Prey animals identify predators by smell and sight—including their view of eye position. One look at a human face, and the evolutionary equine brain knows we are predators. Because horses see us as natural predators, human eye contact has a warning effect.
Horses read humans in various ways, such as through our body posture, facial expressions, and attentiveness. Small actions such as a happy facial expression when approaching the horse can allow for a positive experience with the horse.
Horses don't seem to be able to reason about object size the way we do.
Horses eyes are eight times larger than human eyes, just as some other mammals' eyes are. Due to this, horse's eyeballs have oversized retinas which magnify everything a horse sees. For a horse, up-close objects look 50 per cent larger than they appear to humans.
Never look a horse in the eye
This common misconception comes from a very basic and old idea that horses are prey animals and because of that fact, they cannot tolerate the peering eyes of a predator. Many novice trainers and some more advanced trainers stick to this principle. But they are misguided.
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.
Horses may stare at you when they want your attention. If you are distracted or out of reach, your horse may stare at you to get you to focus on them. If there's a barrier such as a fence between you and your horse, they may stare at you since they can't reach you to nudge you.
A horse may also be very happy to see you if they trot over to you from the pasture when they see you coming. These are two common ways that horses show they are excited and eager to see you. Horses will become very relaxed when they are in the company of someone they love and trust.
According to results of a study conducted by researchers at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, horses do seem to read some signals to indicate whether a nearby person is stressed or afraid, at least in certain circumstances.
In other words, horses can recognize human faces and their emotional expressions, something that they then use to discern whether the person is a threat or not. This latest study was done by researchers at the universities of Sussex and Portsmouth and was published in the journal Current Biology.
Moreover, horses reacted in accordance with the valence of the vocalization, both behaviorally and physiologically (heart rate). These results show that horses can cross-modally recognize human emotions and react emotionally to the emotional states of humans, assessed by non-verbal vocalizations.
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 not only remember people who have treated them well, they also understand words better than expected, research shows. Human friends may come and go, but a horse could be one of your most loyal, long-term buddies if you treat it right, suggests a new study.
Horses exhibit higher heart rates when separated from a human, but don't show any preference for their owners over complete strangers, the team discovered. Swedish researchers started their work with the theory that positive reinforcement training on a horse was more likely to lead to them forming a strong attachment.
Horses are big animals, some more so than others, but they are so soft, fluffy and friendly it is only natural to want to pet them. The great thing is, most horses actually love when humans pet them. They will stand quietly for hours as you run your fingers over their soft hair.
Researchers confirmed that horses can smell specific odors in human sweat that reflect emotions like fear and happiness, which could open doors to a whole new way of understanding emotion transfer from human to horse, they say.
Unfamiliar sights and sounds can cause a spook. Horses have keen senses of vision and hearing, which means they may spook at things almost invisible to humans. The scent of a potential predator is also enough to scare a horse.
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.
Dogs often seem more loyal and protective of their owners than horses. One reason for this that according to history, dogs have been domesticated much longer than horses. Dogs will also willingly defend themselves and their “pack” from danger by standing their ground and even attacking.
Why do horses nudge you? 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.
Horses stomp to indicate irritation. Usually, it's something minor, such as a fly they're trying to dislodge. However, stomping may also indicate your horse is frustrated with something you are doing, and if you don't address it, he may resort to stronger signals.
Horses often run away to avoid an unpleasant experience. Veterinary procedures, hard workouts, and farrier visits can be particularly stressful, but some horses even find routine grooming, tacking up, and riding unpleasant.