Telltale Signs of Stress in Horses By Katherine Blocksdorf Katherine Blocksdorf Kathy Blocksdorf is an equine expert and writer with over three decades of experience in training and riding horses. She was raised caring for horses, rehabilitated rescue horses, shows her own horses, and rides long distance. Learn more about The Spruce Pets' Editorial Process Updated on 01/16/26 Reviewed by Petal Smart Reviewed by Petal Smart Petal Smart is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and has been an editor in the veterinary and medical sciences since 2015. She has edited more than 700 assignments, including research studies published in various academic journals, continuing medical education materials, and articles on pet health. Learn more about The Spruce Pets' Veterinary Review Board Credit: atliegilsson/Getty Images Key Takeaways Horses can experience stress from various factors, including changes in routine, environment, or interactions with people and other horses.Stress in horses can manifest through physical signs like weight loss, sweating, trembling, or behavioral changes such as cribbing or bolting.Consistent care, natural environments, and gradual acclimatization to new situations can help reduce stress in horses. A number of things can make horses stressed, like being alone, loading and riding in a trailer, veterinary care, farrier work, preparing for and going to shows, changes in weather, changes in the people caring for them, changes in routine such as a new stall or differing feeding schedule, stall rest due to injury or illness, and a stressed handler or rider. Horses express psychological stress in a number of ways. 01 of 15 Weight Loss Even when there seems to be a lot of pasture grass to eat, horses can lose weight during the summer months. Horses that are chronically psychologically stressed can start to lose weight. As there can be many reasons for this, such as heat stress, parasites, poor feed, and health problems, it's necessary to look at all aspects of the horse's care to determine the cause of the weight loss. 02 of 15 Stall Walking and Other Vices fence walking. Credit: Katherine Blocksdorf Stall walking is when a horse walks around a stall or walks back and forth along one wall repetitively. Weaving, cribbing, wood chewing, wall kicking, and fence walking are all signs of stress. 03 of 15 Yawning Credit: Katherine Blocksdorf Most of us yawn when we are tired. It's the way our bodies inhale a little extra oxygen to fuel our sleepy brain. Horses, however, don't yawn for the same reason, nor is it an appeasement gesture, as in dogs. Yawning (and most horses will do it several times in a row) can be a sign that the horse might be feeling stressed, and by yawning, it is releasing this stress. 04 of 15 Tooth Grinding Credit: Katherine Blocksdorf Some horses grind their teeth while stabled, some while ridden. Tooth grinding can be a sign of physical or physiological stress. If the horse has no other dental issues, it's important to check for things like equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) and other sources of chronic pain or stressful situations. Continue to 5 of 15 below 05 of 15 Bad Behavior Horse Wringing Its Tail. Credit: Katherine Blocksdorf Many examples of poor behavior while being ridden, can be caused by physiological or physical stress. Stress can be expressed through pawing, pulling, tail wringing, bucking, rearing, bolting, or being cold backed (sensitive in the back). 06 of 15 EGUS cross country jumping. Credit: Getty Images Many performance horses suffer from equine gastric ulcer syndrome. This can be in response to a stressful show schedule or other stressors. 07 of 15 Manure and Urination A pile of horse buns. Credit: Katherine Blocksdorf A horse that is stressed can produce copious amounts of manure within a short time. Some may produce very runny manure. Horses will often urinate if stressed, and if they can't relieve themselves because they can't relax, such as in a trailer or when being ridden, they can become antsier. 08 of 15 Licking and Chewing Dogs and horses can co-exist. Everyone needs to know the rules of good behavior though. Credit: Maria itina/Getty Images Natural horsemanship concepts suggest that licking and chewing is a sign that a horse is accepting new information, such as during training. As long as this behavior is not abnormally repetitive or compulsive, this action may be more like yawning in its function, as a way to release any stress the horse may be feeling. Continue to 9 of 15 below 09 of 15 Colic Don't feed moldy hay that could leave your horse struggling for breath for the rest of its life. Credit: Mac99/Getty Images Colic symptoms may be caused by stress. A new herd mate or changes in routine, weather, or handler can be enough to make some horses mildly colicky. Chronic stress can lead to EGUS, which can cause colic symptoms. 10 of 15 Trembling Horse standing in snow by gate. Credit: Christina Handley/Getty Images Any number of stressful situations can cause a horse to tremble. Just the appearance of the veterinarian, farrier, or the arrival of a trailer in the yard can cause some horses to start shaking. Usually, as soon as the cause of the stress disappears, the trembling stops. 11 of 15 High Pulse and Respiration Take your horse's pulse in the girth area just behind the elbow. Credit: Alina Solovyova-Vincent/Getty Images When a horse becomes stressed, their pulse and respiration rates can increase, sometimes drastically. Thus, it's important to know your horse’s baseline values for temperature, pulse and respiration (TPRs). 12 of 15 Sweating A sweating horse. Credit: Charles Mann/Getty Images As a horse's pulse and respiration may increase when stressed, it may also start to sweat (and tremble). Work stress tends to show up between the horse's legs and under the saddle area and can eventually cover the horse's whole body. It depends on how hard and long the horse works. A stressed horse may sweat in patches, however. Patches of sweat can also indicate the location of old injuries. Continue to 13 of 15 below 13 of 15 Bolting Food It may take awhile for your horse to be accepted into a herd. Credit: Katherine Blocksdorf A worried horse often bolts its food. Bolting can lead to choking, or other digestive disturbances. This can happen in a stall or trailer. 14 of 15 Chewing or Biting Horse's nose. Credit: Katherine Blocksdorf Some horses express stress by biting things, people, or other horses. 15 of 15 How to Alleviate Stress Horse chewing stall wall. Credit: Katherine Blocksdorf Much stress can be relieved by providing consistent schedules in natural environments, as much as possible. This means frequent turnout, with ample access to food, water, and companionship. "Show stress" is more difficult to remedy, but turnout and exercise between shows can be helpful. Give horses time to acclimatize to new situations, such as new herd mates or stall locations. Do your best to give horses in trailers a smooth ride. It's almost impossible to prevent all stress, but good basic care should take care of most. If you suspect your pet is sick, call your vet immediately. For health-related questions, always consult your veterinarian, as they have examined your pet, know the pet's health history, and can make the best recommendations for your pet. Explore more: Horses Horse Health & Wellness Sources The Spruce Pets uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. McBride, Sebastian D, and Daniel S Mills. Psychological factors affecting equine performance. BMC veterinary research vol. 8 180. 27 Sep. 2012, doi:10.1186/1746-6148-8-180 Are You ‘Stressing Out’ Your Horse? Rutgers University. Lesimple, Clémence. Indicators Of Horse Welfare: State-Of-The-Art. Animals, vol 10, no. 2, 2020, p. 294. MDPI AG, doi:10.3390/ani10020294 Górecka-Bruzda, Aleksandra et al. Investigating determinants of yawning in the domestic (Equus caballus) and Przewalski (Equus ferus przewalskii) horses. Die Naturwissenschaften vol. 103,9-10 (2016): 72. doi:10.1007/s00114-016-1395-7 Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome. U.C. Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Gastric Ulcers In Horses: Facts And Fallacies. Kentucky Equine Research. Murray, M J, and S L Crowell-Davis. Psychogenic colic in a horse. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association vol. 186,4 (1985): 381-3. Vital Signs: Know What’s Normal For Your Horse. Kentucky Equine Research.