Can horses identify different people in their lives? (Owner, Riders, Trainers, Barn Help)

[cannoli2425]

I know there are a bunch of studies regarding horses recognizing facial expression and sounds of voices, but do horses actually know WHO that person is in relationship to their life? Do they have feelings and are capable of “love/compassion”

Can they recognize their owner vs the person that feeds them every day,/mucking stall person vs random person passing by?
Do they have a person? Somebody that they love above all the rest? How do you know if you are their person?

There person goes on vacation for a week, does the horse think they have been “abandoned” and get sad? Can they recognize past owner from years ago?

[2DogsFarm]

From my own experience:
Showed my TB on the regional circuit, where a certain gal was often the Ingate steward.

Many years later, at a barn in a different state, she showed up, now licensed to do equine massage.
My horse nickered when he saw her & continued his vocal Welcome.

Odd, as he was not a cuddly horse by any definition.
But he definitely recognized her.
I cannot even guess what kind of connection she had in his mind.

DH’s Walker connected with him from Day One.
Horse definitely knew who was his person.
Proved on several occasions that he’d go the extra mile for that person.

[Bugs_s_Mom]

My late horse knew I was his person. He would often follow me on the ground if someone else was riding him and let him get away with it. He also seemed to get jealous if I paid attention to another horse with the exception of his pasture mate. On several occasions I would see him stop grazing and deadpan stare me down for calling another horse “good boy/girl”!

His pasture mate would do similar things with his owner and she was the only person allowed to ride him. She tried letting others ride him and the last time resulted in him flipping completely over on the guy in two seconds! This guy was seriously on him for mere seconds and was not rough or mean in any way.

[TMares]

@cannoli2425

I know there are a bunch of studies regarding horses recognizing facial expression and sounds of voices, but do horses actually know WHO that person is in relationship to their life? Do they have feelings and are capable of “love/compassion”

Can they recognize their owner vs the person that feeds them every day,/mucking stall person vs random person passing by?
Do they have a person? Somebody that they love above all the rest? How do you know if you are their person?

There person goes on vacation for a week, does the horse think they have been “abandoned” and get sad? Can they recognize past owner from years ago?

When my horse nearly drowned in a pond, although several friends of mine were yelling at him and yelling for me to come help, he only responded to my voice hollering at him CHIP, COME HERE! and with that he stopped trying to climb out of the hydrilla and started to come to the edge of the pond. That’s not him loving me, it is him knowing that voice and that person.

[KnockedOut]

I think they know more than we think they do, whether they expressively show it or not. I regularly rode my friends older horse in addition to my own. If I was on hers, and she was on my gelding, my gelding would pin his ears and snake his head at the horse I was riding every time they passed each other. It was definitely personal because that’s the only time he ever behaved that way. Honestly it was pretty hilarious how much it irritated him.

[BeeHoney]

Yes horses can recognize different people perfectly well. Not only do the recognize people, they also are very good at making a quick study of people and determining their status and experience level.

As best I can determine, horses “love” in the companionable way a herd animal does. Primarily, they enjoy having long term friendships with other horses within their herd. As far as people, they enjoy the companionship of a trusted person who is predictable and reliable in their routines, and who often provides niceties such as food/treats, grooming, or exercise.

If a person goes on vacation for a week, their horse does not think they have been abandoned and does not feel sadness. Some horses can miss the routine of being brought up or ridden and can get bored and into trouble, but many/most horses are completely happy to be left alone in a field with other horses.

Yes, horses can recognize owners from years ago, horses have a very acute ability to recognize and remember individuals, both equine and human.

[irish_horse]

Like BeeHoney said, my horse just proved that he can recognize people and take advantage of the situation! I walked up to the pasture where cleaner was just finishing. He said he’d been standing there a few minutes because my horse wouldn’t move away from the gate. I asked, “Did you just poke him in the side?”. The man doesn’t not know horses very well, and was afraid to move him! I think my horse knew perfectly well that he should move, but didn’t. So I showed the cleaner how just to poke my horse in the side and horse would move over nicely. I made the cleaner try it himself multiple times to show horse was fine with that.

I would have never thought this horse would do that, he is very respectful of me, but obviously recognized a newbie and took full advantage. Jerk. But an interesting learning situation. I don’t know if you could truly train a horse to listen to everyone (especially if they’re not giving the right cues!). And mine recognizes my car (as do other horses at the ranch recognize their owners cars.) Even if it is just because we bring treats that’s ok.

[Scribbler]

Absolutely. And they understand the function of the person from what they experience from them, and the person’s role in the herd.

My horse was broke by my coach. When the three of us are together my horse absolutely recognizes my coach’s authority over both of us.

Horses do not mate for life and the herd situation is somewhat fluid so they are Ok with horses and people disappearing and returning. Our horses circulate between three properties (my barn, coach’s barn, coaches big off property pasture) so they are often seeing former herd mates in new situations.

”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹

[kande04]

Back in 2003 I was at a ride and my mule got scared and jumped out of his stall. He was tied in the stall so he got banged up some.

A friend of mine, who was with me when it happened, doesn’t live near us but stops by for a visit every 3 or 4 years, and as soon as my mule hears her voice he starts running and then jumps over the electric fence and runs off as far away from her as he can get. She’s never done anything to him, but he obviously associates her with the worst experience of his life, and if he even sees or hears her (or her husband) he’s gone.

He’s so traumatized by them that he’s difficult to work around or ride for about a week afterwards.

[beowulf]

Yes, they can recognize individuals.

They can also recognize individuals’ cars, too. (Ask our geriatric QH how he always knows the vet is here before us!)

