Vision

The structure of the horse’s eye is a sign of their design as prey animals. The horse has large, prominent eyes positioned laterally on the head to provide panoramic vision. This is a trademark of prey animals, while a predator’s eyes are on the front of their face.

There are two important parts of a horse’s eye. Like the human eye, color and light perception are controlled by rods, and cones. Rods pick up movement in dim light, but don’t pick up detail. Humans have a lower amount rods than cones, while with horses, it’s the opposite. They have a higher number of rods and lower number of cones. This means they can see lots of details in the scenery, but have limited color perception.

However, contrary to popular belief, horses do not see the world in black and white. They have dichromatic vision, meaning they possess two types of cone cells sensitive to different wavelengths of light. However, their color vision is limited, not nonexistent. This means colors like turquise and neon yellow are seen well, but there are no receptors for red and green.

In Training

The limited color vision of horses can have practical implications, particularly in equestrian sports such as jumping or cross country. In these disciplines, obstacles and terrain may blend into a similar color palette. So, horses rely more on their ability to judge depth, distance, and movement than color cues. This reliance on motion detection and spatial awareness means it’s highly important to have proper training, and rider communication.

When jumps or obstacles appear similar to the surrounding landscape, riders must provide clear cues, but we can go further.Ttraining can go smoother with different colored jumps, so we’re not fighting with the horse’s perception, only his understanding. It’s easier to train like this, teaching your horse to trust you in general, before you ask him to trust you blindly. Grasping the unique visual capabilities of horses allows us to adapt to the horse, so we can help the horse adapt to us. It would be unfair to ask them to do all the work when we have the capability to make it easier for them.

Hearing

Horses possess a remarkable sense of hearing that plays a crucial role in their communication, perception of their environment, and overall well-being. Understanding the intricacies of equine hearing sheds light on how horses interpret sound stimuli and how it influences their behavior. Each ear has about 16 muscles, with their turning radious being almost 180 degrees.

Horses ears are sensitive, capable of detecting a wide range of frequencies and subtle changes in sound. While humans can typically hear frequencies ranging from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, horses can detect frequencies as low as 14 Hz and as high as 33,500 Hz, allowing them to perceive a broader range of sounds. However, their localization abilities may not be as refined as commonly believed. Horses’ ability to accurately pinpoint the source of a sound is limited compared to other senses, such as sight and smell.

Exposure to Noise

Constant exposure to loud or unfamiliar noises can have detrimental effects on equine behavior and well-being. While desensitization to noise is necessary, particularly for young horses, it’s essential to approach it in a gradual and controlled manner to avoid causing stress or anxiety. Too much exposure all at once can result in the horse being overwhelmed and overstimulated, which lead to fear, anxiety, and stress, none of which are healthy in a constant state, or in a place where fear is not necessary. It disrupts their ability to focus, and engage, and heightens distrust in you as a leader.

While desensitization techniques can help horses become more accustomed to loud noises over time, it’s crucial to prioritize their emotional well-being and avoid overwhelming them with excessive or sudden exposure to noise. Training sessions should be conducted in a calm and supportive environment, gradually introducing and reinforcing positive associations with noise stimuli.

Comparatively, if humans were subjected to a constant environment of fear, anxiety, and stress, it would undoubtedly impact our mental and physical health. Living like that for us would mean constant nervousness, restlessness, headaches, muscle tension, fatigue from lack of sleep, hyper-reactivity, and brain fog. It’s not healthy or helpful for anyone, including horses.

In Practice

When desensitizing, there are a number of ways to use positive reinforcement rather than flooding their senses. A positve reinforement is anything that feels good, creates dopamine, seratonin, or anything appealing, not necessarily food. Janet L. Jones gives a great list in her book, “Horse Brain, Human Brain,” on page 161-162. Here’s a shortened version of the list:

• Rest
• Petting
• Light rein
• Conditioned verbal praise
• Known locations, equine buddies, or familiar people
• Treats (used sparingly)

Jones’ book is a great resource for training where the horse is. She has a PHD in cognitive science and taught for years, also riding and teaching at her own barn eventually. In this book, she applies neuroscience to horses, training, and riding. Find her book here.

Fun Fact

Horses can recognize a person by their voice. This is a type of phenomenon called cross-modal perception, meaning they associate your voice with your face, both hearing and vision used together. Up until recently, scientists thought only humans were capable of this, however, it’s now been confirmed that horses, dogs, cats, and many other animals possess this ability as well. This can translate into how horses interact with each other, with each horse having a unique pitch and vocal pattern. When one horse whinnys, nickers, calls, etc, the other horses can identify which horse is calling if they’re familiar with each other. Even if they’re not familiar with each other, just by hearing another horse, they can identify that horse’s size, gender, current emotion, and rank in the hierchy of the horse world. Even we, as horse owners, can typically recognize our horse’s voice after a long time spent with them.

