Your horse walked into the arena fine. Twenty minutes later, they’re spooking at shadows, rushing through transitions, and you’re wondering what went wrong.
Here’s the truth: they were telling you something was off the entire time. You just didn’t know how to read it.
Research shows that chronic stress in horses can lead to ulcers, weakened immune systems, weight loss, and even depression. But beyond the health implications, a stressed horse simply cannot learn. When their nervous system is in overdrive, real training becomes impossible.
The good news? Horses give us constant feedback about their internal state. We just have to learn to see it.
Understanding the Two States
Your horse’s autonomic nervous system operates in two primary modes:
Sympathetic State (Fight or Flight)
When activated, blood flows to the muscles, heart rate increases, digestion slows, and the brain shifts into survival mode. This is useful when escaping a predator. It’s not useful when you’re trying to teach a half-halt.
Parasympathetic State (Rest and Digest)
This is where relaxation, curiosity, and learning happen. The heart rate slows, breathing deepens, and the brain can actually process new information.
Most riders only recognize the extremes — total chill or total meltdown. But horses cycle through subtle shifts constantly, and catching them early changes everything.
The 12 Signs Most Riders Miss
1. The Eyes
A relaxed horse has soft eyes with slightly droopy eyelids and a calm expression. Stress shows up as:
- Visible whites (consistently, not just during a spook)
- Rapid blinking or the opposite — unblinking stare
- Hard, fixed focus on something in the distance
- Tight skin around the eye sockets creating tension lines
I check my horse’s eyes before I even put the saddle on. If there’s tension there, I adjust my expectations for the session.
2. The Mouth and Jaw
The jaw is one of the first places horses hold tension:
- Tight, clamped lips versus a soft, slightly relaxed lower lip
- Visible clenching — watch for the masseter muscles bulging
- Teeth grinding under saddle (this one’s often ignored)
- Excessive licking and chewing — this needs context
Here’s the thing about licking and chewing: it can indicate processing and relaxation after pressure is released. But research suggests it can also be a self-soothing behavior during stress. A horse licking and chewing after you release an aid? Good. A horse obsessively licking while separated from a friend? That’s coping, not relaxation.
3. The Nostrils
Often overlooked, but incredibly telling:
- Flared nostrils at rest indicate heightened arousal
- Tight, pinched nostrils suggest tension
- Rapid nostril movement without physical exertion signals stress
4. The Ears
Beyond the obvious pinned-back-equals-angry:
- Constantly flicking ears (can’t settle on one thing)
- Ears locked forward rigidly (hypervigilance)
- Ears pressed out sideways (“airplane ears” — processing overload)
A relaxed horse has mobile, curious ears that move fluidly between sounds.
5. The Neck and Poll
A truly relaxed horse carries their neck in a natural arc with soft muscles:
- High, inverted carriage signals sympathetic activation
- Braced poll that won’t release to rein contact
- Visible tension in the underneck muscles (bulging brachiocephalicus)
- Inability to stretch forward and down when offered the chance
This is why I start every ride asking for a free walk on a long rein with a stretching topline. If my horse can’t do it, their nervous system isn’t ready for work.
6. The Breath
This one’s huge and almost nobody talks about it:
- Shallow, rapid breathing (should be slow and deep at rest)
- Breath-holding during difficult moments
- Snorting can indicate release — but not always
Pay attention to whether your horse sighs during warm-up. That big exhale with the fluttering nostrils? That’s their system downshifting. If I don’t get at least one or two of those in the first ten minutes, we’re not ready to progress.
7. The Heart Rate
Normal resting heart rate is 28-40 beats per minute. You can check this with a stethoscope or by feeling the pulse under the jaw.
- Elevated heart rate at rest indicates chronic or acute stress
- Slow recovery after exercise can signal overwhelm
- Heart rate that spikes with minimal stimulus suggests a sensitized nervous system
8. The Skin and Coat
- Sweating without physical exertion (stress sweat, often foamy)
- Tight, twitchy skin especially over the ribcage
- Coat that stands on end in patches
Stress sweat smells different than exercise sweat and tends to be stickier. Once you learn to recognize it, you won’t miss it.
9. The Tail
- Clamped tail held tight against the body
- Excessive swishing beyond fly-shooing
- Wringing or circling the tail
A relaxed horse carries their tail softly, swinging naturally with movement.
10. The Gut
Horses are hindgut fermenters, and stress dramatically affects digestion:
- Increased frequency of droppings (often loose)
- Loud gut sounds or the opposite — silence
- Loss of appetite or rushing through food
The gut-brain connection in horses is powerful. A stressed gut creates a stressed brain and vice versa.
11. Movement Quality
Tension fundamentally changes how horses move:
- Short, choppy strides instead of flowing gaits
- Rushing (this is flight response in slow motion)
- Sticky, resistant transitions
- Inability to halt squarely or stand still
- Stumbling or lack of coordination
A horse in parasympathetic mode moves with swing and elasticity. A horse in sympathetic mode moves like they’re made of wood.
12. Overall Behavior Patterns
Watch for changes in your horse’s normal personality:
- Increased spooking at familiar objects
- Buddy-sour behavior that’s new or worsening
- Aggression toward handlers or other horses
- Withdrawal — the quiet horse who stops engaging
- Stereotypies like weaving, cribbing, or stall walking
That last one is important: passive, shut-down horses are often more stressed than reactive ones. They’ve just learned that expressing it doesn’t help.
Why This Matters for Training
Here’s what most riders don’t realize: you cannot effectively train a stressed horse.
When the sympathetic nervous system is activated, the brain prioritizes survival over learning. The amygdala (fear center) takes over, and the prefrontal cortex (learning center) goes offline.
This is why some horses seem to “forget” their training at shows. They’re not forgetting. Their stressed brain simply cannot access what they learned in a calm state at home.
It’s also why drilling a resistant horse rarely works. You’re not training — you’re just repeatedly triggering a stress response that makes everything worse.
What to Do When You See the Signs
Step 1: Acknowledge It
Don’t push through. Don’t tell yourself “they’ll settle.” The signs are information. Use them.
Step 2: Downshift Your Plan
If you were going to work on collection, maybe today is a forward-and-long day. If you were going to jump a course, maybe you school single fences instead. Meet your horse where they actually are.
Step 3: Help Them Regulate
- Slow your own breathing — they feel this through your seat
- Do easy, rhythmic work like posting trot on a loose rein
- Give them something simple to focus on — ground poles, patterns
- Let them move — don’t force them to stand still when they need to move their feet
Step 4: Watch for Signs of Regulation
You’re looking for:
- Deep breaths and sighs
- Soft eyes
- Lowered head
- Relaxed jaw
- The ability to stretch forward and down
- Fluid, swinging movement
Only once you see these signs is your horse ready for real work.
The Bigger Picture
Learning to read your horse’s nervous system isn’t just about having better rides. It’s about building trust.
When you catch the early signs and adjust accordingly, your horse learns that you’re paying attention. That you’ll meet them where they are. Over time, horses whose signals are consistently respected actually become calmer and more resilient.
The horses that get more reactive over time? Those are the ones whose early warning signs were consistently ignored.
It’s not about lowering your standards. It’s about understanding that real progress requires a regulated nervous system — both yours and theirs.
Want to learn more about building a calm, connected start to every ride? Grab my free audio lesson: How I Start Every Ride.
