If you’re a horse person – or perhaps even if you aren’t – encountering horses in dreams could be quite a common occurrence. But what does this mean? And how can we interpret these dreams?
To give you the answers to questions like these and more, in this post we talk about 17 common horse dreams as well as their spiritual meaning and symbolism to help you understand why you are seeing these animals while you sleep.
What are dreams?
Nobody really knows why we dream. There have been many suggestions, ideas and theories down the ages, but so far, science hasn’t been able to provide us with a definitive answer.
Some people think that dreams are our minds’ way of sorting and filing our experiences, helping us deal with events or even trauma in our daily lives as well as aiding with memory formation.
Many ancient cultures believed that dreams put us in contact with gods or ancestors, who were then able to offer guidance. Others have thought that dreams were premonitions, giving us glimpses of the future.
Another theory, supported by the likes of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, is that dreams reflect a dreamer’s unconscious mind and that the images are caused by unconscious wish fulfilment or desires.
This means we can interpret the imagery and symbolism of dreams to try to understand what our unconscious mind is trying to tell us.
So now let’s consider what it means if you dream about horses.
What does dreaming about a horse mean spiritually?
Horses are a common element in many dreams, but dream interpretation can depend on a range of factors.
For example, the meaning may depend on how you view horses in your waking life, and the specific details of the dream, like the color of the horse or the specific circumstances of your dream.
Here are some of the main meanings horses can have in dreams.
Power, strength and health
For many people and in many cultures, horses are seen as strong, powerful animals, so when you encounter a horse in your dream, it may represent power, strength or good health.
If the horse in your dream was in good condition, it could mean that you are also strong and healthy. However, if the horse was weak or ailing, this could suggest that your health is suffering for some reason.
This can equally apply to your mental health as your physical health, and if you dream of a sick horse, it could be an indication that you need to make changes in your life to improve your own condition.
Freedom and independence
In the days before trains, cars and planes, horses represented the ability to travel long distances quickly, giving the rider great freedom to move about. For this reason, horses in dreams may also be symbols of freedom or independence.
It could be an expression of your subconscious mind’s desire or need for independence or freedom – or it could be a sign that you feel trapped in your life. This could relate to a job, a relationship, a place or many other things.
Hard work or dedication
Before mechanization, large draught horses were once the mainstay of agricultural work. They were seen as strong, dependable and hard-working beasts – and dreaming of a horse can also be related to hard work or dedication to a task.
If the horse in your dream seems happy to work, it could symbolize a feeling of contentment and satisfaction in looking after your family or in working towards career goals.
However, if the horse is overworked and in need of a rest, it could be an indication that you also require a break and time to recharge the batteries.
Fun and play
Horses are highly intelligent animals, and like us, they also like to enjoy themselves. For this reason, if you see a frolicking horse in your dream, it could simply be a reminder to take time out and enjoy yourself rather than being too serious all the time.
Death
Sick or dying horses in dreams can sometimes represent death. This might not necessarily mean that you are going to die soon – but that some aspect of your life may soon be coming to an end.
Alternatively, dying horses in dreams may represent death literally, and could suggest that you are afraid of dying.
17 of the most common horse dreams
So we’ve looked at some of the general themes and ideas that horses in dreams may represent, but now it’s time to delve more deeply into the meanings of some more specific horse-related dreams and how to interpret them.
1. White horse
Dreams featuring white horses are among the most common, and they can have several interpretations.
Sometimes white horses can represent positive elements, such as purity, peace or good fortune. For women especially, dreaming of a white horse can indicate healthy relationships or a strong marriage.
However, white horses in dreams can also have less welcome meanings, especially when the horse is seen from a distance. In this case, it could be a sign that somebody is working against you to prevent you from achieving a goal.
2. Brown horses
According to DreamOf.Org, Brown horses in dreams often represent strength and power or control over other people. They can also mean that you are going through certain changes in your life.
Another suggestion is that the color of the horse is related to the color of earth and nature, so it could be a reminder that we need to keep our feet on the ground if we want to be successful in an endeavor.
3. Black horses
Black horses can also have several meanings in dreams, both positive and negative.
They can indicate success and prosperity, although there is also an element of mystery and secrecy about them, which may mean there are certain relationships in your life that you don’t fully understand and that need more attention.
Alternatively, black horses may suggest that you are overly ambitious or that you are unable to resist or control strong sexual impulses.
4. Wild horses
Horses running wild epitomize freedom, and seeing wild horses in a dream could represent your need for freedom and independence.
