After 12 years of riding Harv, I've grown accustomed to his way of going.
- He spooks early and often.
- He never met a downward transition he didn't like.
- He pricks his ears forward -- hard -- at all times.
That's one reason riding Riley is such an adjustment. On his back, I look at his ears, and feel a pang of anxiety. Oh, no! Oh, no! He's so unhappy! His ears are rarely pricked at attention. For the last few rides I dismounted feeling bummed, like I was... well, pissing him off.
Wednesday night I rode him outside a lesson, and actually had a chance to look at the arena mirror as we rode by.
Riley's ears are at half-mast, or they're out to the side, sure. But his expression is sweet and mild, or maybe thoughtful.
Check out this photo. It's a warmblood thing, maybe?
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I was always told that the ideal is one forward, paying attention to where the horse is going, and one back, paying attention to the rider. A horse that had his ears pricked forward at all times would make me nervous! I would wonder what he was so interested in.
ReplyDeleteRegardless, Riley looks pleasantly contented, which is a good sign in a green horse.
I'd have to say it is not a TB thing though they do tend to be very alert. The ears being back or half mast are a good thing! They do that when they are listening/paying attention to YOU! I mean you are behind his head. If their ears are back/half mast they are being attentive to you and not paying attention to everything around them. Thus Harv ears forward-spooky. If he was paying more attention to you and what you were doing then he wouldn't spook at the other things around him. The only time ears being back indicates being "pissed off" is when they are pinned back then you may want to back off.
ReplyDeleteI love this post. It's so nice to think of you noting Riley's ear carriage and wondering what that means about his inner state! I study Fenway Bartholomule's magnificent auricles constantly.
ReplyDeleteRiley looks content and, as you mentioned, slightly thoughtful. I wouldn't worry if I were you.
Marnie
www.BraysOfOurLives.com
I don't think this is a warmblood vs TB thing, I think Harv's a bit of an anomoly! Riley's ears are just where you want them, relaxed and attending to you.
ReplyDeleteThat's how my drafty guy is. He's never laid his ears flat back in my presence but rarely are both his ears at attention perked either. Usually they're somewhere in the middle or one forward and one back. These are normal looks for him and yet...he's not unhappy. Just listening/thinking. He shows he's unhappy more around his eyes than with his ears .
ReplyDeleteYou want his ears on you! It means he's thinking about you and what you want from him : ) (I looove floppy ears when riding... so cute!)
ReplyDeleteI know how you feel, both my TB's were always so alert with ears forward when I got the little drafty fellow I was a bit weirded out. Bodhi takes it a step more and sometimes puts his ears back. He only does it when learning a new task. I have poled many trainers and horse people and everyone says it looks like a look of concentration and not anger. Riley looks very happy.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Harv's ears are just a Thoroughbred thing because my boy is a Thoroughbred and he doesn't do it.
ReplyDeleteTo me it means he's paying as much attention to me as he is to his surroundings. I get nervous on horses whose ears are constantly pricked forward, it makes me nervous thinking the horse is about to spook at some unseen monster.
You probably know this, but ears perked constantly up and forward is a sign of being alert to the point of being on edge, not being happy (thus Harv's spookiness?). The ears to the side, or one back toward you are the sign of an attentive partner. He looks happy and engaged in his work. Glad you figured it out instead of thinking he was unhappy!
ReplyDeleteGenerally you want relaxed ears that tends to point toward you. It means he's listening to your signals. An example a trainer once gave me was when we were standing and talking, she told me to suddenly put on my right leg. My horse's right ear swiveled around and just listened.
ReplyDeleteI actually wonder, do you think that Harv's ears pointing forward could correlate with his spooking?
Agreed with the others: that's where you want them! When my Arab mare's ears are "at attention" (where Harv's usually are), it means we're on HIGH ARAB ALERT and are probably going to teleport somewhere. Ears tipped back means he's listening and attentive to you!
ReplyDeleteRiley's ears are right where they should be: On you or at relaxed attention.
ReplyDeleteMy horse's ears are nearly always turned back towards me, not pinned just listening. If he does perk them forward there is a jump in front of us or a friend (human or otherwise) who he must investigate!
By the way, Harley also has a disdain for downward transitions. He doesn't see the point.
