07/11/2026
🚩Behavioral Red Flags🚩
Horses are funny creatures and sometimes do silly things, but acting goofy can be a a behavioral red flag. Sometimes these behaviors can be signs of discomfort, pain, not enough movement, or even stress.
🚩 Head shaking, weaving, or cribbing:
All of these behaviors are a coping mechanism when a need is missing in an equine’s life, such as proper natural movement (if they are stalled) or exercise. It can also be caused by poor riding, such as excessive pulling on the reins or improper saddle fit. These missing needs and improper riding can also cause muscle soreness and atrophy over time.
🚩 Yawning in Excess:
Nope, not because your horse is tired, it’s a way of releasing build up stress from many factors…excessive pulling on the mouth, lack of dental care/improper dental care or stressful situations, just to name a few.