This kind of dream could indicate that you feel as though you are being repressed, or that you need more outlets for your creativity. It could also be a sign that you yearn for adventure or something new and exciting in your life.
Dreams about trying to ride wild horses can represent the challenges you face in overcoming obstacles to achieve your goals.
5. Riding a horse
Riding a horse is unsurprisingly a common theme in many dreams and can be a representation of strength or power over other people.
However, it could also be an indication that you have a tendency to be overbearing or bossy with people – or that you can be manipulative in pursuit of your goals.
Freud thought that much of what we dream about is related to sex, and he might have interpreted dreams of riding horses in these terms. For example, riding a horse that is difficult to control could represent a difficulty in controlling your sexual urges.
6. Crossing a stream on a horse
Crossing a stream on a horse is usually a positive dream and could indicate your ability to deal with or overcome difficulties or challenges.
7. Falling off a horse
Falling off a horse in a dream is usually quite easy to interpret. It can represent losing control of some aspect of your life or that certain things are happening in your life that feel beyond your control.
This kind of dream can also reflect the feeling that you need to regain control of parts of your life that are becoming too chaotic.
8. You being the horse
Our dreamscapes can throw up a whole range of unlikely situations and can sometimes make it possible for you to become a horse.
This kind of dream can be enjoyable while you’re experiencing it, but it can also be difficult to interpret when you awake.
The best way to work out what this dream means is to work out how it relates to you personally while also paying attention to other details such as the color of the horse and thinking about their symbolism in other horse dreams.
9. Dead horse
Dreaming of dead horses can be distressing and can sometimes border on nightmares. As we already mentioned, this kind of dream may be related to a fear of death, but it can also represent the end of a certain period of your life.
If you have a dream like this, try not to be too afraid. Rather, interpret it as representing the end of one phase of your life and the start of something new. It could also be an indication that it’s time to let go of people or things that are no longer important in your life.
Another interpretation of dead horses in dreams is that they are a symbol of bad luck. It could mean that you have recently suffered misfortune – or if you believe dreams can tell you about the future, it could be a warning that you are about to encounter some bad luck.
10. Dying horse
A dying horse could indicate that you are going through difficulties in your life and that you need to take action if you want things to improve. However, it also means that it’s not too late to act and that if you do something now, you may be able to achieve a positive outcome.
11. Horses attacking
If you are attacked by horses in a dream, it can mean you are not being honest with yourself about something or that you are unwilling to accept the truth.
When you dream of horses attacking, it should serve as a warning that you need to face up to the truth to resolve certain issues that you would prefer to hide from.
12. Horse pulling a carriage
Horses at work can represent endurance and tenacity, but they can also be symbols of challenges and difficulties.
Dreaming of horses pulling a carriage or a cart can indicate that you will need to work hard at a problem if you hope to overcome it.
13. Flying horse
Dreaming of flying is common – as are dreams of flying horses. A flying horse is the ultimate expression of freedom, and so having this dream can indicate a need for more freedom in your life.
14. Talking horse
If a horse talks to you in your dream, you should take note of what it tells you since the horse can represent wisdom and knowledge. It could also be an expression of your subconscious trying to pass a message to you, so think carefully about what the horse says.
15. Selling or buying a horse
If you witnessed someone selling a horse in your dream, it could be an indication that you need to be careful over some kind of business transaction.
If you bought a horse and were deceived, it could also be a warning that you need to be careful about being tricked in real life.
16. Betting on a horse
Betting on a horse in a dream may represent a risk that you are currently taking in real life. If the horse wins, it may be an indication that you feel confident about the risk – but if it loses, it could show you that you are stressed or worried about the outcome.
17. Being kicked by a horse
In real life, receiving a kick from a horse can be disastrous, and in a dream, it may also represent something terrible that’s happening to you at the moment.
It could represent worries about your health, or it could be due to a project that seems to be failing. In any case, if you are kicked by a horse in your dream, it’s a sure sign that you need to evaluate certain aspects of your life and perhaps make some necessary changes.
Many horse dreams with a wide range of meanings
As we have seen, there are many common dreams involving horses – and there are many others we haven’t had space to discuss here.
When interpreting a dream about horses, think about the specifics and the details of the dream and how the dream might relate to something in your life – since dreams about horses may be your unconscious mind’s way of giving you an important message.