I keep my horses at home with a few family members. My horse recognizes my car and promptly relocates to the fence-line closest to parking when I show up. When I purchased my new truck it took him about 2 weeks to make the connection, but now he does it for the truck also. I’ve had a lot of horses and I wouldn’t say he is the sharpest - but he does make some connections that surprise people.

Horses can and do look at people different ways - it just takes understanding their facial expressions to see it yourself.

Regarding whether or not they know their people, their staff, etc… they certainly do. My horse seems to like me the most of all the people in his life, but could not give a fig about any of the other (very kind women) that take care of him :lol: One of them even remarked one day when I was pulling him out, that they never saw him look that way at them.

And – funny thing about horses and remembering faces – one of our poor TBs has had a rough go the last few months with a really ugly reoccuring abscess… During this he managed to pull a shoe, and the farrier had to tack it back on – which wasn’t a pretty picture. Thankfully, it has been resolved, but this cycle the farrier showed up early and went to grab said horse – who said “nuh uh!” and ran off… He’d never been difficult to catch before and came right up for me, but wasn’t having being caught by the farrier that day. :lol:

[spotnnotfarm]

I have a horse that is extremely tough minded. He went through some terrible trainers and you can tell who he likes and does not. I started working with a wonderful trainer a year after I bought him. Two years ago he coliced. He almost died and it was very tough. It took us about 4 months to resume lessons. When we went back to her farm, he heard her voice and literally drug me over to her while I was adjusting the girth. He stopped square in front of her and reached his nose out to her. I about cried. Yes, they do recognize different people.

[cannoli2425]

Interesting stories! Keep them coming!
I am a pretty new horse owner. My horse isn’t very vocal so I do not get a greeting, but another horse nickers every time he hears his owner’s voice! I want that connection.

[Twisting]

@cannoli2425

Interesting stories! Keep them coming!
I am a pretty new horse owner. My horse isn’t very vocal so I do not get a greeting, but another horse nickers every time he hears his owner’s voice! I want that connection.

I wouldn’t stress about the “connection”. Honestly that horse who nickers everytime they hear their owner’s voice is probably not say “I love you” and more likely saying “Hurry up and feed me, servant!” Worry about connecting with your horse in a practical way. Make sure they understand what you are trying to communicate to them in your every day dealings and keep your “ears” open to hear what they are telling you. That kind of connection will get you both a lot farther than a few nickers.

If you really want the nickers, just feed him every time you get to the barn. He’ll be nickering in no time.

[kande04]

@Twisting

If you really want the nickers, just feed him every time you get to the barn. He’ll be nickering in no time.

Exactly. I’m a clicker trainer so I always have treats in my pockets. If a horse nickers at me (and I don’t have to go through two pens to get to him) I feed him a treat. Now all my horses, including the ones who aren’t very talkative, talk to me whenever they see me.

[Scribbler]

My horse can hear my coach’s diesel truck out of sight down the lane before I can hear it, and runs out of her stall into the paddock to watch for her, even if I am in the stall.

[furlong47]

From working in various barns I can say they definitely know who the food lady is :lol: Some horses that were impossible to catch in the pasture for their owners to ride would come right up to me and all but bury their head in the halter.

[ParadoxFarm]

When I was a teen and rode through during lessons and practice rides (didn’t own a horse of my own), I had one favorite quarter horse mare that I adored. I rode her every chance I got and did some shows with her. Well, I had a certain way of petting her forehead, and she seemed to love it. And of course I’d talk to her all the time. Well, one day a friend was riding her and I was on another horse. As the mare came near, I started talking to her. Well, she walked over to me (friend just sort of gave her her head) and she put her head right were my hand could pet her. I of course complied immediately. Then she followed me around the arena the rest of the ride. I loved that horse!

[RedHorses]

Horses have very strong associative memory so if a person is associated with good things the horse will remember that. They can remember each horse in their herd and what their relationship is in various situations - same for people.

One mare I knew disliked her owner and he had trouble catching her so he asked my friend to catch her. One day my friend caught her, haltered her, turned round and handed him the lead. The mare wouldn’t let my friend catch her easily for days. But if I caught the mare and put her in a stall before her owner touched her the mare would still let me walk up and put a halter on without issue.

My older horse occasionally inserts himself between me and my younger horse when he wants my attention first. Younger horse sometimes plays aloof when I go to get him after working with older horse first - but he’s a sucker for carrots so it doesn’t last long. :lol:

They’re usually more willing to come away from their hay if I haven’t been out in a few days. It may not be actively missing me the way I do them, but they have plainly missed something (me, treats, scritches, play…).

[ParadoxFarm]

I do think some horses really do associate being “caught” with being worked and not all horses want to leave a pasture of grass to go to work. So if you are the one getting the horse and then working with it, the horse may not want to come to you. Just different horse personalities! I have one that, while he won’t walk away when I get him, he won’t volunteer to walk to me, either. He’ll stand and make me work for it. He also, in the morning, when I turn out, will walk out happily if I’m aiming for the barn door and pastures. If I aim toward the tack-up stall (to pick feet, or switch sheets/blankets, or even ride) he plants his feet in his stall and doesn’t want to come out. I have to trick him and aim to the door and then turn. Actually, he will come out if I gently tap his body, but it’s still kind of funny to me. And he’s sweet natured in general.

[Herbaceous]

My favourite (now-retired) schoolie at my barn definitely recognizes me as “the lady who brings me apples”. When he sees me come into the barn, he nickers at me. It’s sweet, but I’m pretty sure he’s saying “Hey lady! I know you have apples! Cough 'em up!”