Horses have an exceptional amount of awareness, which means they can understand situations much deeper than other animals. They are so in tune that they can pick up on others’ emotions through body language, voice, or just the overall “vibe” you’re giving off. This sort of awareness can lead to much more intense experiences for horses. Here are some experiences your horse will always remember!
1. Places
Horses have nearly photographic memory, which means they can remember places vividly. This can be good or bad depending on the experience they had at a specific location. Let’s say your horse witnesses a very traumatic event occur. Chances are, he won’t ever forget the place or the event and would most likely steer clear of that area all together. If your horse seems to be hesitant to go somewhere, listen to him, comfort him, and trust that he knows what he’s doing!
2. People
Since horses have nearly photographic memories, it may come as no surprise that horses remember people by their faces. Show them a picture of someone they know, and they will surely react to it. Horses can even recognize people after years of separation! But their memory goes much deeper than our general appearance. Horses can read our facial expressions and remember them for later, too.
There have been studies done where horses were shown photos of people with happy or sad expressions. Once meeting them in person (with neutral expressions), the horses reacted based on the original expression they remembered in the photos. So if you’re meeting a horse for the first time, you’ll want to make a very good impression!
3. Emotions
Along with places and people, horses have an innate ability to recognize human emotions. Horses tend to pick up on even the subtlest of body language, which helps them to determine how someone is feeling. If we are feeling stressed, sad, or angry, our physical appearance tends to reflect that. The same goes for when we are feeling happy or excited! They don’t just know how to read emotions, they will also remember a person by the last emotion they felt during their last interaction. This is a useful strategy for horses to avoid any possible aggressive encounters.
4. Other Horses
Humans aren’t the only ones who can leave an everlasting imprint on a horse! Horses can remember and recognize other horses from their social network. Whether it’s been a few years or decades, a horse won’t forget its relationship with another. This doesn’t mean they will associate with one another if ever reunited, though. A horse will only react to another if the bond they had was especially strong. If they do recognize a horse from a previous encounter, they may treat it differently than the others.
Other important horse connections, like the one between a mare and her foal, are said to last a lifetime. Since horses also remember scents, this can help a mare recognize her baby even years after separation.
5. Words
Horses are able to understand words much deeper than previously thought, but it’s not in the traditional sense that we understand words. They understand words based on the tone, pitch, and length of voice. Words with fewer syllables tend to stick with horses better. They can tell when someone is insulting them, and when someone is complimenting them. Be sure not to underestimate their intelligence, because chances are, they are listening very carefully to every word you say.
Horses are incredibly gifted animals, and they should be treated as such! Having an idea of the memories horses carry with them forever will allow you to understand and communicate with them even deeper. No matter the experience, good or bad, you can trust that your horse felt it entirely. Do your best to give them something good to remember, and they’ll surely do the same for you.