In my dream today I was in a cave and washing my clothes there was a horse with a white face resting and waiting for me. I rested, and in the cave was an opening there were two people one on either side of me. We all looked towards a large opening in the cave and there was a white spirit with an aura. Everything around us was pink and purple, darkness filled with this white spirit from the opening. Eventually, I finished washing my jeans and they underwater became very white and clean. The horse led me away downhill the horse walking backward with me holding the reigns.
What a gift
Buying a horse but no knowledge how to take care of it.
God bless you, this means, you have some divine Power in you and you have no knowledge of how it works…
First time dreamed a horse..in my dream the horse kinda like my pet and tamed..brown in color and let me touched his/her nose on my cheek and pat the head.
Though I was raised and had contact with the horse because my father’s family owned a lot for transportation purposes.
Brown horse sleeping in the road with slaves people ..what is that mean for?
I have never had a dream about a horse before. I do not particularly care for them, like I do cats, but admire them for simply being. I am about to move across the USA with my 4 cats, and I had a dream about a tan speckled horse sleeping across two cat beds. I was thinking “how am I going to get this horse to where I am going?”
Horse walked up to me while crossing a field. It came behind me and put his head in my shoulder. I was scared. I stroked its nose and patted its front flank
I was in a dreaming with some woman. i do not know her, but looked like i do.
i was riding a horse(was nice) once i tried to make the horse to go right the horse goes to left. and tried to make it go left and gose to right.
the horse was thirsty and we ended up somewhere in city giving it water.
The woman was giving water to the horse, when i asked her – how i can control the horse when i want to go left or right, and she said… – when you want to go right you touch the right shoulder, it might get angry but its okey and to go left touch the left shoulder.
At some poit i was very upset thinking about how much the horse need water and run to look for more. Found in shop where a lot of ppl were buying water and i get angry asking ppl to be hury… at the end i went stright to the horse which was happy to see the water
PS
DO not know where that gets me
maybe i need some more water
if you have some other suggestions , i will be more than happy to see them
Have a great day!
I was in a car and saw a man holding a horse but it loses control and climb up the hill and as it climbs up the hill it gradually become larger and larger and when it reaches on top of the hill it starts roaring and neighing loudly, it’s SO HUGE. I started recording it using my phone because it was so large and somehow the horse started to lose control of the size its growing and starts climbing down and attacking people and of course went to my direction and I wokeup.
My dream was about me riding a brown horse it was super fast and there were bulls on the pathways with red eyes but none could attack me nor my horse it was so protecting me and there were police men pointing gun on someone target but none was attacking us all was on the pathway the horse just dropped me where it picked me
I saw a black horse jumping down from but it landed on a high storey-building. I and people around were highly up-set to what it could be over a wile but when it later jumped down from that building, it’colour changed to brown. above jumping down from up but when
please what does it mean?
Husbands dream was a white horse very happy to see him so much so it was nuzzling him and he says to it you remember me whilst stroking its head and face
In my dream, I was standing inside a house when I heard a man yelling outside in the distance. I couldn’t make out what he was saying. I looked out the screen door to see a slow moving train on a O shaped track approaching, behind it, was a tan colored horse being forced to walk. The horse was tied by rope and looked to be exhausted, staggering and falling at times, dragged a little until it could find some strength to get up and continue.
The man was mean, yelling harsh words at the horse “get up, you lazy, good for nothing, walk!”.
In the dream I was so angry, I asked to use the phone in the home to call the police, but in my dream it was a device I’ve never seen before. I couldn’t get a call out and the train was coming around the track again, this time the horse was just being dragged. I woke up after that….angry that I hadn’t helped this horse.
Thank you it was a wonderful article-I just woke up so sad, in my dream I walked into a house of horses that were not being taken care of, when I approached a white horse it kicked me- I flew into the air…but I knew it was happening and I landed on my feet unharmed- then I kept trying to help them and get the owner of the home to feed and water them and there was nothing I could do for some reason-I felt like a prisoner also- so I began loving on them, grooming and consoling and talking to them, I woke up feeling distress and frustration, and sad.
Yesterday I shared my thoughts, feelings that I felt sorry for hurting them eveytime to my parents which is depressing me for a very long time and at night I slept peacefully after a long time with a thought of a new change in life . And At night I had a dream of seeing a horse and a unicorn and I was confused about it and At morning I opened this article and felt really happy after reading it. Thank you so much for making my day
i was in a dream and i was trapped in a room and there were a bunch of horeses acting like guards and everytime I tried to escape they would attack me. And I had to keep finding different ways to escape from this room. I remember in the dream I was very afraid and intimidated of the horses but yet I kept trying to escape even though they scared me
Seeing yourself riding a horse and the horse start talking to me like a sweet friend ever please can someone tell me the meaning of this dream
I dreamt that a horse who felt familiar, like I knew it when I was young, spoke to me. I believe I asked for his name and he said “Machita”
I am not sure if that is how it is spelt but I have been trying really hard to understand what it means.
