The horse, just like humans, has five senses. Sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell, but also inherited instincts, something that humans largely lack. In addition, horses are largely creatures of habit. All of these senses and other characteristics are much more developed in horses than in humans. In all work with horses, care, training, showing and riding, it is important to know how these senses and insights affect the horse. If we have this knowledge, we can achieve faster training results and train the horse to get used to what it may experience as dangerous or unpleasant.
Horses are also herd animals. The herd not only provides social cohesion but also security. The herd can collectively detect approaching danger more quickly and collectively face or flee from it. The herd also provides higher individual security because predators concentrate on one prey, not the entire herd.
What we can learn from this
• Horses seek out a herd for social and safety reasons. This means that a horse that does not have a herd makes contact with its handler more easily, but also that it seeks and needs friends when the handler is not there. The horse is not predictable, a rabbit, a cat, a dog, a sheep… Anything is, from the horse’s point of view, better than being alone.
• A lonely horse becomes more alert to possible dangers.
• The horse is a creature of habit. It cannot tell the time, but it knows approximately when it usually gets fed, exercised and so on. Try to keep the same routine all the time, this makes the horse feel more secure. For example, going to a competition or show the day before and letting the horse sleep in an unfamiliar stable can make it anxious and lead to a worse result. If it must be done anyway, take the horse out for a long walk so it has a chance to calm down and see its surroundings before the competition/show.
View
In relation to its body size, the horse, along with the moose, has the largest eyes of all land mammals. Their location, one on each side of the head, means that the horse can see almost 360 degrees around it self. It is only what is directly behind the horse that it cannot see and a part directly in front of the nose. The Arabian horse, due to its concave nose, can see somewhat more that it cannot see and a part directly in front of the nose. The Arabian horse, due to its concave nose, can see somewhat more directly in front of it than other horse breeds.
The horse has a dominant eye, usually the left, which may explain why most horses prefer to be saddled from the left side. The location of the eyes means that horses can never see what they are chewing. Horses have good vision in both light and darkness. In a comparison study in daylight between humans, horses and cats, it was shown that the details a human perceived at a distance of about 13 meters were perceived by a horse at a distance of about 6 meters, and the details a cat perceived at a distance of 6 meters were perceived by a human at a distance of about 50 meters2. To vary its field of vision, the horse raises its head to see at longer distances and lowers it to see at shorter distances.
Horses have good night vision, much better than humans, but it takes a long time for the horse’s eye to adapt from light to darkness (adaptation). It can take up to an hour before the horse’s eye has fully adapted to new lighting conditions.
Horses do not see colors like we do. The horse’s eye is dichromatic while the human eye is trichromatic. This means that horses have the same color blindness that is also found in some people. They can perceive blue, yellow and gray shades, but not red and green. Studies have shown that horses have more difficulty detecting obstacles that are solid colors or have the same colors as the ground covering3.
Imaging that you are out riding on a field and at the end of the field you stop the horse and sit there looking on the view in front of you. This is what you see
Below is a simplified picture of how most scientist belive that your horse se the same view;
Please note that the grey field is where the horse see nothing because that the eyes is on each side of the head, also note that the size of the grey zone is not exact and that the yellow colours probably not are exact either, most of the trees have a redbrown steam and that probably looks mor yellow-grey for the horse. The picture is only to give an idea of the difference between how humans and horses see the world and not to be interpreted as exact.
Horses also perceive small movements in their field of vision and act on them. This is part of the inherited instincts since horses were wild and had to react quickly to what could pose a danger.
Horses vision does not work quite like ours. What the horse’s right eye sees is carried via the right optic nerve up to the right part of the visual center and what the left eye sees is carried via the left optic nerve up to the left side of the visual center. In the visual center, the images are magnified up to 50 times, but between the two images is the horse’s blind spot, depending on the position of the eyes. In the near field, the eyes do not see the same thing.
What we can learn from this
• Never approach a horse directly from behind, it will not see you and when you get close and maybe touch it, it may kick backwards believing that there is danger behind it. Regardless of which side you approach the horse from, get its attention by talking to it.
• Never stand directly in front of and close to a horse. There is a high risk that it will not see you. If something happens behind the horse that scares it, it may therefore run straight at you.
• When training a horse to enter a new stable or a horse carriage, make sure that they are well lit from the inside, otherwise the horse may refuse because it only sees a black unknown hole.
• When jumping, it is important to give the horse free rein well in advance of the obstacle so that it can decide for itself at what height it wants its head to be. If you don’t give the horse free rein, the horse may discover the obstacle too late
• No matter what you do with a horse, never wear uniform red or green clothing, as this will make it difficult for the horse to perceive that you are there and therefore also your commands.
• Train the horse’s instinctive reactions away by waving plastic bags or similar on both sides of it.
• If a horse experiences something as a danger, it must be trained not to perceive it as a danger from both the right and left sides. What the right eye has conveyed to the right part of the visual center, the left part of the visual center has no knowledge of.
