Why Is My Horse Yawning a Lot? Causes and When to Worry
By Dr. Zubair Khalid, DVM, MS, PhD ·
Frequent yawning in horses is usually a normal sign of relaxation or a response to social stress, but it can also point to gastric discomfort or abdominal pain. A horse that yawns a lot while looking relaxed and eating normally is often fine, while yawning paired with pawing, flank watching, or going off feed needs veterinary attention. This article is educational and is not a substitute for veterinary diagnosis or treatment.
Quick Answer
- Occasional yawning, especially after a nap, a meal, or a grooming session, is normal comfort behavior in horses.
- Yawning is uncommon in herbivores compared with carnivores and primates, so a sudden increase in how often your horse yawns is worth tracking [1].
- Stress, social tension, and pain in the stomach or gut are the main causes owners and vets look for when yawning becomes frequent.
- Yawning plus pawing, rolling, flank watching, sweating, or refusing food is a colic emergency. Call your veterinarian right away.
- A tight noseband can physically block a horse from yawning, so check your bridle fit if you rarely see your horse yawn [2][3].
What Normal Yawning Looks Like in Horses
A yawn in a horse is a slow, wide opening of the mouth with the head often lowered or slightly extended. The jaw drops, the tongue may move, and the horse usually looks sleepy or relaxed. Some horses yawn once or twice after waking from a nap, after being groomed, or after a stretch. Others yawn when they are finally let out of a stall or after a trailer ride settles down.
Researchers have identified two yawning shapes in horses. One is a covered yawn where the lips stay closed over the teeth, and the other is an uncovered yawn where the teeth show. These two forms use different facial muscles, which suggests they may serve slightly different purposes [4].
So is it normal for horses to yawn a lot? Compared with dogs, cats, and people, horses yawn rarely. Yawning is uncommon in herbivores in general [1]. That does not mean a yawning horse is sick. It means a clear change in yawning frequency is a signal worth noticing, because it stands out from your horse's normal pattern.
Domestic horses and wild Przewalski horses yawn at similar rates, so domestication itself does not appear to make horses yawn more [1]. That finding matters for owners. If your horse suddenly yawns far more than usual, the cause is more likely something in the current environment or health than the simple fact of being a domestic horse.
Why Is My Horse Yawning a Lot? The Main Causes
Yawning has been linked to arousal, stress, and transitions between states like waking and resting. In horses, the most common explanations fall into a few groups.
Relaxation and state changes
A horse that yawns after rest, after eating, or during quiet handling is often just shifting from one arousal level to another. This is the most benign reason and the one you will see most often in a healthy horse.
Social stress and tension
In Przewalski horses, yawning frequency rose along with aggressive behavior, which supports a link between yawning and social stress [1]. If your horse yawns a lot at feeding time, when a new horse joins the herd, or when turned out with a bossy pasture mate, social pressure may be the trigger.
Contagious yawning
Horses can catch yawns from each other. A study of 48 horses on pasture found the first evidence of contagious yawning in horses, and it was strongest between horses that shared good relationships [4]. Mares responded faster to yawns from familiar horses and from relatives than from unrelated herd mates [4]. So if one horse in the field yawns and several others follow, that is normal social behavior, not a disease outbreak.
Gastric and abdominal discomfort
Gastric ulcers and other sources of stomach or gut pain are common reasons a horse yawns repeatedly. Yawning can be a subtle pain response, similar to how horses stretch or grind their teeth with ulcers. This is the cause that worries veterinarians most when yawning comes with other signs.
Restricted mouth movement
A tight noseband can prevent a horse from yawning and from other normal comfort behaviors like coughing [2]. Research on noseband tightening found that when nosebands were cranked shut with no space underneath, horses showed signs of a stress response, including a higher heart rate, lower heart rate variability, and higher eye temperature [3]. If your horse wears a tight noseband and you almost never see a yawn, the gear may be the problem, not the horse.
Table: Cause, Clues, and Urgency
| Cause | Typical clues | How urgent |
|---|---|---|
| Relaxation or waking up | Yawns after rest, meals, or grooming. Bright, eating, normal manure | Not urgent |
| Social stress | Yawning during feeding, turnout changes, or herd conflict. Pinning, chasing, or being chased | Monitor closely |
| Contagious yawning | Several horses yawn in sequence, especially bonded pairs or relatives | Not urgent |
| Gastric ulcers or stomach pain | Repeated yawning, teeth grinding, poor appetite, girthiness, dull coat | Call your vet soon |
| Colic or abdominal pain | Yawning with pawing, flank watching, rolling, sweating, no manure | Emergency now |
| Tight noseband or tack | Rare yawning, head tossing, reluctance to accept the bit | Fix tack, then reassess |
Red Flags That Make It an Emergency
Yawning by itself is rarely an emergency. Yawning with any of the following signs is a different story. These point to colic or another serious problem, and you should call your veterinarian immediately.
- Pawing at the ground, rolling, or trying to lie down repeatedly
- Looking at or kicking at the flank
- No manure for several hours, or a sudden change in manure
- Sweating without work or a normal weather reason
- Bloated or tight belly
- Refusing grain, hay, or water
- Rapid breathing, flared nostrils, or a pained expression
- Stretching out as if to urinate without producing urine
Colic in horses can worsen quickly. Do not wait to see if it passes on its own. Call your vet and describe exactly what you are seeing, including how often your horse is yawning and how long the other signs have been present.
