There are many physical characteristics that have enabled man for hundreds of years in determining a horse’s potential disposition.

Horse’s with over-sized, thick ears that are exceptionally hairy inside; small, flat eyes, sunk into the head; small thick nostrils, and if they have a narrow span between the ears and between the eyes, and very broad from the eyes to the jowls, a horse is often considered less intelligent and harder to teach. On the other hand, when a horse has a small, thin, pointed ear, furry inside; big, round, full eyes, standing out well from head; large thin nostrils, and has a broad span between the ears and between the eyes, and narrower from his eyes to his jowl, such a horse has intelligence and will learn quickly and remember well. A horse with a large, thick eye on the top part of the head, sunken in and bulging out between, with a Roman Head, will generally balk, have some vicious habit, and usually have an overall bad disposition. A “Roman Head” shouldn’t be mistaken with a “Roman Nose”

A Roman Nose is distinctive, with a flat or convex facial profile with the nose itself being convex or Roman. This is a Roman nose, and is distinct from the large Roman Head typically seen on draft horses, which isn’t considered a desirable trait for most light horse breeds, such as Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses, and Arabians which tend to have straighter profiles and squarer noses.

The eyes should be set on the corners of the head to help provide a 300-degree range of vision. Large, soft eyes usually indicate a quiet, docile disposition. A small pig eye is usually indicative of a horse that may be obstinate and difficult to train, often referred to as being stubborn or “Pig Headed”. A horse with white around the eye is very often nervous and flighty. A quality eye should be bright, tranquil, and have a soft and kind expression. Horses with bold, bright eyes set wide apart and on the corners of their forehead in combination with a slightly concave appearance from eye to the muzzle (dish face), will have increased depth perception and lateral vision. These horses appear to be more trainable because they are less apprehensive about their surroundings.

Horses with small pig eyes set close together rather than on the corners of the forehead and have a convex shape from the eyes to the muzzle (Roman Nose) have more limited vision. They are typically more uneasy/spin] of their surroundings and are not as easily [spin]trained.

HAIR WHORLS, also known as “cowlicks”, or “wigworms” by some horsemen, are a patch of hair swirling in the opposite direction to the surrounding hair, every horse (and cattle) has at least one hair whorl located on their forehead. The observation that hair whorl patterns or placements were related to temperament was first observed hundreds of years ago in Arabian horses which are known for having hair whorls situated higher on the forehead. If it was high they were more likely to be more nervous or high strung, the lower the hair whorl, the more calm or docile the horse was likely to be. Most horsemen that rely upon this method determine the ideal location for the hair whorl is “even” with the eyes, or just slightly above the top of the eyes. This usually means a more even tempered animal with just enough spirit. One that is situated too low can often mean they will be too docile or have a short attention span, which can sometimes even be to a degree where they appear to be lazy or less intelligent.

Important Note:
Should you notice any of the traits mentioned here that is interrupted as maybe being undesirable, that doesn’t always mean that it’s going to be bad horse which should be discarded. Often what it means is that the horse may not have the attributes that suit your needs. Some attributes may also mean that a particular horse may pose more challenges that requires a more experienced horseman or trainer, and in the correct hands can be turned into a great to avoid horses with attributes that suggests the potential of being high spirited or hyper in nature, horse’s such as these may be ideal for an experienced horseman who does competitive riding or certain types of equestrian events. If you found this article useful you can find additional tips such as this at the Hitching Post, a site for Country Singles and country folks in general.

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