# Why do horses whinny? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 16, 2002, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-horses-whinny/119185 "2002-07-16T04:44:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-horses-whinny/119185/1 "2002-07-16T04:44:02Z")
Yep, city gal here, why do you ask? 😉 Anyway, as a c.g. my observation of horses is rather limited–mostly Central Park and the farm we used to stay at in PA some summers back. Every now and then one of them will whinny and startle every city slicker within earshot. I’ve tried to figure out if there’s a common stimulus that makes them do it, but I’ve heard it in horses standing still, with heads down, heads up, trotting, walking, excited, bored, grazing, etc. Other horses don’t seem to get hyped up when it happens either; they don’t all turn and stare at the noisy horse, so I really don’t know what it does for a horse to be able to make this sound. I have seen agitated horses and of course they whinny and snort a lot, but I’m confused about seemingly calm horses. Also, it’s a loud noise but they don’t open their mouths to make it, do they? Is it entirely done by their huge sinuses or whatever? Can they vocalize in other ways–do they even have vocal cords? \ ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-horses-whinny/119185/2 "2002-07-16T12:04:16Z")
“The whip is in my head. The whip is in my head. There is no wagon.” ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-horses-whinny/119185/3 "2002-07-16T13:24:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mehitabel \* > \*\*Yep, city gal here, why do you ask? 😉 > > Anyway, as a c.g. my observation of horses is rather limited–mostly Central Park and the farm we used to stay at in PA some summers back. Every now and then one of them will whinny and startle every city slicker within earshot. I’ve tried to figure out if there’s a common stimulus that makes them do it, but I’ve heard it in horses standing still, with heads down, heads up, trotting, walking, excited, bored, grazing, etc. Other horses don’t seem to get hyped up when it happens either; they don’t all turn and stare at the noisy horse, so I really don’t know what it does for a horse to be able to make this sound. > > I have seen agitated horses and of course they whinny and snort a lot, but I’m confused about seemingly calm horses. > > Also, it’s a loud noise but they don’t open their mouths to make it, do they? Is it entirely done by their huge sinuses or whatever? Can they vocalize in other ways–do they even have vocal cords? > > \ \*\* One reason is to communicate with other horses. Upon returning to the barn after a days work in the field, a horse will frequently whinny and those in the barn will respond. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-horses-whinny/119185/4 "2002-07-16T13:26:16Z")
They are race horses…they know they are going to race…it’s obviously trash talk. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-horses-whinny/119185/5 "2002-07-16T14:18:37Z")
My horse the Wonder Pony is pretty quiet. He’s a relatively calm horse, and in the 14 years that I’ve had him I’ve heard him whinny about 10 times. He whinnies when there is something going on that worries him or if one of his pals is somewhere he shouldn’t be. Some horses are very vocal–my friend’s mare is constantly talking–when she sees my friend come into the barn, when the mare wants a snack, etc. There are whinnies, which is opening the mouth; nickering, which is softly whinnying with a closed mouth; snorting, which is sharp blowing usually in response to something scary. An entire equine vocabulary. And all horses do it, some more than others. ---
**Author:** ![Ruffian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@Ruffian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruffian)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-horses-whinny/119185/6 "2002-07-16T14:29:28Z")
What drives me crazier than most anything else on TV is the producers requiring that _every_ time a horse is on screen, it has to whinny. Just in case, you know, you weren’t sure it was a horse. :rolleyes: From _Horses for Dummies_: > [@](#): > > You’ll come to realize [after being around your horse] that horses only whinny for certain reasons: when they are anticipating being fed; when they are greeting a friend; or when they are engaged in courtship or parenthood. They don’t whinny when the actor-rider needs to make a grand entrance,; they don’t whinny when the director wants to make sure the audience knows they’re watching a western; and they sure as heck don’t whinny with their mouths closed! Horses make other sounds, too, and under fairly specific circumstances (notes taken from same above book): **Nicker** : This is a soft, gentle call “usually heard when horses with a close bond greet one another…You can also hear nickering at feeding time as the food-deliverer approaches.” **Neigh** (or whinny): “The neigh seems to be used most often by horses who have been separated from the herd or a close companion. Neighs have a sense of urgency to them that seem to be saying, ‘Hey, I’m over here!’” **Snort** : “[It] is most often heard when a horse is alarmed in some way. If a horse comes upon something that scares him, he may bolt, then spin around at snort at the offending object.” **Squeal** : “…usually reserved for other horses, and seems to be a message of controlled aggression…A mare who’s not quite ready to be bred may squeal to tell a frisky stallion to back off. Another type of squeal comes from hroses who are really frightened. The _fear squeal_ is higher pitched and shorter in length.” Hope that clarifies a little bit of horse language for you. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-horses-whinny/119185/7 "2002-07-16T16:30:58Z")
