If you own a horse and have been with them for a long period, you’ acknowledge that there are some certain things that make horses very unhappy and they simply hate it. While some of these things you are aware of or have suspected before, others often can be a total surprise for every new horse owner or beginner rider. It is not a secret, we all love our horses.

So it is best for you if you try to understand them better by knowing what sets them off and how to fix your attitude near horses. Sometimes they hate a specific thing us humans do, or they simply become spooky from different objects we never would have thought. Over the years, people have able to pick up on some of the biggest pet peeves of horses. We must add that there may be different behaviors or specific objects that a horse hates who haven’t been discovered yet.

Below we have prepared a list with 10 things that horses dislike that all horses owners should be aware of:

1. Butterflies.

Horses are very huge animals, so it’s very funny that they would be scared of something as tiny as a butterfly. And yet, it happens to quite many horses. The small and sudden flash of color can undoubtedly spook them. Butterflies aren’t the only small animal that can frighten a horse. They can be just as easily frightened by birds, crickets, frogs, and anything else that might appear before them suddenly.

3. Humans who deny to take riding lessons and rather prefer to bump all over their horse like a bag of uncoordinated vegetables. You don’t have to be fit and perfect, nor a magnificent equitation rider, but you can work on your riding enough not to feel like a backpack full of stones bouncing on your horse’s back.

4. Shoes that don’t fit. Please get your horses’ shoes trimmed if you didn’t know until now what good shoeing is and how to identify it. Few things are more damaging to your horse than shoes that are too small or badly set on.

5. Stall confinement 24/7.If you live in a horse-unfriendly area, it’s your job to get to the barn daily and get your horse turned out, not just ridden and worked. Horses who get sufficient turnout are much less likely to offload their humans surprisingly.

6. Humans who can’t read horse language. When your horse’s expression changes out of nowhere, this means something. It is best if you don’t until you figure that thing out. Don’t ignore it and then get mad when your horse unintentionally hurts you. The horse only has surprisingly few ways to let you know when they are not feeling well or irritated. It’s your responsibility to learn to read their ears, eyes and body language so that your horse can interact with you.

7. Children. 

Children make it to the list because they have a tendency of making sudden loud noises and running around. Many horses haven’t been around children enough, so that means that they can view children as potential dangers.

8. Cars Driving Nearby. 

You would be surprised to find out how many people didn’t know that cars can be very frightening for horses. Especially if they spend the majority of their time in an isolated field away from most roads. It is unusual for a horse to see something as large and loud as a vehicle. They should be introduced slowly in order to get them used to the experience.

9. Humans making sudden, unnecessary movements—movements that could be distinguished as aggression on the part of the human (like chasing them with a plastic bag tied to a whip).

10. Humans who don’t have a constant discipline — We cannot simply say it enough how important it is to have the same constant behavior with your horse, it is not your horses’ fault if you have a fight with another human and it results in a temper tantrum of whipping and yanking. Please share this article with your friends on Facebook!