrawasih dan manakin.
Kepemilikan/wilayah: sinyal-sinyal digunakan untuk mengklaim atau mempertahankan suatu
wilayah, makanan, atau pasangan.
Sinyal berhubungan-dengan-Makanan: banyak hewan-hewan membuat "teriakan makanan"
yang menarik pasangan, atau keturunan, atau anggota dari kelompok sosial ke sumber
makanan. Saat induk memberi makan anaknya, anak tersebut terkadang memiliki respon
meminta (terutama bila banyak anak dalam sebuah sarang—hal ini cukup dikenal
pada altrisial burung berkicau, sebagai contohnya). Terkadang sinyal memberi-makan yang
paling terperinci adalah Tarian Waggle dari lebah madu yang diteliti oleh Karl von Frisch.
Gagak muda memberikan sinyal ke yang tua, gagak yang lebih berpengalaman saat mereka
menemukan makanan baru atau yang belum pernah dicoba.
Teriakan peringatan: sinyal-sinyal yang dibuat saat adanya suatu ancaman dari pemangsa,
membuat semua anggota dari grup sosial (dan terkadang anggota dari spesies lain) berlari
untuk berlindung, menjadi berhenti, atau berkumpul menjadi sebuah grup untuk mengurangi
risiko diserang.
Meta-komunikasi: sinyal-sinyal yang mengubah makna dari sinyal selanjutnya. Salah satu
contoh yaitu wajah bermain pada anjing, yang mensinyalkan bahwa sinyal agresif berikut
adalah bagian dari bermain berkelahi daripada sebuah episode agresif yang serius.
Namun ada juga beberapa aksi dari spesies buruan yang benar-benar komunikasi terhadap
pemangsa yang sebenarnya atau yang berpotensi. Contoh adalah peringatan pewarnaan:
spesies seperti tawon yang mampu melukai pemangsa berpotensi seringkali berwarna cerah,
dan hal ini mempengaruhi perilaku pemangsanya, yang secara insting atau sebagai hasil
pengalaman akan menghindari menyerang hewan tersebut. Beberapa bentuk
dari mimikri berada pada kategori yang sama: sebagai contohnya Lalat bunga memiliki warna
yang sama seperti tawon, dan walaupun mereka tidak mampu menyengat, menyebabkan
mereka dihindari oleh pemangsa yang memberikan lalat bunga suatu perlindungan. Ada juga
perubahan perilaku yang berperan dengan cara yang sama untuk memperingatkan pewarnaan.
Sebagai contohnya, hewan bertaring seperti serigala dan koyote bisa mengadopsi postur agresif,
seperti menggeram dengan gigi dipamerkan, untuk menunjukan mereka akan berkelahi jika
diperlukan, dan Ular derik akan menggunakan derik-nya untuk memperingati pemangsanya dari
gigitan beracunnya. Terkadang, sebuah perubahan perilaku dan peringatan pewarnaan akan
digabungkan, seperti pada beberapa spesies amfibi yang hampir keseluruhan tubuhnya
berwarna sama dengan sekitarnya, kecuali perut yang berwarna cerah. Saat bertemu dengan
potensi ancaman, mereka memperlihatkan perut mereka, menunjukkan bahwa mereka beracun.
Contoh lain dari komunikasi mangsa ke pemangsa adalah sinyal pencegah-dikejar. Sinyal
pencegah-dikejar terjadi saat buruan mengindikasikan kepada pemangsa bahwa mengejarnya
tidak akan menguntungkan karena si pemberi sinyal bersiap-siap untuk kabur. Sinyal pencegah-
dikejar menyediakan sebuah keuntungan baik kepada si pesinyal dan penerima; mereka
mencegah si pengirim menghabiskan waktu dan energi untuk kabur, dan mereka mencegah si
penerima berinvestasi dalam pengejaran yang memakan biaya yang kemungkinannya tidak
berhasil ditangkap. Sinyal-sinyal seperti itu dapat memberikan kemampuan si mangsa untuk
kabur, dan merefleksikan kondisi fenotip (pencitraan kualitas), atau dapat mencitrakan bahwa si
mangsa telah mendeteksi si pemangsa (pencitraan persepsi). Sinyal-sinyal pencegah-dikejar
telah dilaporkan ada pada berbagai jenis taksa, termasuk ikan (Godin dan Davis 1995), kadal
(Cooper et al. 2004), unggulata (Caro 1995), kelinci (Holley 1993), primata (Zuberbuhler et al.