The above pretty much covers all the sounds I’ve ever heard. Just some additional notes: The nicker sounds like a low “huh-huh-huh” to me (when I was a kid growing up in Brooklyn, I thought from the word “nicker” that it would sound like a clicking noise). I feed on saturday mornings, and when I walk in I always say “Good Morning, Children!” to the horses and most of them will go “huh-huh-huh” in response. Some noises have no meaning. Such as when a horse clears its air passages by blowing out. This sound is hard to describe but is often heard as a “background noise” when horses are in movies. Horses also grunt (in effort) and can even whine a little. (one horse in my barn whines when he has to get up from a laying down position. All the kids think he’s about to drop dead, he sounds so pathetic.) Horses also cough and wheeze if they are having respiratory problems. A bad habit called cribbing makes an odd low sound that is also meaningless. Most of a horse’s language is body language; vocalizations are a relatively minor part of their communication. ---
**Author:** ![TridCloudwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@TridCloudwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TridCloudwalker)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-horses-whinny/119185/8 "2002-07-16T16:38:26Z")
And if you hear that squeal, for god’s sake make sure you’re not in it’s rear legs line of fire. Getting kicked = much pain & no fun. Believe me, as an employee at Hanover Shoe Farms (largest standard bred farm) I know from experiance. To sum up you question though, when they whinny, it’s strictly communication. If you’re around them enough you start to get a feel for what they’re “saying” to each other and you. I’ve even gotten the sound down for “come here” they don’t always feel like obeying it though. 🙂 I’ve seen my horses whinny with their mouths open and closed. It’s not as loud when it’s closed though. ---
**Author:** ![TridCloudwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@TridCloudwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TridCloudwalker)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-horses-whinny/119185/9 "2002-07-16T16:46:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hello Again \* > \*\*Some noises have no meaning. Such as when a horse clears its air passages by blowing out. This sound is hard to describe but is often heard as a “background noise” when horses are in movies. \*\* Sometimes it’s to clear their air passage, but the snort also signifys that they’re either scared of something, or are annoyed but dealing with it. ---
**Author:** ![Ruffian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@Ruffian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruffian)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-horses-whinny/119185/10 "2002-07-16T19:45:15Z")
> [@](#): > > Sometimes it’s to clear their air passage, but the snort also signifys that they’re either scared of something, or are annoyed but dealing with it. And sometimes it’s to clear the green snot and spit from their wet mouths–usually reserved for when you’re reaching to put a halter or bridle on them (at least, it seems that way to me!). A few weeks ago my mount did this as I was leading her to the tie-up area. Yu-_uck!_ I looked like I’d been snot-spray-painted. Also–anyone else notice that horses will hold all their intestinal gases in until you pick their _hind_ hooves? I can almost count on it. Pick front hooves, fine. Go to the first back hoof, and tail goes up and _whoo!_ Ah, the joys of horse ownership (or in my case, leasingship)… ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2002, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-horses-whinny/119185/11 "2002-07-17T18:34:33Z")
\ Thanks for all the answers! That would explain why they whinny when they’re standing still–a friend has come by (do they go by sight or smell?) And I have heard them nicker when the owner talks to them–can they learn their own names? The NY carriage horses all live in the same stable on the far West Side, in the Thirties, so they’d know each other. It’s great to see them going home at the end of their shift, because their heads are up and they’re cantering along and look so happy. Horses are cool. Too bad I’m horribly allergic to them. Thanks again! ---
