Horses are the classic far-sighted beings, although they are considered to have poor sight. It might seem that due to the very wide visual field, they should see the person sitting on their back, however it's not the case, because the rider is in their blind spot.
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 use two-forms of vision, monocular and binocular. Monocular vision allows the horse to see on both sides of his head, meaning the left eye and the right eye work independently and see different views. Binocular vision allows the horse to use both eyes together to see directly ahead.
Do horses see things bigger? 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.
Visual field
This means horses have a range of vision of about 350°, with approximately 65° of this being binocular vision and the remaining 285° monocular vision. This provides a horse with the best chance to spot predators.
The first thing we teach a person 'walking' a horse is to look forward, (not at them), or the horse won't follow you. As you refine your riding skills, eventually you will just look where you want to go and the horse will oblige.
Horses, with their monocular/binocular vision, may also see objects larger than they really are. You may appear to be ten feet tall to a horse! Horses have much better night vision than we do. This is possible because of the tapetum, a highly reflective area in the back of the eye.
In one study, the heart rhythms of horses and humans were analyzed over the course of various interactions with one another. The findings indicated that horses care capable of detecting when a human is expressing and projecting positive feelings towards them and is likely to reciprocate those positive feelings.
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.
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.
In some cases, such as with a fearful horse, they may stare at you to try and assess whether you will hurt them or if you are a predator that will eat them. A horse that's being defensive may turn their face to you, raise their head, and stare at you to try and intimidate you.
They may rest their head on you when you're near them or give you a nudge to get your attention. Horses also blow air on each other through their nostrils. If your horse breathes on your face, this is a sign of affection and that they consider you part of their family. Horses also use vocalizations to show affection.
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.
What emotions do horses have? Horses feel both their own feelings and yours, too. Horses feel anger, jealousy, sadness, loss, joy, happiness, “the blues,” and are capable of developing very deep bonds with the right person.
Some horses have been reported to gradually become more anxious when a mirror is left in their stable. Some have become aggressive and repeatedly attacked the mirror if it is not removed, even when they have never shown signs of aggression previously (I know of several who have injured themselves as a result of this).
Similarly, the horse appears to be able to recognize individuals and process faces. Studies have shown it capable of cross-modal recognition of its conspecifics (Proops et al., 2009).
Horses also understand words better than expected, according to the research, and possess "excellent memories," allowing horses to not only recall their human friends after periods of separation, but also to remember complex, problem-solving strategies for ten years or more.
In short, horses' neighs are meant to reflect their emotions. They may neigh to communicate anxiety or confidence. Horses also neigh to locate other horses. Finally, many horses neigh to greet their owner or other horses.
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.
Horses don't sleep all night like we do.
Instead of falling into a deep sleep every night, horses typically spend their nights alternating between rest and activity. They might take a short snooze standing up, graze for a while, and then stretch out on their side to get a few minutes of deep sleep.
Horses can identify some colors; they see yellow and blue the best, but cannot recognize red. One study showed that horses could easily tell blue, yellow and green from gray, but not red. Horses also have a difficulty separating red from green, similar to humans who experience red/green color blindness.
Horses DON'T form attachment bonds with their owners despite what equine enthusiasts might think - but they do regard humans as 'safe havens' Horses think of humans as 'safe havens' but don't form attachment bonds with their owners - despite what equine enthusiasts might think, a new study reveals.