As a part of this sub's goal of being a gateway to the realm of interspecies eroticism, I'd like to take this thread to be an educational experience for those interested in learning more about communication with horses. No matter who your partners are, no matter what you're doing, communication is an extremely important part of a healthy sexual relationship. Communication includes both stating your intentions clearly and making sure you understand what your partner is telling you.
Achieving a high level of communication is an inherent difficulty when approaching partners of different species. However, part of what makes the human species great is how adaptable we are. If we want to learn what a mare will do when she is in heat, inviting you to engage in a bit of foreplay (like this), we can learn. Furthermore, we can adapt our behavior to try and send the right signals to them in their language.
Unfortunately, not many people take the time to learn how to do this. It is a rather obscure area of expertise, to be fair. However, for us, I think that it is essential.
To that end, here are a few online resources for those looking for an introduction to horse behavior, and especially horse behavior in a more intimate setting:
General
Detailed Horse Courtship, Foreplay, and Sexual Behavior
Reproductive Behavior of Stallions and Mares
Reproductive Behavior of the Stallion
The last two may be a bit more dense and geared towards a veterinary audience, but there's a lot of interesting information in there. Definitely worthwhile reads, even for experienced horse zoos.
In general, the nice thing about liking horses is that if you know what to look for, their language is often very overt and easy to read: mares and stallions are not known for their ambiguity.
To see this in practice, just go on youtube and search for horses mating, particularly in cases where they are allowed to do it naturally. It's fun and educational! (and, if you're like me, it's what made you realize you were a zoo in the first place...)
Inb4 jokes about zoo being a Strangelove.
Those PDFs were brilliantly informative. As someone who has (unfortunately) never really been around horses, they were invigorating reads, and certainly very helpful. Thank you.
Very interesting video. From 1:56 you can see her labia pulsing powerfully - is this the female version of stallion masturbation?
Not exactly. Based on what I've seen, mares evert their clitoris like that (called "winking") whenever they're aroused and looking to attract a mate's attention.
They do it after they urinate as well, but generally only a couple of times. It's important to not confuse the two!
Ahhh, equine love. Excellent resources. Thank you.
For those reading the PDF pleae keep in mind the male domination of the sciences. A mare plays not just a role in copulation but has the most control, do things wrong and you are in trouble. Try to read between the lines for those links and take a look at(google) the changes in understanding of both wolf pack behaviour and gender roles in animals for a more nuanced understanding.
But seriously, if you read nothing else these are a great start. Thanks again.
As someone who is not sexually interested in horses and has never had a good rapport with them when in contact, I found this really informative. Because I can't read their body language, I tend to tense up and I'm positive the horse knows that well enough. The one I spent some time with to get to know was actually a 45 year old. Gentle and approachable and was able to make a connection.
Thanks again!
The best way to learn about them, is to spend a lot of time with them. I learned a little to start by volunteering to clean out stalls, and groom them. Once I felt a little more comfortable around them, I started going into the pasture with them and spent hours just watching them, which led to socially grooming them in the pasture. And this is how I learned their body language. Understanding their ear signals is the most important part.
Most horses are not treated nicely by other horses, and are treated harshly by most humans too. When they find that you know where to scratch them, and understand their signals, most are amazed and delighted to be in your company. Sex then, is just another step in your relationship with them, once you get to know them well and they trust you enough.