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1. The Snort
This carries the message, "There may be danger here". It is performed by a horse experiencing a conflict between curiousity and fear.It detects something that arouses it's interest, but which makes it slightly wary, and the snorting reaction does two things simultaneously; it clears the animal's respiratory passage, ready for action, and it also alerts the other members of the herd to the possibility of danger. Because the snorting horse faces the possible threat, the sound acts as an indicator of the direction of which the threat is coming, allowing the other horses to focus on it as well. In a sense it is the equine equivilant to the much louder canine bark. The snorting horse, unlike the barking dog, can only be heard from a distance of about 50 yards. This means if it has spotted something worrying in the far distance, it can alert its companions without revealing the presence of the herd to what may be a prowling predator.The snort is a powerful exhalation of air through the nose, with the mouth held shut. It lasts between 0.8 and 0.9 of a second and has an audible fluttering pulse created by the vibrations of the nostrils. The head is usually held high, as is the tail, with the hwole body of the horse showing a state of excitement and readiness for fleeing. Although it's most common use is when a strange object is detected in the distance, it is also frequently employed when a stallion challenges another. Again, the mood is one of great interest tinged with anxiety-a state of conflict.
2. The Squeal
This is a defensive signal. In aggressive encounters it means "Don't push me any further" and suggests to the rival that if it fails to desist, retaliation will be provoked. A lactating mare that has sore nipples and resents being touched will also squeal as a protest. And a flirting mare being approached by a stallion will object to his advances with the same sound. In all cases, the squeal acts as a protest signal, saying "Stop it!" but in sexual encounters it sometimes has an added nuance, the message being "Stop it, I like it!" Squeals vary considerably in intensity. They may be as short as 0.1 of a second or as long as 1.7 seconds. At full strength they may be heard as far as 100 yards away. Some of the loudest squeals are heard during encounters between stallions and mares. Squealing is usually performed with a closed mouth, but sometimes the corners of the mouth may open slightly.
3. The Greeting Nicker
This is a low pitched gutteral sound with a pulsating quality that is employed as a frioendly "come here" signal. It is used at close quarters, once the companion has been recognized, and can be heard at a distance of up to 30 yards. It is given when one horse greets another one in a welcoming fashion and it is also commonly heard at horse's feeding time, when it is given to the human companion bringing them thier food. In such cases it has been called a 'begging' sound, but it is really more of a general salutation-the horse is in effect saying "Hello! Good to see you".
4. The Courtship Nicker
Performed by a stallion approaching a mare, this is also a greeting, but it carries a specifically sexual flavor to arouse the interest of the female. The human equivalant would be something flirtatious like "Hello, beautiful!". As the stallion performs this nicker, he often nods his head vigorously, keeping his mouth shut and the nostrils wide open. This kind of nicker is longer, lower and more broken up into syllables. Different stallions have different pulse rates in thier courtship nickers, so that it should be possible for the female to identify the approaching male without even looking at him.
5. The Maternal Nicker
This is given by a mare to her foal and is very soft, barely audible from a distance. It is used when the mare is mildly concerned about her offspring's safety and the gentle intimate message is "Come a little closer". Foals react to this sound from birth, without any learning process. In fact, it is possible to get a newborn foal to follow a human simply by imitating this sound, so complusive is their respose to it.
6. The Neigh
Sometimes called the whinney, this sound starts out as a squeal then ends with a nicker. It is the longest and loudest of horse calls, lasting an average of 1.5 seconds and being audible over half a mile away. This is the equine equivalent of the canine howl, given when one horse becomes isolated from it's group, or when it spots it's companions in the distance. Usually the call is answered the messages being something like "I am over here, is that you?" and "Yes, it's me, I hear you." It helps to keep a group together or at least maintian contact at a distance. Experiments have revealed that horses react more strongly to the nieghing members of their own groups than to strange horses. And mares are more responsive to their own foals than to other young horses. This proves that each neigh is learned as a means of personal identification. Listening closely to different neighs, it soon becomes clear that they do in fact have their own special quality. There are even breed differences in addition to individual ones. And it is possible to tell a male neigh from a female one by the little grunt that stallions add at the end of their calls. Some people believe that neighing is a sign of fear or panic. It is a request for information not a cry of alarm.
7. The Roar
When horses are fighting seriously and are in a savagly emotional mood-it may be intense fear, intense rage or both at once-they can be heard to roar, or at a higher pitch-to scream. These sounds are rarely heard in domestic horses unless they are wild in a natural herd or are being kept in a large breeding group-not a common occurance where modern horse management is concerned.
8. The Blow
This is like the snort, without the pulsations or fluttering quality in the nose. It is a simple exhalation of air though the nose and carries a similiar message to the snort, but with less tension. the blow may say "What's this?" but sometimes it appears to simply be a signal of well-being, saying no more than "life is good!".
In addition horses may be heard to grunt and groan with exertion or boredom, sigh occasionally and snore loudly, but these are of minor signifigance in their vocal repertoire. In truth, the horse does not have a very elaborate language of sounds and does not use them in a rigid manner. Not one of them is confined to a single context with a single message. Although 'typical' messages have been given here, each sound can be heard in a whole variety of situations, where other elements of the social event alter it's precise meaning. Equine vocalizations should always be 'read' with this in mind.
~ Excerpt from Desmond Morris's "Horsewatching"
Interpreting sounds horses make:
Men are generally more careful of the Breed of their Horses and Dogs than of their Children. ~William Penn, Fruits of Solitude
The Pastern is the part of a horse located on the foot between the fetlock and the hoof.
