I recently began riding/working my boyfriend’s horse. For my boyfriend, he is somewhat difficult to catch (up to the point have having to walk the length of the pasture multiple times), walks off during mounting, and generally acts impatient. The horse (Mav) is primarily used on our cattle ranch. Mav wasn’t getting worked with enough (bad weather combined with a feisty horse meant the 4-wheeler saw more use), so I decided he’s going to ride Endurance this coming year. I started riding him more last fall. Mav trots up to meet me at the gate (knowing he’s going for a ride), stands perfectly for me to mount from a mounting block or rock, and generally is just less of a jerk for me. I absolutely believe he missed having a job and sees me as the “fun” one as we go for rides. He seems to just know that I require my horses to stand at a block for mounting (or just stand if I’m mounting from the ground). Mav 100% knows the difference between me and my boyfriend and has different manners for each of us.
Horses are funny creatures. I could share all sorts of stories about my mare. Even about my almost-5 year old, who I’ve only had a couple of years. Neither of them are talkers, they don’t nicker to anyone really, besides other horses. But there are little things, like when I go visit the mare in her pasture and she wants to graze close to me, or how both of them are always very attentive to what I’m doing but ignore other people.
My mare, who I had for 8 years then sold to a girl because I felt guilty leaving her sitting around doing nothing, has never been the affectionate type. She is more like a cat, short periods where she shows affection but only on her terms. Strangely enough, after I got her back, she has been more affectionate than she ever was before. She has never been a mutual groomer, but she now likes me to scratch her withers while she wiggles her lip against my other hand. I am probably anthropomorphizing too much, but I swear she appreciates being back with me, since I actually know how she likes to be worked with, her likes and dislikes, that I’ll keep her safe and not be unfair.
I don’t think you can call it “love”, at least not the way humans think of it. But it’s something, and you can feel it when they look at you.
Oh, one other story I love to tell. My mare tolerates other people handling her, but she always shows her best behavior for me, like handling her for the farrier, the vet, chiro, whatever. With one exception. My best friend has known her almost as long as I have, and has a funny love/hate relationship with her. Mare knows her, likes her well enough, but mostly ignores her existence. Except for when bff was pregnant. Suddenly, she was absolutely perfect around bff, cautious and gentle, and loved sniffing her belly. Until baby popped out, then everything went right back to normal. :lol:
My first horse nickered every time he saw me and came running to the gate if he was out. UNTIL I moved him to his second barn; I got a whinny the first time he saw me there (moved there by a shipper) and that was it. I would say HE did “mate” for life, he loved my mare. While my mare would hang out with other boys when he was away, he only had eyes for her. He also was nippy, but if he actually made contact with me his expression said “oh $h!t! I didn’t mean to touch you!”
Two of my current horses make noise for breakfast, all three paw while waiting.
A coworker asked if my horses recognize me. Me: “They have to know who to run away from when I’m catching them to ride!” That didn’t happen often though.
I had a show horse as a kid who I absolutely adored. He was no walk in the park, he bit everyone but me, but I loved him. I used to sit in his stall, and split my Twizlers and Sprite with him. When we sold him, I wanted to sell my brother, instead. About six years later, I was watching a class at Devon, and I saw a horse in the ring, and said, “OH My Gawd- it’s Go!” But the program said it wasn’t him- they’d changed his name.
I followed them back to the barn, and spoke to the trainer, and asked if I could see the horse in the stall, and talk to him. He was so gracious. And, it was Go. The groom said “who ARE you? I’ve never seen him like this!” Go was all over me, looking for his favorite treats, talking to me, and giving me kisses. I asked if I could go and pick up his goodies, and give them to him, and they said it was fine.
We ate alot of Twizlers together that week. I wanted so badly to have him back, but it wasn’t in the cards. But the reunion, however bittersweet, was real.
It is just too convenient for humans to relegate animals to being lesser beings, simply because we are arrogant enough to believe that they should speak our language. They do their best, but you have to listen. They are always speaking to you…and they never forget…
I’ve shared the story before about my curmudgeonly gelding who literally “lit up” when he saw me at the gate after we had been separated for over a month due to our cross country move. There was no denying his recognition and his joy seeing me in an unfamiliar place. It still moves me to tears thinking about it.
A pretty famous racehorse I worked with during his career now resides at the KHP. He’s never been particularly friendly. I hadn’t seen him in 10+ years, so when a friend and I were there, I took the opportunity to say hi. His caretaker was really cool about letting us go in to his stall and hang out with him, which shocked me because I’m a nobody in this horse’s story. But what really blew my mind that the horse came right up to me and acknowledged me, seemed to recognize me, even searched my pockets for peppermints in the same way did years ago. Meanwhile, he just wanted to take a chunk out of my friend. Might have been a total fluke, but even his current caretaker made a comment about him remembering me.
