My neighbor’s stud got loose last night and found his way to my horses about a mile away. He wouldn’t have been able to see them until much closer. Is it likely he followed his nose or was it just chance he came this way? Two geldings and one mare here but as far as I know she is not in heat right now.
I think they have excellent smell, I believe mustangs smell water at a great distance. I even read about someone claiming to teach horses to track for search and rescue, like dogs. I don’t know how far that got as it’s one of those skills that doesn’t 100 % mesh with horses basic instinct. They have the.ability but not the.hunting drive.
which way was the wind blowing? if he was downwind of your horses, then he more than likely got a whiff of them. also, i think i read somewhere that horses can hear things a mile away, so if it was quiet and there was whinnying going on, he might have heard them.
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I don’t know, but one of mine smells treats in my pockets even when the pocket is empty (when I had treats in it a different day). 
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our GSD was trained in scent work by a leading FEMA trainer… they also train horses
In many cases, the horse is simply a means of transportation for a SAR responder. In other cases, the horse is a full member of the SAR field team. Like a SAR dog, a SAR horse can be trained to search for lost persons, using its keen senses of hearing, scenting, and vision
Very interesting about the search and rescue.
I don’t think we were downwind of him. At least today. He may have been planning this for awhile. 
I just hope it doesn’t happen again.
One of my greatest fears is that the horses get loose. When the dogs starting barking beyond their usual cat warning level I looked out and saw a large shadow cross the barn and I thought my worst nightmare was coming true. I went running out in my nightgown and in the early morning light I thought it was my gelding. Then I saw it wasn’t and thought it must be the mare. But then I saw all of mine accounted for on the proper side of the fence and thought, uh oh, we have an extra here. I was just glad he let me halter him and get him in a stall before he hurt himself. In just a few moments I saw a slow moving truck coming down the road and I thought, I bet I know who you are looking for!
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