All horse riders and lovers will agree that at times, horses can make some strange and funny noises! They will neigh, whinny, snort, squeal, and nicker, all for a range of different reasons. But why do horses whinny and what does it mean?
Horses whinny as a form of communication. They mainly whinny to tell other horses where they are and to locate their equine friends. When one horse neighs its favorite horse companions will normally neigh back.
– SnortHorses make a range of different snorting sounds, and it is not fully understood what their purpose is. Often the horse may be snorting to clear his nostrils, but on other occasions, the snort might be a form of communication.
– NickerOne of the most adorable sounds that horses make is something called a ‘nicker’. This sounds almost like a little chuckling noise made through the nostrils.
– SquealIf you’ve ever been near a group of horses during the breeding season, you will normally hear quite a lot of squealing! This is a high-pitched noise, often made when new horses meet for the first time. Mares tend to squeal a lot more than geldings.
So, as we have learned, horses whinny as a form of communication, to locate their favorite equine friends. They have different pitches and lengths of whinny according to how distressed they are.