Horses Can Interpret Human Expressions And Emotions
Horses are animals that are very receptive and sensitive to stimuli from their environment. Horses can interpret our expressions and, joining them to the tone of our voice, can perceive human emotions.
How do horses manage to interpret human emotions?
Horses are able to interpret our emotions. As social animals, they learned to identify and communicate with their peers and humans, with whom they have lived for thousands of years.
In addition to interpreting the person’s facial expression, they also integrate it into the tone of voice, whether they already know it or not. They are able to equate a friendly face with a calm tone of voice, or an angry face with grunts and screams.
Faced with negative stimuli, such as an angry face, horses turn their heads and look sideways with their left eye, as it is the right cerebral hemisphere that processes the threat signals.
His heart rate also accelerates and he becomes restless, with clear signs of stress. This specialization of the brain helps to anticipate negative situations.
Horses are communicative animals
In the wild, horses usually live in groups led by a mare and are prey to other animals. So they developed a complete language to communicate with each other.
The main form of communication for these horses is visual. Horses can interpret their companions’ body language by the position of their ears, head, legs and overall body. Auditory communication is also very important.
Horses neigh, roar and emit a series of guttural sounds to convey different sensations:
- Communicate your location to the rest of the group.
- Warn another horse of a danger.
- Welcome another individual.
- Convey affection or happiness.
- As a sign of courtship.
- To find the puppies.
Yes, horses can interpret human human emotions
We can communicate with horses through facial language, body language and the tone of our voice, as they can interpret human emotions. This is the fact that has guided Monty Roberts throughout his professional career. He became known as the man who listens to horses .
Roberts is a famous horse training and natural dressage expert who has based all his work on horse communication.
In this way, he establishes a relationship of respect and understanding between the equine and the human, leaving behind concepts such as dominance or punishment, methods that only affect the animals’ fear and frustration.
The equine language of Monty Roberts
Its method is called join up and follow up , and it aims to establish a voluntary partnership between horse and man, without the use of pain or force, to make the horse accept a saddle, a bridle and a person about it.
This is all not new. The language of the horse, called equs , is based on a sign system and was invented by the Chikasaw Indians, and later used by horsemen all over the world.
This language has three types of basic signs: body postures – which include the movements of the head, eyes, lips and ears –, tail and sounds. Roberts has identified more than 170 gestures through which humans can communicate with horses.
As you can see, the communication with the horse is a reciprocal action. Horse and human are senders and receivers of information.
The man, through his gestures, posture and voice, makes horses able to interpret and respond through the position of their ears, head and body, in addition to neighing.
