2) Leaning on you Sharing body contact is one of the main ways horses share affection. Since horses don't have hands to hold or arms to give hugs, gentle leans and even “neck hugs” express their love.
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.
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. If a horse picks up its head from eating to come over to where you are, your horse has just shown that you are more important than their food!
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.
Horse's read your energy before you even are near them. If you are nervous physically, yet you put a smile on your face and pretend all is well, your horse will know by your body language that you are not calm. Horse's react to your energy and states more than your feelings.
You might think it strange or scary but the horse may be trying to say hello to you. When two horses meet each other for the first time, they usually stand nose to nose breathing into each others nostrils. Some (not all) horses try to do this with humans.
Horses are generally very sensitive on their heads, so it's best to start petting them on their neck. The neck, withers and shoulders are the best places to pet a horse. Horses enjoy being stroked and scratched in these areas.
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 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].
One way horses often show affection is by licking. When a horse licks you, it usually means that it likes or trusts you. Horses also lick people as a sign of submission. If a horse licks you while you are grooming or riding it, it is probably trying to show you that it trusts and respects you.
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.
What is labelled disrespect usually involves things the horse does that the person does not like: crowding space, ignoring cues, barging over the person, standing too close, biting, kicking, pinning ears, rubbing his head on the person, not standing still, turning hindquarters towards the person, spooking and not ...
Some horses enjoy having their heads and ears rubbed. Horses often groom each other on the whither, so this would be a good place to try too.
Aside from his name, a word such as 'come' or 'here' works well. You can also whistle, as long as you are able to whistle loudly, because your horse will need to be able to hear you when you're eventually calling him from greater distances.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Horses don't like you or dislike you randomly. They react to how you make them feel—safe and content or anxious and uncomfortable. Analyzing the mistakes you make and the reactions of your horse will help you find the answers and bring your relationship with your horse to a whole new level.
The authors claim this is because horses appear to view humans as safe, and they are calmed by our presence, but they don't appear to be affected by the presence of specific people. In other words, they don't seem to care about which one of us is around them.
Bugs, bugs and more bugs!
Not only do flies and mosquitoes drive your horse crazy, but they bother you too.