#animal body language

[ahb-writes]

Random Research Dive: Horse Ears

As often happens in novel writing, occasional discoveries of knowledge gaps result in deep dives into new, intriguing, sometimes odd, but ultimately rewarding wormholes of information. This is one of them.

(1) Wrote a few scenes involving pack horses. (2) Realized I needed to describe horse ears. (3) Several hours later... asking myself why horses are so dang complicated.

Additional Reading:

Writing Horses (article series by Judith Tarr) (Tor.com)

❯❯ Types of Horse Ears

"Cold-blooded" horses (strength, calm endurance, low-energy): fleshy ears with "blunt" tips, or, rounded ones, often covered with hairy fur, placed diagonally towards the horse's head.

"Warm-blooded" horses (high-energy, athletic, agile): lighter, thinner ears, placed vertically, with pointy tips.

Anomalous ear types ("incorrect" but not necessarily indicative of poor health or of diminished physical attributes):

Hare ears: long and narrow

Donkey ears: thick, long, and rather broad

Lop ears: flopping to the sides

Pig ears: flopping to the front

Mouse ears: short and small with rounded tips

"Some horses may be born with congenital defects that cause the ear to be shortened, curled back, or bent. Others may have sustained an injury that changed the conformation of one or both ears or has an ear infection or parasites which cause abnormal ear movement. [..] While the whole meaning of ear positioning comes with context and understanding of tail, mouth, eyes, body, and head positions (in addition to other things), there are some basic positions to know" (Open Sanctuary).

"Pay attention to the ears' "mobility"; if the horse moves his ears too much, it might speak for his temper (hyperactivity, nervousness), a complete lack of thereof might mean that the horse is deaf" (EquiShop).

Sources: Understanding Horse Body Language: Ears (Open Sanctuary); Horse Anatomy: Diagrams of Horse Body Parts (EquiShop)

❯❯ Positioning of Horse Ears

Horses' ears in a neutral position are a good sign. Neutral ears are the central position of the ear. It's held loosely upward, pointing forward, so the openings are outward. In this position, they can scan the surrounding area. If a horse is resting or generally calm, their ears may drop down to the side a bit or may even rest back and to the side a bit. Not droopy, but relaxed.

Ears forward. If a horse is feeling alert and curious, their ears will be up and forward-facing. Generally, when a horse's ears are pricked forward, it conveys that he is alert, paying attention, or interested in what is in front of him. He might be saying: "I am focused on something in front of me." "I am happy to see you." "I am interested and curious." "I am on alert."

One ear cocked back. This is often indicative of a horse that is listening to something in another direction than out front or paying attention to what is being asked of him while maintaining alertness in the direction of travel. He might be saying: "I am listening to my rider." "I am paying attention to something behind me." "There is something that has my interest to the side of me." "I am aware of things in both directions."

Horses prick their ears when startled. Pricked ears could signal the horse is startled, vigilant, alert, or interested. It is not uncommon to see pricked ears during frontal greetings. But if he stays with his ears stiff, he is likely agitated. Approach a horse with its ear pricked cautiously.

Horses with their ears extended are relaxed. A horse may have his ears extended out with the openings facing downward to the ground. When horses extend their ears and let them fall toward the side, it's usually a sign of a relaxed horse, but it could indicate he is tired or lacks interest in the world around him at the moment. Horses that extend their ears are comfortable.

Fully pinned ears are a sign of aggression. A horse pins his ears when he is threatened and or finds it necessary to exhibit anger, aggression, and dominance. He is getting ready for a fight or attack. Pinned ears refer to a horse flattening his ears back against his head, making them almost invisible. From the side, they are not seen. Flattened ears are the most aggressive signal a horse makes with his ears. It is an ancient "ear protection" posture used to protect the ears during a fight or attack. Pinned ears are a threat signal to other horses.

Pinned ears may also mean the horse is in pain. A horse may also move them restlessly back and forth if experiencing discomfort. Their ears may also droop out to the side, sometimes described as airplane ears, when depressed or in prolonged pain.

Ears turned back are an indication of fear. Turned-back ears are typically a posture indicative of a brutal owner. Sometimes when a horse is being ridden, you will notice that his ears are drooped and turned back with the openings toward the rider. This may indicate the horse is afraid of the rider. The lower posture of the ear suggests submission.

Ears turned back (not pinned) means the horse is listening to something from behind. If you are riding and his neck is tense, he may be unsure of what you are asking him to do. He may be deciding how to react to the stimuli and whether to run away or turn around and check out a sound or movement. Your horse might be saying: "How do I react?" "What is that behind me?" "I am unsure what you are asking." "I am confused." "I am nervous."

Flickering ears are a sign of stress. When you notice your horse's ears flickering, it signals stress or a heightened state of anxiety. Flickering ears typically precede stationary pricked ears when the fear turns to panic. Takes steps to calm a horse with flickering ears.

Listening back and forth. The horse is in a heightened state of alertness or anxiety. He may be trying to find the source of an unusual sound or smell or may feel overwhelmed, upset or anxious. He might be trying to say: "I don't know what to make out of that strange sound." "I am worried!" "What is that?" "How should I react?" "Fight or flight?" "How can I get away quickly?" "I may be on the verge of panic."

