11/29/2023
“5 things your horse will always remember!
Horses have an exceptional level of awareness, meaning that they can understand situations much better than other animals. They are so attentive they can catch other people's emotions through body language, voice or just the overall vibe you give out. This type of awareness can lead to much more intense experiences for horses. Here are some experiences your horse will remember forever!
1. Places
Horses have a near photographic memory, which means that they can remember places very clearly. It can be positive or negative, depending on the experience they had in a particular place. Imagine your horse witnessing a very traumatic event. He will most likely never forget the place or event and walk away from that area. If your horse seems hesitant to go anywhere, listen to him, comfort him and trust him, he knows what he's doing!
2. People
As horses have an almost photographic memory, it’s no surprise that they remember people by their faces. Show them a pic of someone they know and they'll definitely react. Horses can even recognise people after years apart! But their memory goes far beyond our overall appearance. Horses can read our facial expressions and remember them for later as well.
As part of the study, horses have been shown photos of people with happy or sad expressions. After meeting these people in person (with neutral expressions), the horses reacted based on the original expression they had memorized in the photos. If you meet a horse for the first time, then you have to give it a very good impression!
3. Emotions
Besides places and people, horses have an innate ability to recognise human emotions. Horses tend to perceive body language, even the most subtle, which helps them determine a person's feelings. If we feel stressed, sad, or angry, our physical appearance tends to reflect it. Same goes when we feel happy or excited! Horses don't just know how to read emotions, they also remember a person based on the last emotion they felt during their last interaction. This is a helpful strategy for horses to avoid any possible aggressive encounters.
4. The other horses
Humans are not the only ones who can leave an indelible mark on a horse! Horses can remember and recognise other horses from their social network. Whether it's a few years or decades, a horse will never forget the relationship with another. Doesn't mean they'll associate with each other if they're ever together. One horse will only react to another if the bond they share is particularly strong. If he recognizes a horse from a previous encounter, he can treat it differently than others.
Other important bonds between horses, like the one that links a mare and foal, are believed to last a lifetime. As horses also remember smells, this can help a mare recognise her baby, even years after separation.
5. The words
Horses are able to understand words much deeper than we thought, but not in the traditional sense we give words. They understand words based on tone, height and length of voice. Words with fewer syllables tend to stick better to horses. They can tell when someone insults them and when someone compliments them. Don't underestimate their intelligence, because chances are they listening very carefully to every word you speak.
Horses are incredibly gifted animals, and should be treated as such! Having an idea of the memories horses keep forever will allow you to understand and communicate with them even more deeply. Whatever the experience, good or bad, you can be sure your horse has fully felt it. Do your best to give them a good memory, and they will surely do the same.”
By Marise Jacques