I just had a dream in a series of wild dreams where three horses were pushing through a door to my house. I thought it was cute but then realized it was a bad idea and I might get hurt. So I tried to close the door they forced it open a few times but I think I closed the door. The horses were each a different color. One brown, one white, and one tan or yellow.
In my dream i own horses, they were all inside my room while i was creating part for the horses then my friends came and said the part you created is very beautiful in response i said yes but my fear was that someone might fall off from the decking while riding on the horses
Last night I had a dream where I was a white horse with a blue main and tail I was owned by some people and then I went in this field and encountered another horse who almost killed me and then I ran into a barn with other horses and was caught by some other people I didn’t know and they took me and showed me like I was a Show horse and the person ended up winning and I felt trapped.
I found, in my hometown, two horses(white and brown) running loose in a nearby field. At first, they got spooked and started to run away. But then they came running towards me, and the white one bumped me pretty good, but I didn’t fall, and laughed it off. We didn’t walk long, and both horses grew tired, and laid down. Then, I brought both to my neighbors house, and not too long after, and man and his young daughter arrived looking for the horses. When the daughter saw the brown one, she cried out “Susie!” And went to go hug the brown horse. The man explained that Susie has a bad hip. Then I woke up. What does this mean?
I dreamt I was in someone’s house which is true in Spain. And I walked past the neighbours land and saw loads of horses in a field. I knew I wasn’t supposed to but I looked at the tall black horse and called him. He run towards a gate I wasn’t aware of and all the other horses followed and was running away from me then the owners came out and was shouting at me . This was a dream but I remember as like I was there it seemed so real
In my dream there was a woman that seemed desperate for something, I find out it’s her pet horse and I take her to it, but it wasn’t really her horse. It was a culmination of tiny animals, almost like fruit flies, in the shape of a horse. When she found it she clung to it and started sobbing, stating how happy she was that she had finally found him. The feeling I got from this dream was really disconcerting.
Hi I had a premonition dream
That my horse was hurt and trapped in our shed, a few days later he was trapped behind some iron and cut his leg on it had to be treated by the vet.
I dreamed a bunch of woman and one man applying my body with green stuff, the other Lady keeps on saying( This is the lady I been talking about) after that i found myself in the dark outside yard but not my place washing my body, the second dream I was in a bush running horses pass through me, the was the white horse passing near me but politely. Can you interpret this
I had a dream of a small short pony horse that I planted grass into his back and the grass grew so long that the horse couldn’t see very well. another large brown horse was in my peripheral and we were walking this grass horse around in a garden. 🤓 I know it’s a dream but you haven’t seen everything until you’ve seen a horse whose fur is long grass and pink flowers.
Riding a horse but the horse is small and my feet touch/drag across the ground
I just dreamt that I had a brown horse, that I love so much. He was my world. The mist part if my dream was, he was playing with my daughter. Playing hide n seek. Having fun. Then my horse fell & broke his nose. It had disfigured his face. He was in terrible distress. I was in a state. Was literally in tears. ( Woke up still crying). In the dream I was trying to ring the vet, very hard. My horse had died in the meantime. Waiting for the vet. He then morphed into a fish? Puffed up? Then eventually turned into his dead horse shape, but, tiny? It was an awful dream. There where other bits & bobs to my dream, but, this stuck out as I have mostly forgotten the rest. I’m still sad
What does dreaming of an extra large 10-legged brown coloured horse that later transformed into a full grown man dressed in an all white attire, seeking your assistance to move on means?