• The horse wants to be in control of what is happening in its surroundings. Therefore, approach and always begin all work with the horse from its most dominant side, usually the left.
Hearing
The horse’s hearing organs are anatomically similar to those of humans, with an outer ear, ear canal, eardrum, auditory ossicles, and inner ear. However, horses can also prick up their ears to hear better and twist them to better localize where sound is coming from. They Image by rihaij from Pixabay can also pull their ears back to block out sounds, but ears that are pulled back can also indicate that the horse is uncomfortable with the situation, or that it perceives danger. Just like humans, horses’ hearing deteriorates as they age.
Horses can perceive a wider range of sounds than humans, both low and high sounds. If we combine this with the horse’s instinctive heritage, we come to the conclusion that horses can react to loud sounds by either flinching or rearing up. Most horses do not like that we touch their ears. It is not the toutch itself they dislike, but when we touch their ears we in some way block a part of theire hearing and hearing is an important sence for horses. If a horse accept that you touch the ears it means that it feel very comfortable and safe with you.
What we can learn from this
• If the horse is to be kept in an area where there may be loud bangs, gunshots or fireworks, for example, it must be trained for this first.
• Horses can also react to relatively low, sharp sounds, such as when a branch breaks. It is the inherited instinct that tells the horse that this may be a sign of approaching danger.
Sence of touch
The horse has very sensitive skin. Anyone who has seen a horse on summer pasture will understand this and how, when an insect lands on it, it shakes them off with the help of muscles under the skin. Particularly sensitive areas are the underside of the body, the withers, the mane comb, the head and the muzzle. It is believed that touching these parts increase the horse’s endorphin and by that well-being.
Mane
The horse’s mane has several functions. It is to protect the neck during fights, but also against insects and the sun. The horse’s mane usually falls to the right and although the mane is not judged at, for example, beauty shows, most people prefer a mane that falls to the right. If the horse has a mane that falls to the left, you can force it to fall to the right by simply combing it to the right. The mane itself is not sensitive. It consists only of insensitive hairs, but the mane comb is considered a sensitive area that gives the horse an endorphin boost when touched.
Withers
The same goes for the withers. When one horse scratches another, it usually happens at the withers or the end of the mane.
Head, muzzle, mouth
These areas also have thinner skin and are therefore more sensitive for touch. Most horses like to be scratched under their forehead, for example. The muzzle is extra sensitive. This can be assumed to be because the horse itself cannot see this area. This is also where the mouth and nostrils are located, which are the entrances to two other important senses, taste and smell.
It happens, especially before beauty contests, that the muzzle hair is cut off. This is actually a way to reduce the horse’s quality of life. The muzzle hair partly fulfills the same function as a cat’s whiskers, that is, they are sensory receptors. They help the horse feel where the ground is so that it does not put its muzzle in the ground when it is about to graze. In addition, the horse uses the muzzle hair to brush away dirt from what it is about to eat.
Ears, neck and legs
These also have thinner skin and touching the neck can be appreciated by the horse, while it is often the opposite with the ears. Hearing is very important to the horse, so it can be irritated if the ears are touched. If a horse lets you touch its ears, it is a sign that it has complete trust in you in the situation you are in. The legs also have slightly thinner skin than the body itself.
What we can learn from this
• Horses have sensitive skin. Certain areas are believed to increase the horse’s endorphin levels when touched. Take advantage of this to gain the horse’s trust and to calm a stressed horse. When riding, pat it on the withers to tell it that you think the horse is behaving well. From the ground, caress and scratch the areas where it is extra receptive. This will give the horse a feeling of well-being.
• When riding, we use reins and legs to get the horse to take us where we want, but remember that a horse can feel when an insect lands on it. No strong reins or jerks in the reins are needed to get the horse to follow the direction you want, this can hurt the horse’s mouth and cause the skin to thicken where you give helps with your legs. A slight relaxation of the rein on one side and holding on to the side you want to steer the horse to while you lightly lean on the opposite side and lean a little in the direction you want the horse to go works better. Too much rein and leg work can create a difficult and reluctant horse.
Sense of taste
Horses have a well-developed sense of taste, and they can distinguish between different tastes, including sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. Horses generally prefer sweet and salty tastes, and they dislike bitter or sour tastes. They have taste receptors in the roof of their mouth and on the back of their tongue. Horses have around 25,000 taste buds, compared to humans’ approximately 10,000. Salt is particularly important for the well-being of horses. Horses need salt to replace losses through urine, faeces and sweat. The recommended amount of salt varies depending on the horse’s activity level. A maintenance dose for a 500kg horse is around 25 grams per day, while hard-working horses may need up to 60 grams or more. Pure salt without iodine, such as Himalayan salt, is suitable and can be given via salt rock or mixed into the food. A lack of salt may be manifested by abnormal licking of soil or other objects, anorexia, lethargy, unsteady gait or loss of skin vitality.