I think they do recognize us, but I don’t believe they develop the kind of attachment to us that, say, a dog does. For twenty years I had my own place and some horses came and went, but two of them stayed until they were buried. One of those I saw being born, and I was there when he was euthanized 22 years later due to a horribly broken leg. I was also with him for a slew of injuries in between. Broke him myself, trained him myself, showed him myself. Loved him like nothing else. Just the sweetest, kindest, gentlest big ol’ guy. Truly a once in a lifetime horse. My “heart horse” as they say. He had one of those beautiful, intelligent faces with big, soft, kind eyes. When he looked at you, you felt like he loved you.
But honestly, as long as the groceries kept coming and he had his pasture and his equine BFFs, he really wasn’t too bothered about which human servant was tending to his needs, LOL.
Now, my one remaining horse, a 12-year old gelding that I’ve had since he was a yearling, has moved from the farm where his former pasture mates are laid to rest to a new farm where I board him. For the first time since I got him, I’m not his sole caretaker. In fact, I see him on the weekends only right now. When he first moved out there, he was a bit distraught and much more clingy to me (familiar). I went out as much as I could in those early days, just to keep tabs on him and probably because I was having withdrawal from 20 years of taking care of my horses myself. But, eventually he settled in, and while he still looks up sometimes when I drive in, and if he’s close to the front of the pasture, will come see me at the fence for treats, he doesn’t seem to need me as much now. He has a new BFF pasture buddy, as well as “across the fence” buddies, and it’s just a lovely place where he feels very comfortable. He loves the owner and other boarders (he’s a people-oriented horse anyway).
So, I know he still knows who I am. He knows who my mom is too (she sometimes visits him mid-week to give him treats). He’s still a good boy when I ride him (and I hadn’t been on him in years when we moved to this place). He respects me and trusts me and tries his best for me. In return he always has a well-stocked supply of treats and he gets scritches and told how great he is.
But I’m kind of glad that he’s more independent now. He’s still sweet, he’s just “got a life” other than me, LOL.
I have astallion here who will be 23 next week. I’ve had him since the fall of his three-year-old year. We went through a lot of issues with this boy. I was hands-on with him from the time that he came home and there were, as I said, many issues. I leased another farm and moved him over there because I thought he would be happier in the larger space that he had in his paddock. I had someone who I paid to feed the horses that were there. We had a bunch of snow that year in two separate storms in a week. So, I didn’t go over there at all.
I went over as soon as the roads were safe enough to navigate, and the gal who was taking care of them there was on the property when I arrived. I walked around the one barn and hollered his name and the stallion came yelling and screaming down to the fence line to see me. His caretaker looked at me and said, “he never acts that way for me!”
So I don’t care whether you feed them, or you don’t. Whether you’re there every day, or you’re not. They know when you are committed to them. And that’s just the way it is
There’s been at least one study that a small tropical FISH can recognize human faces. Of course horses can distinguish one individual from another - was that really the original question, or am I misunderstanding? Anyway, their level of attachment and capability of emotion might be up for debate, but can they identify one person from another and associate those they see repeatedly with the contexts and actions that occur when each one is around - this one brings grain, that one sticks me with needles, that one always has a treat - you betcha!
Yes! All the horses at the barn I feed at know my car. If I go over to get my check and they see me leave without feeding, I get stared at intensely down the driveway. Lol
They see me coming on the main road and start meandering toward the barn too.
My horse knows my car and has been known to round up the rest of the pasture horses in case I come with food too. Lol
Horses are masters of very slight differences and changes in what they see. They are far more able to discern what they see than humans are, they are “better” than we are in this respect, more evolved, more discerning. They can notice, recognize and form an opinion about many different things about any different being they see. So yes, they know who you are, what you are in relation to them, and can also read many of your emotions and feelings that you may not even know are effecting you. Some horses care more about this than others do, horses are individuals. Your job, as your horse’s owner and rider or handler, is to raise your horse’s opinion of you to become an influential and important being in their life. To be accepted as the being that they think is worthy of respect and admiration. It isn’t something you can “force”, or “make” happen, you have to earn it over time and with clear communication and fair demands and rewards for their participation in your plans. So yes, they recognize and have an opinion on everyone they meet or see, very quickly. Feel “judged”, because they will judge you.
Lol…reminds me of my old fellow. He looks up when I call him but I usually have to go get him. Once in a while, if I wait he moseys on over to me at he pasture gate
I try not to tease hungry horses, but if they have hay and are just being impatient about grain I won’t feed it if they’re pawing or kicking. If I’m walking toward them with their bucket and they start pawing I turn around and walk away until the pawing stops, then I walk toward them until the pawing starts, then away… It doesn’t take them long to figure out that pawing makes the food go the wrong way.
I have found that not feeding the same time eliminates this type of behavior. I know it’s not always practical but it works.
Ohhh, yes. They can easily recognize different people.
My current horse recognizes my car and recognizes me at a distance bringing tack out to the arena (I tack up there). He usually moves from his 1+ acre pasture to the fence when I’m ready to go catch him because he saw me or heard my voice when I’m talking to others. He recognizes my voice and whinnies at me when I call his name. He doesn’t do this for the BO who feeds him twice daily. He has a soft expression when I touch and pet his face, but he turns his head away from other people who want to touch his face even though he is friendly with everyone and walks up to people to say “hello” and loves to hang with people. He’s the gentlest “carrot taker” on the farm and we aim kids to him. He watches me when I walk away from him, and both trainers have mentioned he’s calmest if I’m present. I will add that this horse is super smart.