Last night I had a dream about horse and it was my first time of seeing a horse in my dream.i was in the field with my family but my mom and dad and siblings were in the car so I was planning to join them because I was coming of somewhere then I saw the horse so I was scared and ran to my dad car getting there the horse is already closer to the car so it came near us acting as if it want to attack us so I came out of the car both my dad and mum but my sister was trying to get to the car so that the horse will not attack her because we were all scared buh unfortunately she would not because she was scared so the horse attacked her and the most shocking thing about it is that I did not see the horse or know if my sister is in the car buh later on it cause commotion in the town because I think the village head took someone responsible for the choas it cause in the community buh I did not see my sister there I did not even know her whereabouts but in my dream I saw that I was telling someone that I had already dreamt of what is happening now .but later in my dream I saw people and a woman shot arrrows to many horses and I think they died but I don’t know but the funniest thing I had someone telling her why did she shot arrrows at the horse and she replied “it killed her husband”
My dream is wierd and sad Idreamed about a three horses and I travel to a city and a man suddenly kills the three horses and then he fed them to me
Today I dream of a white unicon horse beside a dream water and on the top of the water there was a white ranbow before I woke up; but after I sleep back I saw my self on the horse carrying me to my boss office, but when rain is falling I came done from the horse and March him to ware there is no rain, den I woke up.
First time to dream of a horse. In my dream, i am finally trying to separate to my husband. He also helps me unpack and im not leaving my kids behind. And when i enter the car i am using there is a horse inside who is running around inside the car. But its not hurting me and my kids. The horse is with us inside the car even when we are travelling.
Last night I had a dream of a chestnut colored horse rearing up in front of me. I was not afraid. When I looked down instead of up, I noticed this horse was standing on one hoof. I was awestruck. The dream ended with that realization, but my subconscious mind wanted my conscious mind to remember this dream. Why? I have no idea!
At 72, I need to wake to use the toilet 2-3 times during the night. As usual, when the subconscious wants me to remember a dream, I wake up immediately during a critical meaning point of the dream, remembering it. I made a mental note to write it down in the morning. The next time my bladder was waking me, I told myself to remember the horse dream again & to write it down when I woke for the final time.
This morning, after an internet search, I found all sorts of meanings for a horse rearing. I did learn that a horse can stand on one hoof for about 30″ and on the two hind hoofs for about 1 minute. This particular horse in the dream had to be highly trained to become proficient in balance! Heck, most two-legged’s loose their balance quickly when trying to stand on one leg. This horse has a rare talent!
And so I pondered the meaning:
As a child about the age of reason, when asked what I wanted Santa to bring me for Christmas my reply was always a horse. How did I know anything about horses? There were no TV’s, only the radio, in the mid 1950’s. We listened to “Gunsmoke”, a western on the radio once a week. I can still her the sound of clipety-clops. A picture in a book, perhaps? I lived in a small town and was told that Santa could not give me a horse because it was illegal to own a horse in the borough. My mother worked for the Bell Telephone Company during WW2 as an overseas operator. One of her co-workers had a horse in a town about 7 miles to the north of where we lived. Mother didn’t know how to drive, but she somehow got her children to this lady’s house. There were other excited children eager to ride the horse when we got there. None more excited than me. I was the last one to sit on the horse and start out for a walk, because the horse reared up and threw me off. Perhaps she felt my excitement? The owner said that it was all too much for a horse unaccustomed to the usual noise of chattering children. I did not cry, nor did I experience fear over the horse rearing. I don’t remember falling to the ground, perhaps the the owner was holding on to me and pulled me off. I did not ask for a horse for Christmas after that, but my love for horses never dimmed. Gosh, I just remembered the horse’s name. She was called “Daisy Mae”.
I suspect in a prior lifetime I was Native American and rode many horses. I was born with bowed legs. This lifetime, I have never owned a horse, or lived on a farm. Both were waking dreams that never came true. I also fell in love with the “iron horse”, or a motorcycle. There is nothing more pleasurable than the wind in my face and my long hair flying in the breeze. Dogs with their heads hanging out a car windows know the joy of it. For that matter, horses know of the joy of wind in their faces too.
Perhaps the spirit of “Daisy Mae” returned in my dream to show me how she achieved mastery over her fear. I do not remember her being the color of chestnut, though. I’m sure the meaning will unfold over the next few days.
I dream about a Brown horse actually the person that has the horse look like a old time friend he come over to a place where I saw him keeping the horse in a safe place then I ask him I would like to go ride with his house he say okay then I ask him the rules on how to write a house and he told me then I ride a horse to a different places we shall never know before beautiful city across the road I close a beautiful Valley where children are coming back for school and I was enjoying it to the extent I know when to make you horse ride very fast unfortunately as I was coming back what I use to make the horse move was lost eaten by insect so I was figure out what to do then I come down and behold the Horse work slow and wait for me until I look for what to make her move back home, then I wake up form sleep
Last night I dreamt of 4 horses in the sky, in semi profile, stationary, yet in a charging pose.