The Ear of the Horse

A while back I wrote about what I learned about the eyes of the horse. Today it's the ear of the horse.

A horse has two ears. OK, you already knew that, but did you know that a horse 'talks' with his ears. You can also tell his temperature through his ears. And, if you know what you're doing, they make pretty good handles in a pinch.

Horses hear pretty well, but not really that much better than we humans do. They can hear more sounds in the higher ranges, but our hearing in the lower ranges is better. If you talk real low and soft to a horse he may not hear you. It's better to speak in a normal voice.

Even though the horses hearing is pretty good it's not precise. When he hears something it's hard for him to identify the exact location of what he's hearing. That's why some horses will spook at an unexpected sound. They can hear it, but they're not sure where it's coming from - and, of course, whatever is making the sound definitely wants to eat them so they better get ready to get out of Dodge.

How we speak can affect our relationship with our horses. If we speak in a normal, calm and steady voice then they are more likely to trust us. If we speak firmly they will know we mean what we're saying. If we speak uncertainly, our horses may decide that we're not a good leader and not very trustworthy. If we get excited in our speech then they will also get excited. If our horse does something unexpected, it's best to deal with it without making a sound - if that's possible. Sometimes it's hard to keep that scream from coming out.

Horses 'talk' to us through their ears by their direction and placement. If a horses ears are casually moving about, he's usually relaxed and just keeping in touch with what's going on around him. If both ears point forward in a direct, attentive way he has heard something - most likely a bear who wants to eat him - and he's trying to locate it. If he pins his ears back he's not a happy camper. Something is bothering him and if it does not go away soon he may have to do something about it such as a kick or a bite.

Normally, a horses ears are cool. However, if he has a temperature you can feel the heat in his ears. It's a quick and dirty way to check his temperature before resorting to that awful thermometer which has to go you know where (horses don't do well holding a thermometer in their mouths).

It's an old cowboy trick, but you can restrain a horse by holding onto his ears. It's important how it's done. You don't grab them hard and jerk them around. But, if the ears are grasped gently but firmly and pressure is applied and released, the horse will pay attention to what you're doing and calm down.

Another of Gods pretty good inventions. Ear! Ear!

Today is June 24 and if today is your Birthday then you share your day with: Mick Fleetwood (musician and founder of group, "Fleetwood Mac"), Jack Dempsey (professional boxing Champion), Al Molinaro (actor - Al on "Happy Days"), and Chief Dan George (actor - "Little Big Man"),