1997), tikus (Shelley dan Blumstein 2005, Clark 2005), dan burung (Alvarez 1993, Murphy 2006,
2007). Sebuah contoh terkenal dari sinyal pencegah-dikejar pada pencitraan kualitas
adalah stotting (terkadang disebut pronking), suatu ungkapan kombinasi untuk berlari dengan
kaki-kaku sambil secara simultan meloncat yang diperlihatkan oleh
beberapa Antelop seperti Kijang Thomson pada saat ada pemangsa. Paling tidak 11 hipotesis
untuk stotting telah diajukan. Teori paling terdepan saat ini adalah bahwa ia memberitahukan si
pemangsa bahwa elemen dari keterkejutan telah hilang. Pemangsa seperti macan tutul
bergantung kepada serangan kejutan, dibuktikan lewat fakta bahwa mengejar sangat jarang
sukses saat antelop melakukan stot. Pemangsa tidak menghabiskan energi mereka untuk
mengejar sesuatu yang tidak akan mungkin sukses (perilaku mencari makan yang optimal).
Kualitas penampilan dapat dikomunikasi dengan mode-mode selain visual. Tikus kangguru
berekor bendera, memproduksi beberapa pola hentakan kaki yang kompleks di dalam sejumlah
konteks berbeda, salah satunya saat menghadapi ular. Hentakan kaki bisa memberitahu anak-
anak di sekitar tetapi kebanyakan menyampaikan vibrasi lewat tanah bahwa tikus tersebut terlalu
siaga untuk diserang secara sukses, yang mencegah pengejaran dimangsa oleh ular. [16]
Pemangsa ke mangsa[sunting | sunting sumber]
Beberapa pemangsa berkomunikasi ke mangsa dengan suatu cara yang mengubah perilaku
mereka dan membuat penangkapan lebih mudah, sebagai efek menipu mereka. Contoh yang
terkenal yaitu Ikan angler, yang memiliki tonjolan gemuk bioluminisensi yang tumbuh
dikeningnya dan teruntai di depan mulut mereka; ikan kecil mencoba mengambil umpan
tersebut, dan karena melakukan hal tersebut secara sempurna menempatkan mereka untuk
dimakan oleh ikan angler.
Manusia/hewan[sunting | sunting sumber]
Berbagai cara manusia mengartikan perilaku hewan domestik, atau memberikan perintah
kepada mereka, konsisten dengan definisi dari komunikasi interspesies. Bergantung kepada
konteks, mereka mungkin dianggap sebagai komunikasi pemangsa ke mangsa, atau untuk
merefleksikan bentuk commensalisme. Percobaan terbaru untuk bahasa hewan adalah mungkin
usaha paling mutakhir untuk mencapai komunikasi manusia/hewan, walau relasi mereka
terhadap komunikasi hewan alamiah tidak begitu jelas. Kurangnya penelitian komunikasi
manusia-hewan adalah fokus pada komunikasi ekspresif dari hewan ke manusia secara spesifik.
Kuda dianggap tidak berkomunikasi (untuk keamanan).[butuh rujukan] Anjing dan kuda pada
umumnya tidak dianjurkan berkomunikasi secara ekspresif, tetapi dianjurkan untuk
mengembangkan bahasa reseptif (pemahaman). Sejak akhir 1990-an, salah satu ilmuwan, Sean
Senechal, telah mengembangkan, meneliti, dan menggunakan bahasa ekspresif, yang dapat
dipelajari secara visual pada anjing dan kuda. Dengan mengajarkan hewan-hewan tersebut
suatu gerak isyarat (buatan manusia) mirip bahasa Bahasa Isyarat Amerika, hewan-hewan
tersebut diketahui menggunakan isyarat-isyarat baru dengan cara mereka sendiri untuk meraih
yang mereka inginkan. [17] mendokumentasikan proses tersebut.
