??: The emoji guide to life with horses (What did we do without them?)
The modern world of emojis, where you can describe your life through the medium of tiny animations, seems to be taking over all forms of text communication.
And to celebrate ‘world emoji day’ today (17 July), here we give you a beginner’s guide to life with horses in the ‘language’ of emoji, from trying to explain a disaster on the yard to those days when you feel like a rodeo rider…
1. ?♀️: The moment you discover your horse has poo-ed in his water bucket.
2. ?: When your horse has been particularly unhelpful in a schooling session and felt more like a camel than Valegro.
3. ??: You couldn’t hold one side of your horse on the gallops.
4. ??: You’ve just walked the course you’re about to have to jump and it’s MASSIVE.
5. ?????: Sometimes you wonder how much healthier your bank account would be if you had taken up bowling instead [see also: ?⬇?].
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6. ???: When your horse has just performed so bravely and you couldn’t love anything else more in the world right now.
7. ?????: Your horse comes in lame from the field.
8. ☺??: Your horse nails the flying-changes you’ve been teaching him.
9. ??♀️?: You can’t catch your horse in from the field (?).
10. ?????♀️?♀️?♂️?♂️: When your horse makes you so happy you could cartwheel your way around the yard.
11. ???????????⚕️?⚕️?: A ‘horse-eating’ pheasant flies out of the hedge just as you’re hacking past — you fall off, horse disappears back to yard and you end up with a sore backside [disclaimer: there is not yet a pheasant emoji, so it had to be the eagle instead].
12. ????: Today you feel more like a rodeo rider than a dressage rider thanks to your horse’s bucking with the joys of spring.
13. ???: You’ve turned your horse out to perfection, with the look nicely finished with a slick of hoof oil.
14. ??❤: There’s actually no other place on Earth you would rather be than on your horse.
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Gemma is an experienced journalist, who was a member of H&H staff from 2014 to September 2025. She is passionate about all equestrian sports, including racing and point-to-pointing. She has enjoyed riding out for top trainers Nicky Henderson and Charlie Appleby and took part in a charity Flat race at Epsom in August 2018. Gemma’s has reported from numerous five-star events around Britain and Europe, as well as European championships.