Understanding, Communicating and Growing with Your Horse
Building a deep, trusting partnership with your horse begins with one key principle: seeing the world through their eyes. Understanding your horse on a psychological, emotional and physical level is what transforms simple ownership into a genuine bond.
Every horse has a story, a spark and a way of seeing the world that’s entirely their own. The more you tune in, the more they ‘let you in’ and that’s when the real partnership begins.
Whether you’re interpreting horse body language, exploring their origins and heritage, or choosing breeds for dressage, this understanding is essential. It also shapes every moment when you’re raising a foal.
This guide brings these topics together to help you build a stronger connection, better behaviour training and a more rewarding relationship overall.
The Psychology Behind Your Horse Partnership
To truly grow with your horse, it helps to look at the world from their perspective. Horse psychology is rooted in herd behaviour, routine and safety. As prey animals, horses rely on environmental awareness and clear communication to make sense of their surroundings.
When you start viewing your horse through this lens, their behaviour suddenly feels less mysterious. You’ll find it easier to predict how they might respond to pressure, unfamiliar experiences or new training. Your partnership becomes calmer, clearer and more connected.
What Does Horse Body Language Mean?
If you’ve ever wished your horse came with subtitles, learning to read their body language is the next best thing. Before a behaviour becomes big, bold or impossible to ignore, your horse is already sending quieter signals about how they feel. Their body tells the story long before their hooves do.
Key cues include:
Ears: Forward ears show curiosity, pricked mean they sense potential danger, and pinned ears show discomfort or irritation
Eyes: Soft, blinking eyes show relaxation, but wide eyes suggest stress or fear
Nostrils: While working and relaxed, their nostrils will widen, but when resting, if they pull tight and flare, they are stressed
Tail movement: A relaxed tail suggests calmness, and clamped down shows stress, while swishing may indicate irritation
Hind legs: Resting a hind leg shows relaxation, whereas lifting it usually indicates irritation or a warning
When owners understand these cues, they respond more effectively, making horse behaviour training smoother and safer. You avoid miscommunication, reduce stress and enhance your horse’s confidence in your leadership.
How Do I Communicate With My Horse?
Communicating with horses is about refining timing, pressure and release where they respond well to clear cues, consistency and energy.
Effective horse communication includes:
- Using your body position to signal intention
- Rewarding relaxation and soft responses
- Maintaining calm, confident energy
- Using pressure and release to teach desired behaviours
- Building routines so your horse knows what to expect
Good communication leads to better performance in the saddle and more harmony on the ground. It also minimises misunderstandings and helps your horse feel more secure, especially during new experiences or training sessions.
Training on quality, consistent arena surfacing helps horses stay relaxed and responsive, allowing them to focus on your cues rather than worrying about uneven or slippery ground.
Strong communication isn’t built overnight. It develops through repetition, timing and trust. If you’d like help with any unfamiliar terms, our Horse Terms Guide is a great place to begin.
Common Horse Breeds For Dressage
Understanding your horse’s heritage helps you appreciate their natural strengths and tendencies, especially in dressage, where harmony between horse and rider is essential.
Coldbloods
Large and calm. They are steady but slow-reacting, making them less suited to the quick, precise demands of dressage.
Warmbloods
The top choice for dressage. A blend of strength and calmness from coldbloods with the agility of hotbloods, making them athletic, trainable and versatile.
Hotbloods
Fast, sensitive breeds bred for speed and stamina. Excellent for racing and endurance, but their high energy makes them more challenging for dressage.
Recognising your horse’s background helps you personalise training and build a more understanding partnership. If your journey involves dressage, the right breed can support your goals. Certain horse breeds for dressage excel because of their movement, balance and trainability.
Popular choices include:
Dutch Warmblood
From the Netherlands, these horses stand at around 16 hands high, and their prominent muscular legs and graceful movement make them ideal for dressage.
Westphalian
This breed originated from Germany and ranges from 14 to 17 hands high. Their generous strides allow them to have top qualities for dressage.
Hanoverian
This breed is also of German origin, standing between 15 and 17 hands high. They have excellent stamina and have led many riders to Olympic success.
Choosing a breed that matches your training goals and personality strengthens your long-term horse-rider connection.
Raising a Foal with Confidence
After understanding how different breeds bring their own strengths, temperaments and abilities, it becomes clear. A horse’s foundations start long before they ever step into training.
For owners beginning their journey at the very start of a horse’s life, raising a foal offers the chance to shape those foundations from day one. It’s a rewarding process that influences everything from behaviour and confidence to future performance.
Early development shapes a foal’s behaviour, confidence and trainability for life. Foundations for raising a foal include:
Early Socialisation
Time with other horses teaches boundaries and natural communication.
Gentle Handling
Positive early experiences set the stage for safe interactions.
Nutrition
Balanced feeding supports healthy physical and mental development.
Routine Care
Hoof trimming, worming and vaccinations are essential in the early months.
Basic Training
Teaching, leading, grooming and handling builds confidence and manners.
For young horses, safe and supportive ground conditions are essential. Using reliable arena surfacing, such as the Combi-Ride Dual Stabiliser Fibre, helps protect developing joints and encourages confident early handling and movement.
A well-raised foal grows into a responsive, trusting horse. They will be easier to train, more confident in new environments and more willing to build a lasting partnership with you. For more information, why not read our ‘Raising a Foal Top Tips’ article?
Seasonal Adaptations to Your Horse’s Needs
Growing with your horse also means adapting to changing conditions. Seasonal care, especially in winter, affects training, behaviour and grooming.
Any horse owner knows winter isn’t for the faint-hearted. Horses can become sharper, more restless or simply reluctant when the cold and dark settle in. Understanding behavioural shifts such as increased sensitivity, reduced energy or tension can help you adjust your approach.
Even simple tasks like grooming their coat or supporting mane growth over winter become part of the communication and care routine that strengthens your bond.
Building a Lifelong Partnership
Your journey with your horse is always evolving. From reading subtle body language cues to selecting the right dressage breed, every bit of insight deepens your connection.
At Combi Ride, we believe that growth between horse and rider happens through knowledge, empathy and patience. The more you understand your horse, the stronger, safer and more rewarding your partnership becomes, both on the ground and in the saddle.