Pentingnya berkomunikasi adalah bukti dari elaborasi morfologi sangat tinggi, perilaku dan
fisiologi yang beberapa hewan miliki telah berevolusi untuk memfasilitasi ini. Mereka
mengikutkan beberapa struktur paling menyolok dalam kerajaan hewan, seperti ekor Burung
merak, tanduk pada Rusa, dan jumbai pada Kadal berleher jumbai, tetapi bahkan juga
mengikutkan noda merah pada paruh camar herring eropa. Perilaku elaborasi tinggi telah
berevolusi untuk komunikasi seperti tarian dari bangau, perubahan pola pada gurita, dan
pengumpulan dan penataan benda-benda pada Burung Bower. Bukti lain bagi pentingnya
komunikasi pada hewan adalah prioritas dari fitur-fitur fisiologis pada fungsi tersebut, sebagai
contohnya, kicau burung tampak memiliki struktur otak yang keseluruhan ditujukan untuk
memproduksinya. Semua adaptasi tersebut membutuhkan penjelasan secara evolusioner.
Ada dua aspek yang butuh penjelasan:
mengidentifikasi suatu rute dari seekor hewan yang tidak miliki fitur atau perilaku yang terkait
dapat memperolehnya;
mengidentifikasi tekanan seleksi yang membuat ia adaptif bagi hewan-hewan untuk
mengembangkan struktur yang memfalitasi komunikasi, menolak komunikasi, dan merespon
mereka.
Kontribusi penting bagi permasalahan pertama dibuat oleh Konrad Lorenz dan etologis lainnya.
Dengan membandingkan spesies sejenis dalam kelompok, mereka memperlihatkan bahwa
pergerakan dan bagian tubuh dalam bentuk primitif tidak memiliki fungsi komunikasi yang dapat
"ditangkap" dalam suatu konteks sehingga komunikasi akan berfungsi baik bagi seseorang atau
kedua rekan, dan dapat berkembang menjadi lebih bentuk terperinci, istimewa. Sebagai
contohnya, Desmond Morris memperlihatkan pada penelitian pipit rumput[butuh rujukan] bahwa
respon menyeka-paruh terjadi dalam suatu rentang spesies, menyediakan suatu fungsi bersolek,
tetapi pada beberapa spesies hal tersebut telah menjadi sinyal perkawinan.
Permasalahan kedua telah menjadi kontroversial. Etologis awal mengasumsikan bahwa
komunikasi terjadi untuk kebaikan dari spesies secara keseluruhan, tetapi hal ini membutuhkan
suatu proses seleksi grup yang dipercaya secara matematis tidak mungkin dalam evolusi dari
hewan-hewan yang bereproduksi secara seksual. Altruisme ke arah kelompok yang tidak
berhubungan tidak secara luas diterima dalam komunitas sains, tetapi lebih dilihat sebagai suatu
bentuk altruisme timbal-balik, mengharapkan perilaku yang sama dari yang lain, suatu
keuntungkan hidup dalam suatu kelompok. Sosiobiologis beralasan bahwa perilaku-perilaku
yang menguntungkan keseluruhan grup dari hewan bisa saja muncul sebagai hasil dari tekanan
seleksi berperan seluruhnya pada individual. Teori gen egois mengajukan bahwa perilaku-
perilaku yang membolehkan suatu gen untuk menjadi lebih luas dibentuk di dalam suatu
populasi yang secara positif yang terpilih, bahkan jika efeknya pada individual atau spesies
secara keseluruhan tadinya merugikan.[18]
Pada kasus berkomunikasi, diskusi penting oleh Jonh Krebs dan Richard Dawkins membentuk
hipotesis bagi evolusi seperti munculnya altruistik atau komunikasi mutualistik sebagai teriakan
peringatan dan sinyal-sinyal perkawinan untuk tumbuh di bawah seleksi individu. Hal ini
mengarah pada realisasi bahwa komunikasi tidak selalu "jujur" (tentu saja, ada beberapa contoh
jelas yang mereka memang tidak selalu jujur, seperti pada mimikri). Kemungkinan secara evolusi
komunikasi stabil tak-jujur telah menjadi bahan dari banyak kontroversi, dengan Amotz
Zahavi pada khususnya berargumen bahwa ia tidak dapat bertahan dalam waktu lama.
Sosiobiologis juga telah memperhatikan evolusi dari struktur sinyal berlebihan seperti ekor
burung merak; secara luas dianggap bahwa hal tersebut hanya dapat muncul sebagai hasil
dari seleksi seksual, yang dapat membuat suatu proses balasan positif yang mengarah pada laju
berlebhian dari suatu karakteristik yang menganugerahkan suatu keuntungan dalam situasi
kompetisi meta-seleksi.
