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 appear to have dichromatic vision, (meaning they can see only two of the three primary colors). Thus, while horses can see colors along a continuous range from blue to yellow, they do not see reds, oranges, and greens in the same way humans see them.
Horses can see only two of the visible wavelengths in the light spectrum because they have only blue-sensitive cone cells and yellow-sensitive cone cells. Thus, they see blue, green, and variations of the two colors, but do not see red or shades of red.
Researchers have found that horses tend to respond negatively to colors such as yellow, white, black, and blue tones. Colors such as green, brown, red, and gray don't bother the horses, but they react less when these colors are on walls rather than the floors.
Some colors humans see look grey to horses. Even though horses can't see every color, they can see more than just grey, black, and white which is called monochromatic vision. Some studies have found that horses have a sort of red-green color blindness similar to that a human can have.
What's the most inviting color? Fear not–there's guidance in science. Researchers have found that horses react more to yellow, white, black, and blue floors, as compared to floors that are green, red, brown, or gray. Horses don't seem to mind these “less favorite” colors on walls rather than floors.
For a particularly edgy or nervous horse, simply painting the inside of his stall a soothing green or blue will help calm him. For a low-energy ungrounded steed, the color red might be most beneficial.
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.
Horses have less depth perception that humans
While his visual range is wide, there is a trade-off: The placement of the horse's eyes decreases the possible range of binocular vision to around 65 degrees on a horizontal plane, occurring in a triangular shape primarily in front of the horse's face.
Wolves and mountain lions (also known as cougars or pumas) pose the biggest threat, but packs of coyotes, feral dogs, or even alligators have been known to attack young or injured horses.
And then other trainers say you should avoid direct eye contact altogether as this will frighten the horse because it will make them think you are stalking them.
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.
Thanks to the larger numbers of rods and the tapetum lucidum, your horse has superior night vision. Galloping at full speed through the woods and pastures is no problem for equines. In fact, they see nearly as well in the dark as they do during the day.
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.
Many farms choose black fencing for its visibility in snowy weather and tendency not to show dirt. Brown is a more subtle color and offers a more natural look; coordinating well with tan and neutral barn/house colors. Dirt and mud are also harder to see on brown fencing.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Horses have natural instinct to protect their owners. This instinct is rooted in their evolutionary history. Horses are not protective by nature as they are prey animals, commonly adapting a flight response for survival. A horse will usually protect its life by running away from dangers such as hunting predators.
Let the horse release some of its nervous energy by giving it a simple and familiar task. Doing one or two basic training exercises or going for a brisk trot can put your horse's attention elsewhere and lessen their anxiety. “He [the horse] can think of just one thing at a time,” said Zdenek.
According to color psychologists, the most stressful and anxiety-inducing color is 'red'. Red room ideas can be too intense for some people – could your red decor be one of the reasons why your friends hate your house? It reminds us of danger and is a color that makes you angry.
Calming supplements for horses use specialized formulas that can include ingredients such as magnesium, theanine, thiamine, valerian, chamomile, and vervain. These ingredients may help support your horse's nervous system, contributing to a calmer and happier horse.