Language Signs and Calming Signals of Horses: Recognition and Application

Description

This practical book helps you interpret and connect the physical signals that horses display in response to their environment. These signals are evident in the everyday actions, gestures and attitudes that horses communicate to each other, but are often so subtle that they can go unnoticed by humans. This book aims to rectify that, offering horse lovers and equine professionals an opportunity to gain a unique insight into their 'horse's world'. After reading this book you will be more astute in spotting calming signals, displacement activities, stress signals and distance-increasing signals, and better able to see which stimuli your horse can handle and which he cannot. This means you will know what to do to calm your horse before his stress rises to an unmanageable level. Language Signs and Calming Signals of Horses is both fascinating and important reading for any equine veterinary practitioner, student or nurse, as well as horse owners and trainers. Content: Cover Half title Title Copyright Contents Foreword Introduction About the author Acknowledgements Chapter 1 THE DISCOVERY OF A LANGUAGE 1.1 Communication signal or not 1.2 It all starts with a stimulus and a reaction Chapter 2 CALMING SIGNALS TO APPEASE AND CALM 2.1 What are calming signals 2.2 Communication ladder: calming signals 2.3 Body posture 2.4 Facial features and tail carriage 2.5 Blinking 2.6 Half closing the eyes 2.7 Looking away 2.8 Chewing 2.9 Tongue out chewing 2.10 Yawning and jaw stretch 2.11 Head turn 2.12 Neck turn 2.13 Neck shake 2.14 Body shake 2.15 Lowering of the head and neck 2.16 Curving 2.17 Splitting 2.18 Showing the hindquarters 2.19 Showing the flanks 2.20 Eating 2.21 Immobility and slowing down 2.22 Summary: calming signals 2.23 Alternating displacement behaviour and calming signals 2.24 Communication ladder: displacement behaviour 2.25 Faces and behaviours 2.26 Displacement activities 2.27 Rolling 2.28 Head swing 2.29 Example of calming signals and displacement behaviour 2.30 Summary: displacement behaviour 2.31 References Chapter 3 TENSION SHIMMERS THROUGH CALMING SIGNALS 3.1 Tension rises due to increasing stimulus intensity 3.2 Communication ladder: stress signals 3.3 Body posture and facial features 3.4 Clenched lips and differently shaped lips and nose