I do some freelance writing and I started thinking about a new article about horse empathy. For instance, I once had a mare and a gelding who despised each other. Bared teeth from the mare if he looked at her. One day my daughter and I were out riding and we heard something in the bushes. The horses stopped, faced each other briefly, and exchanged breaths, like they were consulting. Later when I got home, I was off my mare and walking her down a small muddy hill when she lost her footing, fell on her side, and slid down the hill. The gelding immediately walked up to her and kind of nuzzled her. I mentioned this in passing to my vet and he said he hears stories like this all the time. Does anyone out there have a story? If I write the article, if it gets published, I will go back and contact anyone whose story I used and ask for permission and if they want to remain anonymous. thx
I have 2 stories.
You can tell me which horse showed empathy 
*My aging TB developed a subsolar abcess, causing half his sole to slough off & requiring 8mos of soak/medicate/wrap twice a day before he was sound.
He was halfway through recovery & I came home from work to find him down in my pasture, flat out with my other gelding - TWH - standing over him.
My heart sank as I walked towards him, calling his name.
When he didn’t look up, I assumed the worst.
TWH never moved from his spot.
I was right at TBs head, when he opened an eye & lazily got up from his nap.
Only then did TWH head for the barn, because seeing me meant Dinner!
*Coming home from work, I see TWH at the fenceline in my smaller pasture, near the road.
TB is not in sight, but they know my car & generally head for the barn when they hear it.
Again: because Dinner!
I go in to change into barn clothes & looking out the window, see TWH still at the same spot.
When I get there, I find he’s caught a front foot in the wire bracing. It’s apparent he’s been there a while, evidenced by several piles of manure nearby.
I get him free, he takes a gimpy step, then walks sound.
TB is already in the barn, in his stall (open to pastures), waiting for Dinner!
Horses obviously communicate with each other but I don’t liken it to true empathy. That’s a complex ability only humans have as it means putting yourself in another persons shoes. Horses do understand what is happening around them and are very perceptive. They know when the weakest of their herd is injured or sick. But again, I think it’s intuition and perception on the animal’s part vs empathy.
empathy is the wrong word, I know that. but I also think we underestimate animals’ emotional lives. elephants have complex grieving rituals and it wasn’t that long ago animals weren’t believed to grieve. so the language is a problem, but I do think it’s more that perception and intuition. But I could be completely wrong, I just think it’s a fascinating question. I’m going to talk to an academic equine behavioralist and get her opinion.
I do think horses catch feelings from each other and that we can catch those feelings too if we are in a very receptive and quiet headspace.
Horses are however flight animals and their primary response to a threat is often to run. So herds of wild horses may bolt from danger leaving weak or injured or foals behind.
I had 2 geldings. An older QH, 20+, who I had since he was 5. A younger paint, about 6, have only had him a couple of months. Both come in for breakfast. Both eat normally. When I turn them out, the paint seems NQR to me. Just a little off, so in an abundance of caution I get a halter and decide to walk him around until I see him poop. I am leading the paint (16+h), on my right. The QH gets on my left, so I am literally between their shoulders. The QH keeps nickering, reaching his nose across me to nudge the paint. My sense is he is telling the paint that everything will be ok - do what mommy says, she will take care of you. We walked in the pasture for somewhere between 30 and 60 minutes like that, until the paint pooped and seemed ok. One of the most humbling experiences in my life.
