Horses establish leadership by moving each other. Horses may move another horse or human just simply by moving their body into their space or by pinning their ears, by stretching their heads forward and into a human’s space, by showing their teeth, nipping or in more extreme cases by biting or kicking.

Horses often use more violent (as defined by humans) means like biting and kicking when other means are ineffective and the horse feels he or she must attain the leadership role in order to be safe. Horses do not use these methods to “be mean or rude” or because they “have poor manners” but instead for their own safety. 

To this end, horses are keenly aware of emotional changes that would indicate aggression, lack of confidence, fear and make decisions regarding their responses according to these emotional states.  Any professional working with the horses in a therapeutic way should be aware that horses of any training level may offer feedback in any way at any time. It is the responsibility of the equine professional to keep sessions physically safe regardless of the horses’ feedback. A therapeutic goal is not worth pursuing at the expense of physical safety. However, accurate feedback from the equine is the lynchpin of the therapeutic environment. At-risk youth are far more likely to accept feedback from their equine partners that rebuke from adults and thus are more likely to strive for change and find Jesus’s grace.