Horses prefer fresh grass before hay. Grass is juicier and has a sweeter taste. They prefer beetroot to hay for the same reason, as beetroot is made from sugar beets. Horses can be picky about food and water. They avoid eating in certain areas of the pasture because they think the taste is not good. there. They avoid eating poisonous plants (although in some cases they are fooled by the sweet taste of the plant). They may refuse to drink water in a new place because it tastes different from home.
What we can learn from this
If you are going to travel with your horse somewhere to compete, for example, it is not the horse’s fault if the results are worse than expected. You are the one who must ensure that the horse has access to what it is used to and likes. If you do not do this, you can expect a worse result than what the horse is capable of. Remember that the horse is a creature of habit and that most of the horse’s senses are more developed than yours.
Sense of smell
Horses have a very well-developed sense of smell. It was something they needed to develop as wild horses to be able to detect if there was a predator nearby that they did not see, but also to find water, for example. In the pasture, you can see the horse smelling droppings. In this way, it can determine which of the other horses has done its business there. If the horse smells a mare’s urine, it can determine whether she is in heat and so on. You can also see certain areas in the pasture where the horses do not eat. Most often this is because they do not like the smell or taste there, the same applies to water. If there is an off-taste in the water, they may refuse to drink it. In the back of the nasal cavities is the olfactory mucosa where inhaled air passes and odorants stick to the mucosa’s odor receptors. The horse’s olfactory mucosa is much larger than the human olfactory mucosa. This is a sign that smells are more important to horses than to humans.
What we can learn from this
- The sense of smell is important for the horse. For example, if it is windy, it may become anxious because it cannot perceive the scents from all directions. Understand the horse’s anxiety and take it to a place where it can feel safer, such as the stable.
Other things
The horse’s memory
Horses have a well-developed long-term memory. Short-term memory does not seem to be as well-developed or has not been explored as much. There are studies that show that short-term memory in horses extends to somewhere between 10 and 30 seconds. Human short-term memory is about the same length. Long-term memory is also called remote memory and working memory, while short-term memory is also called immediate memory. To understand this about memory functions, we must start by understanding what is meant by the expressions and why we have two different kinds of memories. Let’s take humans as an example. Most people learned to ride a bike as children. We understood quite quickly that we had to pedal to make the bike move, but it took us longer before we could keep our balance, steer and brake. After many attempts, we had everything in place. Now we can ride a bike even though it had been 10 years since we sat on a bike. What we practiced a lot has stuck in our long-term memory. We continue with an example of our short-term memory. You are out walking and get a small stone in your shoe. You take off your shoe, empty it, put it on and move on. After a short time you have forgotten the event. Memory has an important function, without it we would not learn anything, but we cannot load our long-term memory with everything we experience, which is why we have short-term memory, which acts as a kind of filter for what is to be passed on to long-term memory.
What we have practiced a lot on gets stuck in our long-term memory, but also positive and negative experiences end up there. Sometimes memory tricks us, it is called déjà vu and means that we recognize a place or situation even though we have not been there or experienced the situation. This is because, for example, we may have been in a place with the same people and under similar conditions our memory brings it up and we believe that we have been to the place before even though we know that we have never been there, or we get a strong feeling of what will happen next. Déjà vu is simply a confusion of the past (memory) and the present.
Horses’ memory works similarly to ours. What they are often given to practice, they learn, but they also remember unpleasant as well as pleasant events. Imagine the following situation. The horse is standing in the pasture and looking out towards the road that runs alongside. A yellow car is coming on the road, the horse is looking at it and just as the car passes the horse, it gets a loud bang from the carburetor. The horse gets scared and runs away. The experience ends up as an unpleasant memory for the horse, but it can misinterpret the situation and connect the bang with the color of the car and suddenly it can start to shy away from the color yellow or it refuses to go to the same place again.
What we can learn from this
• When training the horse, we should be consistent in our commands, both with voice and with the helps we use. This makes learning faster.
• If the horse changes its behavior, analyze the situation to try to understand what could be the cause so that you can train it away from the horse.
Horse’s language comprehension
Just like dogs, horses can learn to understand simpler words if they are used consistently. For example, the command to stop, gallop, its name, and so on (if the horse has a long or complicated name, give it a simpler nickname that is easier for the horse to remember).
The horse’s ability to find theire way
Horses learn to find their way home from places they have walked or ridden frequently, using a combination of memory, vision, and smell.
The horse’s emotions
Horses have the same emotions as we have. This means they can feel happy, sad, worried, comfortable, angry, afraid, secure, and so on. They can also read the emotions of other animals and people, and the emotions they read from others affect their own behavior.
Final words about the horse’s senses
Here, the horse’s senses, inherited instincts and experienced events have been reported separately, but the horse combines everything at the same time and builds a perception of it and that is what determines the horse’s reaction. Therefore, you must analyze the entire situation to get it to change its behavior. Finally. When you are with the horse, regardless of whether it is to visit, care for, exercise, train or compete, complete presence is required. Turn off your mobile phone, shut out all thoughts that are not related to what is to be done, it is only the here and now that matters. If you do this, both you and the horse will have a better experience and achieve results faster.