Salah satu teori untuk menjelaskan evolusi dari sifat-sifat seperti ekor burung merak adalah
'seleksi tak terkendali'. Hal ini membutuhkan dua sifat - sebuah sifat yang ada, seperti ekor yang
mencolok, dan bias yang telah ada pada betina untuk memilih sifat tersebut. Betina lebih
menyukai ekor yang lebih terperinci, dan oleh karena itu si pejantan mampu kawin dengan
sukses. Mengeksploitasi psikologi dari betina, balasan positif berulang terjadi dan ekor menjadi
semakin besar dan mencolok. Pada akhirnya, evolusi akan mendatar karena biaya bertahan bagi
pejatan tidak membolehkan bagi sifat tersebut untuk menjadi lebih berkembang lebih jauh lagi.
Ada dua teori untuk menjelaskan seleksi tak terkendali. Pertama adalah hipotesis gen baik. Teori
ini menyatakan bahwa tampilan terurai adalah suatu sinyal jujur dari kesesuaian dan benar-
benar adalah sebagai pasangan yang lebih baik. Kedua adalah hipotesis cacat. Hal ini
menjelaskan bahwa ekor burung merak adalah cacat, membutuhkan energi untuk menjaga dan
membuat ia lebih terlihat bagi pemangsa. Bagaimanapun juga, individu tersebut dapat bertahan,
bahkan walau gennya tidak bagus pada hakekatnya.
Aspek Kognitif[sunting | sunting sumber]
Etologis dan sosiobiologis telah menganalisa komunikasi hewan secara karakteristik dalam hal
kurang lebih respon otomatis terhadap stimuli, tanpa mempertanyakan apakah hewan yang
berhubungan memahami makna dari sinyal-sinyal yang mereka keluarkan atau terima. Hal ini
adalah kunci pertanyaan dari kognisi hewan. Ada beberapa sistem pensinyalan yang tampak
membutuhkan pemahaman yang lebih tinggi. Contoh yang sering didiskusikan adalah
penggunaan teriakan peringatan oleh monyet vervet. Robert Seyfarth dan Dorothy Cheney
memperlihatkan bahwa hewan-hewan tersebut mengeluarkan teriakan peringatan yang berbeda
pada saat adanya pemangsa yang berbeda (macan tutul, elang, dan ular), dan monyet yang
mendengar teriakan tersebut merespon dengan benar—tapi kemampuan ini berkembang terus
menerus, dan juga memperhitungkan pengalaman individu yang mengeluarkan teriakan.
Metakomunikasi, yang didiskusikan di atas, juga tampak membutuhkan proses kognitif yang
lebih rumit.
Telah dilaporkan [19] bahwa lumba-lumba hidung-botol dapat mengenali informasi identitas dari
siulan bahkan bila karakteristik dari siulan dihilangkan; membuat lumba-lumba satu-satunya
hewan selain manusia yang memperlihatkan dapat mengirim informasi identitas bergantung dari
suara pemanggil atau lokasi. Makalah tersebut menyimpulkan bahwa:
Fakta bahwa bentuk tanda siulan membawa informasi identitas bergantung pada fitur suara
memberikan kemungkinan penggunaan siulan ini sebagai sinyal-sinyal referensial, baik mengacu
kepada individual-individual atau mengacu kepada mereka, hampir sama dengan penggunaan
nama pada manusia.
Dengan adanya kemampuan kognitif pada lumba-lumba hidung-botol, kemampuan
pembelajaran vokal dan meniru mereka, dan struktur sosial fisi-fusi mereka, kemungkinan ini
adalah sesuatu yang membangkitkan minat yang membutuhkan investigasi lebih lanjut.
—V. M. Janik, et al. [19]
Kesadaran hewan
Antrozoologi (penelitian manusia-hewan)
Biokomunikasi
Biosemiotik
Penipuan pada hewan
Emosi pada hewan
Bentuk aktivitas dan relasi interpersonal
International Society for Biosemiotic Studies
Asal mula bahasa
Asal mula ucapan
Permainan Sir Philip Sidney
Zoomusikologi