Horse behavior is as varied as human behavior. Each horse is individual in nature, their behavior can be traced not only genitically but also to their environment. One thing horses have in common; they are either a fight, or flight animal.

Reacting first and thinking about it later, a horse will flee at any  danger real or imagined. There will be times when you will hear horse owners talk about the dreaded mud troll, or the plastic bag fiend that caused their horse to flee. That's why bombproofing is so important, for that part of horse behavior can be controlled.

But horses are herd animals, and they feel safest when they are on the move. Sometimes, we are along for the ride.  Although we do not consider ourselves their predators, we do sit on their backs when riding, which can sometimes trigger that response in them dating  back to when mountain lions and other large predators would typically jump on a horse, landing on its back and ultimately injure or kill him.

If they are bored, they crib (eat wood) or they weave (sway back and forth in one spot acting like a drunken horse. If they are aggressive, they bite. Threatened, they can kick out at you, or bite you. And for really being lazy animals, they are quick to react in certain situations.

Some horses are quite intelligent and these horses test you. Mine opens gates, crawls under wooden fences, pulls off his fly mask, and runs off with power tools if they are laid down close by him. He also enjoys taking the wand I use as an extension of my arm, and galloping off with it he will then throw it in the creek!