Well, I am thrilled that you are riding him outside a lesson! What a good horse!
ReplyDeleteI read an article in PH years ago by Heather Bender about riding Arabians. It was about, do you have his ears? I've never forgotten that. But having their eyes is important also. When I have been a ground person, I always look at the horse's countenance.
I concur with Marnie. I much prefer my horse's ears to give me some semblance of attention. If they're pricked straight forward, I know she's focused on other things and I need to make her work harder.
ReplyDeleteI would agree that I usually take soft floppy ears that flick back and forth a bit as a great sign and really perky ears make me worry. I feel like a horse's ears are a good gauge of where their attention is and a horse with his ears always forward is probably worrying much more about what monsters and dangers lie ahead than about what I'm trying to tell him.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand a horse with soft ears is showing that they trust you and are in work mode and don't need to worry about external issues. It's also lovely to see a horse who constantly tips his ears back to listen to you and be like "wait, am I getting all you're trying to tell me?" So cute :)
I ride a few very spooky horses and when their ears are locked forward I know it's going to be an exciting ride. Once they get refocused and are really listening to my aids and give me all their attention I find the soft, floppy ears follow.
Ears that flick or are relaxed are generally a good sign. My TB's tend to flick to me, although Tucker is a master at pinning whenever he feels insulted or bothered by something.
ReplyDeleteYou do want the horse to acknowledge your existence every now and then with an ear. Ears pricked forward show an interest in the world, but not necessarily the rider. All that said, when he was jumping, my Russell had radar ears locked on the jumps.
He's just paying attention to you and relaxing - that's what you want, imo.
ReplyDeleteHyper-alert ears to me mean the horse is focused more on 'what's out there' than on our communication. I always ask the Big Bay for at least one ear checking back with me when he decides to go into maximum alert mode.
I love this post too -- having taken up riding as an adult. The more I ride, the more I care how the horse feels about it. So the ears. Thanks for sharing your readings. Please say more.
ReplyDeleteNot an expert, but my guess is that your Riley is calm and trusts you, so he (and his ears) can relax.
Could be a warmblood thing...as Anty has his ears in "floppy" mode most of the time...and then when he is working pretty hard - they are straight ahead. Of course when I am talking to him - he sends them backwards to "listen"...and if I have him stopped and I'm talking to him - he turns his head to look at me. Such a cutey:)
ReplyDeleteHe looks relaxed and happy to me. :) And gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, I like my horse's ears where Riley's are in the photos... when he has them pricked forward I often get the feeling he's tuning me out or has his thoughts on other more interesting matters. But I agree with you, Riley looks thoughtful, like he's interested in the conversation you're having.
ReplyDeleteI've always thought that horses whose ears are always forward are not paying enough attention to the rider. But TB's are very sensitive and alert, and the rider knows if they are responsive enough. Just chat to the horse more and bring his attention back to you. My experience is mostly with the one ear forward one ear back school. So cute to watch them swivel. One exception would by the satanic black shetland of my early childhood. Most of the time his ears were flat back around children. He was one of those ponies who really preferred adults. He grew up around adults, came to children later.
ReplyDeleteThis is certainly an interesting topic. I do pay attention to horse's ears when I'm riding them, and I guess I'm looking for a "relaxed forward," or one back towards me. Too much swiveling and they're distracted. Hard forward usually means they're very interested in something and you ought to pay attention, too. Ears back? You're pissing them off, or horse is grumpy.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite pony of late (now retired) had the worst nasty ears all the time. He hardly *ever* had them forward and just seemed perpetually p.o.'d, when I was in the saddle AND on the ground. I tried so hard to cheer him up, but nothing seemed to make him even remotely happy except grazing. He did ride like a dream and was a great little packer; you didn't get an argument when you asked him to work, just the nasty ears. Every picture I have of him and me, his ears are back.
In retrospect, I think the poor fella was just constantly in pain, because he wound up getting de-nerved for navicular. Cathy over at Fugly Horse just did a blog on "Does Your Horse Like His Job?" and I have to say, Marbles has got to be happier now that he's a retired pasture pet. Although, last time I visited him, the little stinker was still all grabby and ear-pinny when I fed him treats! - Tracie