Equestlife – Everything Equestrian

There are countless stories of horses being excited to be reunited with other horses after a long separation. There is not much scientific evidence to support this claim, but horse owners everywhere can attest to the fact that horses remember each other. Do horses remember each other? Yes, there is anecdotal evidence and scientific thinking to support the idea that horses remember each other. Read on to find out how horses recognize one another and why this recognition is important. How Horses Recognize Each Other Horses use their powerful senses to recognize each other. Carey A. Williams discusses how these senses impact communication and show that horses remember each other and communicate in the article, “The Basics of Equine Behavior,” published by Equine Science Center. Horses rely on four things to help them remember each other: HearingVisionTouchBodysignals and cues Sense of Hearing Horses communicate verbally, and verbalizations are used to express different things. A squeal from a stallion of the herd might indicate a threat.A nicker might be a courtship call, but it could also be communication between a male and a foal. Whinnies are used to locate other horses because the sound carries over a distance. Even when they cannot see each other, this communication continues back and forth.A horse may make a blowing sound, which is another way to send a warning. Horses have a wonderful sense of hearing, and it is one of the ways a horse recognizes the identity of the horses around them. Sense of Vision Horses may not see color well, but their depth perception is fantastic. Because their eyes are on the sides of their heads, they can see two things at once to create a panoramic view of the world. In addition to their impressive depth perception, they can sense movement quite well. With this fantastic sense of vision comes the ability to recognize expressions, which are social signals, and remember the cues those expressions mean well after the encounter. A horse can remember how you felt based on your expression even hours after seeing you. Research done by Leanne Proops, Kate Grounds, Amy Victoria Smith, and Karen McComb that was published in Current Biology revealed that, after horses were shown pictures of humans with a negative expression, they reacted to those humans face-to-face in a manner that suggests they remembered the human with a negative association. The horses' reactions suggest that horses, being social herd animals, can remember several individuals, read their social cues, and take in this information to decide how to approach them later. Sense of Touch Horses who are reunited after not seeing each other for a while often show affection by not only the noises they make but by touch. They may groom one another or rest their heads on each other. Horses are very sensitive to touch. By grooming and resting their heads on one another, they show affection and communicate with one another. Body Signals and Cues Horses let each other know how they are feeling with body language. They may not be able to talk to humans, but they speak to each other. A horse might use their tail to show if they are alert or tired. The tail may even swish if a horse is irritated. A horse that is pawing at the ground might be frustrated or stomping out of protest. A horse has facial expressions of their own, as well. If a horse has open jaws and exposed teeth, you may want to tread carefully because they may attack. Flared nostrils indicate excitement while showing the whites of their eyes is a sign of fear or anger. The Power of Social Relationships From an evolutionary standpoint, it has benefitted horses to rely on strategies like having a strong social bond with others in the herd. These social relationships used to keep them safe from predators. However, since horses were domesticated such a long time ago, the persistence of these behaviors is curious. Some behaviors do not disappear, as noted by Machteld C. van Deirendonck in his research titled “The Importance of Social Relationships in Horses.” The social behaviors of horses may not be necessary to keep them alive in a domestic setting, but it is a balance of stress and reward. Social behaviors feel good and reduce stress. Long-Term Memory Means Survival Horses live in herds for several reasons. They have safety in numbers because every member of the herd is looking out for one another. If any trouble is near, they can warn one another. Horses must remember each other because their survival depends on it. Robin Foster points out in “Do Horses Remember Each Other?” that a social group of herd animals like horses depends on recognizing those who are friends, competitors, neighbors, and strangers that may be a threat. Horses are known to have fantastic long-term memories. It may depend on the relationship between horses or how long the horses have known each other. Horses remember close companions, dominant members of the herd, and enemies the longest. Their ability to remember each other is a practical way for them to stay alive, and this skill was developed long before they were domesticated. Horses’ long-term memory also comes into play when associating with their owners. For instance, if you mistreat your horse, they will remember and treat you accordingly. Therefore, it’s important to make sure that your interactions with your horse are loving and gentle from the very first meeting to allow a bond to form between the two of you. Social Behaviors Lead to Recognition Horses are social animals and look for companionship naturally. In a herd, horses will break into small groups that tend to stick together as if they have formed an alliance or friendship. Horses in the wild tend to organize themselves in their herd by both gender and age. The center of the herd, as described by Liz Hardin in her article, “Social behaviors of Wild and Domestic Horses,” is made up of the mares. It remains intact even if the stallions leave the herd. The younger horses tend to stay close with the mares. The stallions are the highest-ranking members of the herd, and a herd may have more than one stallion. Their job is to protect. There are also dominant mares, and the offspring of the dominant mares tend to have a higher social ranking, as well. All this ranking has meaning in a herd of animals that are preyed on by other animals. It is not just social status, but it is set up in such a way where the dominant animals are the ones most likely to survive. Being able to recognize one another is essential in a herd. The most capable of horses are in charge. Horses in the wild may move out of the herd to join other herds with no issues most likely to innately avoid inbreeding. However, in domesticated horses, there is evidence of separation anxiety that suggests domesticated horses recognize one another and use those bonds as a source of comfort. To Conclude Horses are complex creatures who have survived because of their social structure. This social structure relies on horses being sensitive to communication and having long-term memories. The memories of horses do not just involve remembering dangerous places and situations; they also rely on remembering one another. Even though domesticated horses today do not have the same worries as their wild counterparts do, they have not lost the need for social interactions. The relationships horses have are strengthened by their long-term memories and ability to remember each other.

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