**Author:** ![TridCloudwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@TridCloudwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TridCloudwalker)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2002, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-horses-whinny/119185/12 "2002-07-17T20:41:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mehitabel \* > \*\*can they learn their own names? \*\* Yup. Though, like cats (snooty lil bastards) they’ll only come to you if they want to…or want something from you. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2002, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-horses-whinny/119185/13 "2002-07-17T20:48:51Z")
I think the “clearing goo” blow and the WTF!? snort have two very distinct sounds. But perhaps not all people would think so. The WTF!? snort is sharp and has a distinct beginning and end. The nose goo blow out just fizzles out. But I’d say the very strangest sound of all is a particular “squoink squoink squoink” sound that only emanates from geldings and I am told originates in their entirely retractable Parts South jiggling about at the trot. Like cats, some horses can be bothered to know (answer to) their names and some can’t. As far as recognizing each other and people, I think its a fairly complex constellation of attributes, including: size, shape, smell, color, way of moving, sound of your voice… things like that. They can certainly identify friends from afar without sniffing. ---
**Author:** ![TridCloudwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@TridCloudwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TridCloudwalker)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2002, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-horses-whinny/119185/14 "2002-07-17T20:56:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ruffian \* > \*\*Also–anyone else notice that horses will hold all their intestinal gases in until you pick their _hind_ hooves? I can almost count on it. Pick front hooves, fine. Go to the first back hoof, and tail goes up and _whoo!_ \*\* Yeah! Happened to me not two hours ago. What was worse though was a week ago, I was picking the back hooves, the tail lifted (as always) but instead of hearing that familiar _pffffffffft_ sound, I had a torent of runnier than usual poo rain down on me! As you can imagine, I was not pleased…not that you’d be able to tell by the way I was laughing. One time, I was riding in the trailer with 6 yearlings on the way to the auction in Harrisburg (mind you, this is in November so the air has a nip and my horses are getting snotty noses). I had three on my right and three on my left. The ones on the left were doing fine, but for some reason the ones on my right were especially snotty and felt the need to blow and snot the ENTIRE 45 minutes of driving time. When I walked out of the trailer i freked everyone out because my left side was completely normal looking, but my right was encased in crystalized snot. Thank God I had a hooded sweatshirt. That stuff would have been in my hair all night long otherwise till I got to the hotel. ---
**Author:** ![TridCloudwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@TridCloudwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TridCloudwalker)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2002, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-horses-whinny/119185/15 "2002-07-17T20:56:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ruffian \* > \*\*Also–anyone else notice that horses will hold all their intestinal gases in until you pick their _hind_ hooves? I can almost count on it. Pick front hooves, fine. Go to the first back hoof, and tail goes up and _whoo!_ \*\* Yeah! Happened to me not two hours ago. What was worse though was a week ago, I was picking the back hooves, the tail lifted (as always) but instead of hearing that familiar _pffffffffft_ sound, I had a torent of runnier than usual poo rain down on me! As you can imagine, I was not pleased…not that you’d be able to tell by the way I was laughing. One time, I was riding in the trailer with 6 yearlings on the way to the auction in Harrisburg (mind you, this is in November so the air has a nip and my horses are getting snotty noses). I had three on my right and three on my left. The ones on the left were doing fine, but for some reason the ones on my right were especially snotty and felt the need to blow and snot the ENTIRE 45 minutes of driving time. When I walked out of the trailer i freked everyone out because my left side was completely normal looking, but my right was encased in crystalized snot. Thank God I had a hooded sweatshirt. That stuff would have been in my hair all night long otherwise till I got to the hotel. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2002, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-horses-whinny/119185/16 "2002-07-17T22:29:08Z")
I’m not a rancher or anything, but it occurs to me that a seemingly “unmotivated” snort or twitch could very well be due to an insect bite. You don’t see the chigger take a chunk out of the Lippizzaner’s leg (or ear, or testicles), so it only appears to be out of the blue.