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Horses have been integral to the lives of humans for thousands of years, playing vital roles in transportation, agriculture, sport, competition, and even war. These amazing creatures are considered among the most intelligent domesticated animals in the world, evident through their excellent memory, learning capabilities, and problem solving skills. Although they are typically gentle and peaceful creatures, their sheer size and power can make them rather intimidating, and they are certainly capable of inflicting some serious damage if they feel threatened, injured, or are spooked. But they rarely attack humans or other animals, and will avoid a fight when possible. Horse-related injuries are more likely to be the result of poor judgement, poor handling, or poor timing on the human’s part, than any deliberate action from the horse.
Given what we know about a horse’s intelligence, do horses recognize humans? While it’s always hard to definitively answer such a question unless it comes straight from the horse’s mouth, research into the subject points toward yes; something to which millions of horse lovers around the world will no doubt attest. Let’s dig a bit deeper to find out what horses really think when they see us.
Do Horses Recognize Their Owners?
Animal behaviorists conducted and published a study that indicated horses could recognize humans and distinguish humans through visual and auditory cues. In other words, a horse can associate a human’s voice with their face. The study was conducted by having two people stand on either side of a horse, with one person being familiar to the horse, and the other a stranger. They then played an audio recording from a hidden speaker of both the stranger’s voice and the familiar person’s voice. Incredibly, the horse looked more at the familiar person’s voice rather than the stranger’s.
Subsequent studies published confirmed that horses can match human faces with corresponding voices. Most of the horses used in the experiment passed, indicating that horses use what’s called multi-modal recognition, meaning they can use more than one sense to identify humans. A theory suggests that horses need to identify humans to know if they are trustworthy, as horses have a strong instinct to protect themselves from potential threats.
What Do Horses Think of Humans?
Horses are prey animals and are always on guard to self-protect. Our goal as humans should be to convey to a horse that we are not a threat, even though we look and smell differently and could be considered predators. Interestingly, horses can usually tell rather quickly whether or not you are a danger, and if they feel you are a threat, watch out! A situation of this kind can result in significant injury to a human if the horse reacts defensively.
Once a horse determines that you are not a threat, they will often test the boundaries, trying to work out if you are a confident leader, or someone they can ignore or play up to. Of course, every horse is different, but it is always wise to move slowly but with confidence. Horses are great at detecting nerves and uncertainty, and are more likely to respond favorably to calm, steady movements as you approach.
Keep in mind that even though well-trained and well-behaved horses may seem calm on the surface, even the gentlest of horses are still driven by their survival instincts including a fight-or-flight response, herd behavior, and heightened environmental awareness.
However, horses that have been neglected or abused by a human will develop negative emotions around humans, regardless of how well you treat them after the trauma has already occurred by someone else. It takes time and patience to convey to an abused horse that you are one of the good guys, and sadly, some horses in that situation never overcome the fear of being in a human’s presence.
When treated consistently with the proper care, handling, and trust-based training, horses can most definitely form a special bond with humans. These gentle giants are even used in equine-assisted therapy due to their delicate and sweet nature. This therapy is excellent for those suffering from anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), autism, and other conditions.
Tips for Keeping Your Horse Safe
Caring for a horse is an enormous responsibility and should not be taken lightly. It is an ongoing expense that you need to ensure you have the funds to take care of the horse properly, but owning a horse is also a rewarding experience when done correctly. A horse requires a balanced diet based primarily on high-quality forage (grass and hay), ideally with access to pasture to graze throughout the day. They also will drink roughly 5-15 gallons of water per day and roughly 20 pounds of forage (grass and hay) per day and consume about 1.5 – 2% of their body weight in dry matter daily.
Groom your horse daily to remove dead hair, dirt, and dust. Grooming is an excellent opportunity to create a bond between you and your horse, and it will become a joyful experience for you both. Allow your horse to be turned out daily for exercise, and ensure your horse does not have access to toxic plants or unsafe fencing.
Conclusion
Horses are amazing animals that deserve to be treated with dignity and respect by humans. Studies indicate that horses can recognize humans and will remember both positive and negative emotions created by humans in their presence. The bottom line is if you take care of your horse, you will, in return, gain an enormous friend that will give you a rewarding experience.
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Featured Image Credit: Lorri Lang, Pixabay