Droopy ears are a sign your horse is tuning out. He could be exhausted and sleepy, or he may be suffering from pain. Drooping ears are when the ears extend down on either side of the head of the horse. It is a sign that he is trying to switch off the outside world. Droopy ears can also be a sign of inferiority in a herd situation. According to researchers, the distance between the bases of the ears increases during pain incidents (because the ears tended to drop slightly down to each side of the head with a concomitant outward rotation of the ears).

Drugged ears move in an unusual motion. Certain drugs are illegal to use in competitive horse events and can be detected by paying attention to the horse's ears. Their ears will move in an unusual motion. The two most common drugs in use are varieties of stimulants or depressants.

Mobile ears are normal horse behavior. Horses are herd animals; one way they communicate with each other is through their ears. Mobile ears are the norm; horses will continuously shift the direction of their ears, picking up on new sounds.

Sources: Horses Ears: Positions and What They Mean is Revealed! (HorseRacingSense); Lend Me Your Ears: What Does Your Horse's Ear Position Tell You (Horse Illustrated); Understanding Horse Body Language: Ears (Open Sanctuary)

[breannasfluff]

A cool site with an overview of wolves and how they communicate!

[mildew-mop]

I think part of why people assume most animals are aggressive is cause they don’t bother understanding animals and will run up to an animal cause it’s cute (or remember doing it as a kid) and then the animal responds aggressively or runs away or otherwise upset and it’s like… what did you think was going to happen? Especially if you have a kid see a smaller version of an animal (baby) and then the creature’s parents get upset about it. Like, if that’s your experience with a creature, and you never cared to learn more about how to properly interact with an animal, then that’s on you at some point. I don’t want to hear anything about how you don’t care about or respect animals cause they’re violent or unfriendly or whatever.

[thehmn]

Never underestimate the power of subtle body language to help those around you without causing a scene.

I use “stepping in front of insensitive/nosey assholes to block their view of a person they’re starring at” a lot. No words exchanged. Just getting between them (sometimes while starring back at them if they’re being extra weird) and they always seem to either realize what they’re doing or be jolted out of it. Either way it has never ended in a confrontation, just silent looks.

A kinda weird use of body language happened some time ago while I was standing at a bus stop near a train station. Right next to me stood a very short woman who I guessed to be from India based on her looks and dress, and around us were nothing but men. I’m very standard height for a Scandinavian woman so I’ve never felt short or tall in any group, but she looked tiny next to all these men packed tightly around us. I’m not sure why but I felt like she was uncomfortable with all these men towering over her and for some reason my response to that was to subtly change my stance so my front faced her a bit more. Not full on, but the way most friends stand next to each other, while still looking away from her. I don’t know why I thought that would be comforting to her because it could just as easily have come off as threatening, but after a few seconds she moved a bit closer to me. And then a bit closer. And then slightly closer. All without anyone else in the group moving. We stood like that until the bus arrived and then we went to separate seats.

So never be afraid to silently signal to strangers that you’re on their side or that they can fuck right off. People tend to respond better to that than words in my experience unless they’re already looking for a fight.

[theonewhowails]

do you ever wonder how old the twins are? how long have they been with the one who waits? do you ever think about how much of that time in the veil narinder spent totally alone, about how much of a stabilizing presence it might have been to have literally else around, after all that time? i think about it a completely normal amount, personally,

[lululeighsworld]

it was literally their moment and they just let us watch

(if you need me i'll be marinating in this for the foreseeable future)

[blizzardsuplex]

Yet each man kills the thing he loves; by each let this be heard: some do it with a bitter look, some with a flattering word; the coward does it with a kiss, the brave man with a sword. - Oscar Wilde, The Ballad of Reading Gaol

Adam Cole, mask on versus mask off from AEW's World's End 2023, 12/30/2023

[deadmothsketches]

Calming detective ep. deleted scene

[maudiemoods]

This man is awesome

I freaking love his energy

Animators cooked with movement

Hes my second fav character (the first is Frollo)

TEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH‼️‼️‼️‼️ THE ANIMATORS KNEW WHAT THEY WERE DOING!!!!! I literally love everything about him SO MUUUUUCHHHHH!!; and now you've given me an excuse to post all my favorite gifs of him I found on Tumblr

I'm actually. Super insane for him and he lives in my head

[buwheal]

Hey Spamton, how are Pipis created?

[possessable]

part of that "comedic yet revelatory flashback sequence" gag i mentioned for that fanfic , debating whether it's funnier for him to yell "MY PAPERWORK" or "MY DESK" or just stare in shock

[jennilah]

i could overanalyze this interaction until people beg and cry for me to shut the fuck up

Hoffman you annoying and off-putting individual i am enamored with you

[bixels]

Sending you this ask solely cause listen bixels your art is great but I fear most people will hyperfocus on your design work (which is great, don't get me wrong) and not give you proper praise for the super clean way you do body language and action? So just, I'm telling you that I've been looking at that picture of Applejack on a horse for hours over here. It's so GOOD. The way you do movement in your art, the DYNAMISM of it all, the super clear grasp on anatomy -- it's super super good. Your fundamentals are so strong, I love your art so much.

Thank you! That’s genuinely really nice to hear.

[blyszczopies]

commission for @sparklefurever thank you sm!!

[ralefaelle]

OP's optics in tfp are so fun. The tiny little movements are my everything :')

[thankstothe]

finger points