Whinny/Neigh: long, high-pitched
Nicker: low-pitched vocalization stemming from gut
Squeal: short, sharp, high-pitched
Scream: long, loud whinny
Snort: short and sudden breath out
Grunt: short, sharp, low-pitched
Blow: strong and sudden breath out through nostrils
Groan: long, low-pitched, sometimes raspy
Sigh: long breath out after a long breath in
Teeth Grinding: moving jaw repetitively, scraping teeth against each other
Neighing/Whinnying to call out for friends.
Nickering during time of excitement (turnout on pasture, possible friend).
Blow, indicating an alert state.
Squeal and whinny of mare calling for a stallion.
Sigh.
Teeth Grinding during handling.
Activity: Analyze the videos above and try to find an external factor that may have contributed to the horse's vocalization for each video.
General Communication
Horses will use vocalizations, much like facial expressions, to communicate with others for good, bad, or neutral (1, 2, 3).
Blowing is often heard when a horse is in a heightened or alert state, possibly experiencing a lot of stress (1, 2).
Squeal, Nicker, and Whinny are all commonly heard while interacting with one another, during the initial sniffs, and when seeing each other from a distance (1-5). Horse may also Nicker or Snort to show excitement around food, turnout, or friends (3, 4). This could be you!!
Horses can even tell the difference between good and bad whinnies of other horses (5).
Pain/Discomfort
While different vocalizations can mean different things, some vocalizations are associated with pain or discomfort (1, 2, 3).
These vocalizations may include:
Sighing
Snorting
Whining
Groaning
Grunting
Squealing
Screaming/Calling
Teeth Grinding
Note: Vocalizations must be included while evaluating the horse's overall demeanor, not to stand alone. Hearing these vocalizations can give more insight but should not immediately cause panic.
Trauma
Horses can remember traumatic events, and may even experience something similar to our PTSD (6, 7).
These "flashbacks" can cause a horse to react explosively, or increase vocalizations.
Digestive upset is one of the most common causes for pain in domestic horses.
Give 24/7 access to forage, or maximize access as much as possible.
Stalling horses can increase their stress levels due to the restraint, lack of enrichment, and possible restricted forage.
Pasture-house or maximize turnout as much as possible.
Restricted access to friends to meet social needs can increase stress levels, causing increased vocalizations.
Always give a buddy for turnout!
If the horse's vocalizations combined with its facial expression and posture are indicating it may be in some kind of pain, a vet or farrier may be able to help!
Understanding Stress & LIMA
The term "Stress" is often misunderstood to mean "bad". Stress is actually a neutral term that can be either good or bad.
Vocalizations can indicate stress, but the type of vocalization and the context will tell you if it is good or bad stress.
Torcivia, C., & McDonnell, S. (2021). Equine Discomfort Ethogram. Animals : an open access journal from MDPI, 11(2), 580. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11020580
McDonnell, S. M. (2003). A practical guide to horse behavior: The equid ethogram. Eclipse Press.
Pond, R. L., Darre, M. J., Scheifele, P. M., & Browning, D. G. (2010). Characterization of equine vocalization. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 5(1), 7–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2009.08.002
Stomp, M., Leroux, M., Cellier, M., Henry, S., Lemasson, A., & Hausberger, M. (2018). An unexpected acoustic indicator of positive emotions in horses. PLOS ONE, 13(7). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0197898
Briefer, E. F., Mandel, R., Maigrot, A.-L., Briefer Freymond, S., Bachmann, I., & Hillmann, E. (2017). Perception of emotional valence in horse whinnies. Frontiers in Zoology, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-017-0193-1
Sankey, C., Richard-Yris, M.-A., Henry, S., Fureix, C., Nassur, F., & Hausberger, M. (2010, May 21). Reinforcement as a mediator of the perception of humans by Horses (Equus caballus) - animal cognition. SpringerLink. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10071-010-0326-9
Foa, E. B., Zinbarg, R., & Rothbaum, B. O. (1992). Uncontrollability and unpredictability in post-traumatic stress disorder: An animal model. Psychological Bulletin, 112(2), 218–238. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.112.2.218