Safe Things You Can Do at Home While You Wait
If your horse is yawning but otherwise bright, eating, and passing normal manure, you can gather information while you decide on next steps.
- Take a short video of the yawning. Note the time, what your horse was doing right before, and how many yawns you see in a few minutes.
- Check the basics. Take your horse's temperature if you are comfortable doing so, and note heart rate and breathing rate.
- Check manure and water intake. Count piles and watch how much your horse drinks.
- Loosen the noseband and any tight tack. Give your horse a chance to yawn, cough, and chew freely [2][3].
- Remove or reduce stressors. If a new horse joined the herd or turnout groups changed, give your horse a quieter space if possible.
- Do not give any medication on your own. Pain relievers and ulcer drugs need a veterinary diagnosis and a dose calculated from your horse's weight and health.
If your horse recently traveled, stress from hauling can add to the picture. You can read more about managing that in Horse Trailering Stress.
What Your Veterinarian Will Check and Test
Your vet will start with a full physical exam. They will check your horse's heart rate, breathing rate, temperature, gum color, gut sounds, and hydration. They will ask about yawning frequency, appetite, manure, turnout, feed, training schedule, and tack fit.
Depending on what they find, your vet may recommend:
- A gastroscopy to look for gastric ulcers, which requires fasting and sedation
- Bloodwork to check for infection, dehydration, or muscle damage
- A rectal exam or ultrasound if colic is suspected
- A dental exam, since mouth pain can change how a horse chews and yawns
- A tack and noseband fit review, with a gauge or finger check to confirm there is room under the noseband [2]
Treatment depends on the diagnosis. Ulcers are managed with medication and diet changes, and your vet will calculate the dose from your horse's weight and health. Colic treatment ranges from pain relief and fluids to surgery, depending on the cause and severity.
Prevention and Monitoring
The best way to know whether your horse's yawning is normal is to know your horse's baseline. Keep a simple log for a week or two. Note how often you see a yawn, what happened right before, and whether anything else changed.
Other steps that help:
- Check noseband fit regularly. You should be able to fit the recommended space under the noseband, and your horse should be able to yawn and cough freely [2][3].
- Watch herd dynamics. Yawning linked to aggression or bullying may settle once group housing is adjusted [1].
- Feed a forage-first diet with plenty of turnout, which supports gut health.
- Schedule routine dental and wellness exams so mouth and stomach problems get caught early.
- Track travel and competition stress, since these can trigger subtle signs in some horses.
If you also own dogs, some of the same "watch and measure" habits apply to breathing changes. These articles may help you compare notes at home: Dog Panting Excessively: When to Worry and Why Is My Dog Coughing And Gagging Randomly.
Limitations and When to Contact a Veterinarian
This article cannot tell you what is happening inside your individual horse. Yawning has several possible causes, and only a veterinarian who examines your horse can sort them out. Individual cases need a veterinarian.
Call your veterinarian the same day if your horse:
- Yawns much more often than usual for more than a day
- Shows a dull attitude, poor appetite, or weight loss
- Grinds teeth, girths poorly, or resents being touched around the belly
- Has loose manure, mild colic signs that come and go, or a change in drinking
Call immediately, as an emergency, if your horse:
- Rolls, paws, or kicks at the flank
- Has no manure for several hours
- Is sweating heavily without work
- Breathes hard at rest or has flared nostrils
- Cannot or will not eat or drink
Schedule a routine visit if the yawning is mild but you want a baseline exam, a dental check, or a tack fit review.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it normal for horses to yawn a lot?
Horses yawn far less often than dogs, cats, and people, so a high rate of yawning is not typical. A few yawns around rest, meals, or grooming are normal. A clear increase from your horse's usual pattern deserves a closer look.
Can stress make my horse yawn more?
Yes. Yawning has been linked to social stress in horses, and in Przewalski horses yawning frequency rose along with aggressive behavior. If the yawning started with a herd change or feeding-time conflict, stress is a likely trigger.
Do horses catch yawns from each other?
Yes. Horses show contagious yawning, and it is strongest between horses with good relationships, including relatives. Seeing several bonded horses yawn in sequence is normal social behavior.
Can a tight noseband stop my horse from yawning?
Yes. Restrictive nosebands can prevent horses from yawning and coughing, which are normal comfort behaviors. Tight nosebands have also been linked to a measurable stress response, so check your bridle fit if you rarely see your horse yawn.
When should I call the vet about yawning?
Call the same day if the yawning is new, frequent, or paired with appetite or attitude changes. Call right away if you also see pawing, rolling, flank watching, sweating, or no manure, since these are colic signs that can worsen quickly.
Related Articles
- Dog Panting Excessively: When to Worry
- Why Is My Dog Panting So Much?
- Why Is My Dog Coughing And Gagging Randomly
- Why Is My Dog Coughing And Gagging And Wheezing
- Horse Trailering Stress
- Why Does My Dog Cough And Gag So Much
References
- Investigating determinants of yawning in the domestic (Equus caballus) and Przewalski (Equus ferus przewalskii) horses. Die Naturwissenschaften, 2016.
- Commentary on MacKechnie-Guire et al. Measuring Noseband Tightness on the Lateral Aspect of the Horse's Face. Animals 2015, 15, 537. Animals : an open access journal from MDPI, 2026.
- The Effect of Noseband Tightening on Horses' Behavior, Eye Temperature, and Cardiac Responses. PloS one, 2016.
- Yawning in sync: implications for social cohesion in horses. Current zoology, 2025.