Horses can also discriminate emotions both intra- and interspecifically: they react differently when facing pictures of positive or negative facial expressions of both humans [26,32,33] and conspecifics [34] and when hearing positive or negative nonverbal vocalizations from humans [35] and conspecifics [30].
Research shows that horses recognize and react to human emotions expressed by facial cues alone. We've all been taught that horses can readily pick up on our anxiety, anger and other emotions from our body language. Now, research from England suggests that they can read our facial expressions as well.
Horses can read human emotions, too, often in uncannily accurate ways; alerting us to our sadness or nervousness, sometimes before we've even consciously registered it.
Horses can read human facial expressions and remember a person's mood, a study has shown. The animals respond more positively to people they have previously seen smiling and are wary of those they recall frowning, scientists found.
“And when in a horses' presence, the human's nervous system automatically syncs up with the horse. They can sense everything that's going on in your body – your thoughts, your energy and the other most important amazing thing standing by a horse being in their presence can calm your entire body.”
Horses probably cannot telepathically read a person's mind, but some horses might seem to do so by learning to respond to subtle and unconscious intention movements that precede a rider's deliberate cues.
Horses do bond with humans and their relationship with soldiers was likely stronger than those developed prior, considering the highly emotional environment. Currently, most horses are companion and therapy animals, meaning humans greatly value their relationships.
“Horses generally neigh to attract attention of other horses or of people.” She adds that it can also be “a sign of separation anxiety or a sign of social isolation.
One of the more popular Internet horse searches begs the simple, sweet question, “Can a horse love you?” The short answer, of course, is a resounding yes. We know that animal love is a different emotion than that of human love.
One study conducted in Sweden confirmed that horses sense the anxiety of their riders and experience an increased heart rate at the same time as their human companions. This may be why it is said that horses can sense fear when a new human is attempting to handle them.
Many experts agree that horses do, in fact, remember their owners. Studies performed over the years suggest that horses do remember their owners similar to the way they would remember another horse. Past experiences, memories, and auditory cues provide the horse with information as to who an individual is.
Yes, they do. Very much so. And they have long memories for both the humans they've bonded with in a positive way and the ones who have damaged or abused or frightened them. The depth of the connection depends greatly on several things, not the least of which is the amount of time the human spends with the animal.
If a horse is grazing in a field and they come towards you when you are around you can be sure they like you. Horses that follow your movements in their presence show they are focused on and give you 100% of their attention. If your horse follows you around when they see you, they consider you as a friend.
Do horses like humans? Studies have shown that horses express positive emotional reactions to some humans, and negative emotional reactions to others, indicating that horses are capable of developing a strong positive bond with a human.
Coming to You
If a horse comes to you when you walk out into the pasture, not because they expect food but because they recognize you, then they are showing affection.
Researchers from Sweden's Linkoping University believe that, while horses seem to relax when they're around people, they don't necessarily form bonds with specific humans, The New York Post reports.
Some report you should use soft eye contact when dealing with horses, meaning you can look at the horse but also keep a wide field of view. Other trainers indicate hard contact is preferred to establish your dominance over the herd.
Like primates, horses share many of the social and ethological characteristics believed to favor an ability to experience empathy.
Horses and Mental Health
Equine therapy also decreases negative symptoms in adolescents with depression and anxiety. In one study, participants reported feeling less depressed, and having greater psychological wellbeing, immediately after participating in equine therapy, and six months later!
The present study shows that beyond remembering what they have learned or the interactions they have had with humans, horses also have an excellent memory of people and particularly of their faces.
Have you ever been nudged by a horse? Horses use body language to communicate with humans (and other horses), and one of the ways they do this is through touch. Nudging is a way for a horse to get your attention, which can signify affection or impatience.
In the end, horses do understand intentions—perhaps even better than we do, she added. “Horses are able to perceive our goals, but I can't say the opposite is necessarily true,” said Lansade. “Being able to read the goals of another species isn't all that obvious.”
Your horse's tail will swing freely, evenly, and loosely when happy and relaxed. A sign of deep relaxation is that your horse's jaw may hang loosely with a soft eye. Your horse may rear up with its front leg or paw at the ground. No worries!
In the wild, as well as in domestic care, horses will show affection to one another by sharing breath with one another. Horses will put their noses together and then share the air. This tendency extends to horses showing love to their owners as well.
When a trained horse becomes frustrated with the rider, the signs may be as subtle as a shake of his head or tensing/hollowing of his body, or as blatant as swishing the tail, kicking out or flat out refusing to do what the rider asks.