My previous horse did the same thing (she was also super smart). My previous horse to this did the same thing. My previous horse to that didn’t seem to really care (! He was the least smart of all of my horses! His attitude was “whatever”) and my previous horse to that was similar to my current horse (super hot jumper, but VERY sensitive).
I’m not in the camp that my horse “loves” me, but I think he enjoys being around me even though I make him work. To be fair, I scratch his itches (we have worked out a communication system that people say “you’ve to to be kidding me” when they see it) and he does love to be groomed the way I groom him. I always tell him he’ll never encounter another owner like me, so he better step to the plate! Hahahahahaha!
To sum up, decades of horse experience tells me that hoses can distinguish between people, and when they don’t seem like they can they usually don’t care show a difference!
Anyone who thinks horses can’t recognize individuals has never paid much attention to horses.
To people whose horses think work is bad so they don’t want to be caught, I would encourage you to explore deeper reasons for that behavior. Is it how you are riding them? Is it your tack? Do they have some sub-clinical lameness? Any horse that I’ve worked consistently has come to me in the pasture because work is fun.
When my gelding (now retired) started avoiding me I immediately started looking for a deeper reason. I found that his teeth needed to be floated and therefore the bit was uncomfortable. I rode him that day in a longeing cavesson and the next day he didn’t avoid me because he knew there would be no discomfort. Our routine was always that I’d meet him at the gate. Now that he is retired he no longer comes to me because all I have to offer is treats!
I’m loving these stories!
The second I’m on property and my horse hears me talking, he lifts his head up and does “my” whinny. I’ve never once heard him whinny like that for anyone else, horse or human. He behaves better for me than anyone else and absolutely knows me as his person.
He has always known the “food lady” too, no matter what barn I’ve been at. Reserves his little nickers for any barn manager or food source, whether or not they’re carrying feed.
He also knows my best friend, and even though I moved states with my horse three years ago and he only sees his Auntie once a year, he knows her and is especially affectionate to her and follows her around like a puppy talking to her.
From day 1 he knew my mom as the treat lady. Loves when she visits, doesn’t pat anyone down like he does her (she has always let him get away with nudgey behavior, he gets away with it because she visits twice a year and he doesn’t try with me!).
In short, yes horses absolutely know their people! I think some are more aloof than others, but the ones with big personalities certainly know their posse.
When I started riding my last horse on a lease, the first thing I did was correct his habit of being playfully nippy with people. He never hurt anyone, but at least a couple of times a day he’d make a little grab for someone’s sleeve, or lightly brush their skin with his teeth. The barn folk would fuss at him verbally but not give any other correction.
I immediately began correcting this behavior, and this horse very quickly learned not to do that with me. But even after I purchased the horse, I could not get the barn staff to do the simple corrections I was doing. That horse and I were in that barn for 4 years, and during that time he never offered to nip or grab at me, but he did it every. single. day. to the BM who turned him in and out. To the last day he lived there.
When I moved to another state, I made sure to give new board barns the heads up and tell them to put a stop to any attempts to nip right away, and firmly. They all said that he never nipped at them.
Horses absolutely know who is who, and who will put up with how much of what! :winkgrin:
In my current barn there is a mare who makes a racket kicking the stall walls – but only if the BM and staff members who will loudly scold her are in the barn. She doesn’t do it if those people aren’t present, because the rest of us ignore it. So clearly she does it for the reaction she gets (easily bored is my guess), and she knows when it isn’t worth the effort. :lol: (We the non-reacting boarders have pointed this out, but some people can’t hear that commotion without responding. :winkgrin: )
Horses show phenomenal long memories for places, as they definitely react differently when they get out of the trailer at a new place compared with a place they have been before. It’s not a stretch that they would remember people and animals just as well.
Well said.
There is another point to think about, re ‘how does my horse react to me compared with my other house pets’.
Horses don’t spend nearly the amount of time with us as do our house pets. A horse’s strongest attachment is to it’s herd mates, because they are with their herd mates for so many hours per day, and with us maybe a couple of hours, and even then not every day for us boarders.
For those of us who don’t live on the same property as our horses, how much time per week is our horse actually in our presence? Only a few hours, at best, maybe less than that depending on the owner’s schedule and visits.
If we see someone we know only at a club we visit occasionally, and only in the context of the club, our relationship with that person will be defined by those visits. It is the same with our horses, who have a full daily life and routine that us boarders aren’t there for on a daily basis.
So it’s worth thinking about how much time and what kinds of experiences we really do share with our horse, to build what sort of relationship. Is it just purposeful and working, or do we have casual time with them as well? Another reason why different kinds of experiences, even hand-grazing and long hand-walks, are worthwhile to expand our horse’s experience of us, and us of them. IMO, ten minutes of hand-grazing each time we visit will help win a horse’s affection, because the herd mates they graze most closely with are those with the closest herd relationships. :winkgrin:
Yes they can.