Smell

Horses possess a highly developed sense of smell that plays a crucial role in their communication, social interactions, and environmental awareness. Their olfactory abilities are keen, almost precise. They pick up chemical signals, including cortisol and adrenaline, which are indicators of fear and stress in other horses. If these horses were in a wild herd, then this is necessary for survival. Because not everyone is looking for danger at once, there will be a few “on watch”, while the others relax. So when the “guards” see, smell, or hear somethingdangerous, their stress hormones spike, the others smell it, alerting them to be on high watch or to run.

The vomeronasal organ, also known as Jacobson’s organ, is a chemosensory structure found in many vertebrates, including horses. Located within the nasal cavity, it plays a crucial role in detecting pheromones, chemical signals that convey important information about reproductive status, social hierarchy, and other aspects of animal behavior. In horses, the organ consists of a pair of small, sac-like structures located on the floor of the nasal cavity, near the base of the nasal septum. These structures are lined with sensory cells that are sensitive to specific chemical compounds, allowing horses to detect and interpret pheromones released by other horses and animals in their environment.

Another feature of Jacobson’s organ lies in their capacity to extract a plethora of details from a single pile of dung. By scent alone, horses are adept at deducing multiple facets about the horse responsible for its deposition, such as its gender, health condition, social standing, and even its emotional demeanor. They can ascertain whether the horse was serene, alarmed, or jittery during the act of defecation, offering valuable glimpses into its overall welfare and emotional condition.

Furthermore, if horses are familiar with each other, they can identify a range of individual scents. For example, they can determine which horse left the manure, and its social rank within the herd. In addition to that, its current state of aggression towards other horses regardless of rank. This ability to glean social and emotional cues from scent plays a vital role in maintaining herd dynamics and facilitating social interactions among horses.

Flehmen

When a horse encounters a scent or pheromone of interest, it engages in a behavior known as “flehmen,” where it curls back its upper lip and inhales deeply, drawing air into the nasal cavity and over the vomeronasal organ. This behavior helps facilitate the detection and processing of chemical signals by the sensory cells within the vomeronasal organ, providing valuable information about the surrounding environment.

Typically horses have this reaction when smelling or even tasting something new, and their brain is trying to process the information.

Taste

Smell and taste are closely related in the aspect of processing informatoin. Around 80% of taste comes from smell is humans and in horses. In fact, horses rely more on scent than taste to filter through poisonous plants. Horses have a higher tolerance for bitter tasting flavors. This means that although most people assume horses can detect poisonous plants well through taste, that’s actually not true. Most poisonous plants are bitter, to discourage animals from eating them. So, because horses can’t differentiate as well as we thought, it’s our job to keep out the bad plants. (Click here, for a list of plants and foods to avoid.)

The Horse’s Tongue

A horse’s tongue weighs 2.5 pounds and almost 16 inches long. The way they interpret taste is very similar to the way we do. Receptors and taste buds signal to their brain whether something is sweet, salty, sour, or bitter. They also posess additional receptors for texture and temperature.

A satisfying impression is sent to the brain when they eat anything sweet or salty. The horse’s body and brain both need theses things because of the nutritional value they have. Salt, (a.k.a. sodium) evens out the motor cells and brain function, and sugar, (a.k.a. glucose) provides energy, cognitive function support, and learning and memory abilities. Think of glucose like fuel, and sodium as engine oil, keeping everything running smoothly.

So, how does this taste translate into their behavior? Interstingly, if you raise a horse on a certain food/flavor, that is what it will prefer when older. For example, if a horse grew up eating apples but not carrots, when it gets older chances are it will still love apples, but hate carrots. Or if their mother ate only a specific type of grass or hay, when her foal grows up, he will show a preference to that kind of hay and grass. Horses have different experiences from each other, and those experiences shape their opinions, just like us.

In Summary

Exploring how horses’ senses shape their behavior sheds light on the remarkable ways these animals navigate and interact with their environment. From their vision to hearing and keen sense of smell, each sense plays a pivotal role in shaping how horses perceive the world around them and respond to various stimuli.

As we continue to deepen our understanding of horses’ sensory perceptions, let us not overlook any of the senses in our interactions with these animals. By recognizing and respecting the different ways they see things, we can forge stronger connections and deepen our relationships with them.

In essence, horses’ senses serve as a gateway to their world, offering a glimpse into the intricate workings of their minds and behaviors. By appreciating and accommodating their sensory needs, we can enhance their welfare and foster deeper bonds built on trust, understanding, and mutual respect. Through ongoing research, we can continue to uncover the mysteries of equine behavior, unlocking new insights into the remarkable lives of these extraordinary creatures.

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