Do horses have empathy and show feelings?

[bayrabicano]

Have you ever witnessed a horse showing signs of empathy or remorse?

http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/news/2008/03/028.shtml

I'll bet that some of you have some good stories about how smart (or not so smart) horses really are. Please share them.

[ratherrapid]

they have emotions, obviously. to assign them empathy may be stretching things. Ray Kurzweil had an interesting bit once on animal intelligence, and excuse this if i mislable the specific parts of the brain. how smart are they?

animals have sight and memory as humans do. that horses have memory seems apparent. humans however have a strong cerebral cortex in their brain which allows them to process the information they get from sight and memory. animals, on the other hand, have very weak to non-existent cerebral cortex to pull together what they see and recall and so have very limited ability to relate what that see with what they recall.

[spex4me]

I don't know for sure but for risk of being seen as a total loon, I think there might be something there, if not in the full human capacity.

Years ago I had a few occasions to be extremely (bawl your eyes out for over an hour) upset and each time I would find myself out in the back acres of a 40 acre field, only to be found my grulla. Who would faithfully stand there nose on my shoulder until I pulled it together even if it meant abandoning the herd on the front. He is also the same horse that the better the rider the more antics he will throw at you. But put an autistic kid on him and you think you had a mellow 100 year old tranquilized pony. And let me say I know a p o'd horse when I see one...so no mistaking that 'emotion' !!

Maybe that all wraps up into what we lump as animal instincts....

But I have been personally accused of anthromorphism on more than one occasion!

[choking]

I was grazing, hanging on by the lead and she was in season and was acting up. She bucked when I wasn't paying attention and kicked me right in the leg. I think she realize what happened and usually I have to pull/tug you name it to get this horse to do anything.. after the kick she quietly followed me back to her field. I think to some extent they know..

[soundfast]

Horses have intelligence,personalities and souls and the same emotions people have. People are animals too. Homo sapiens(the human race) is most closely related to chimpanzees. My old mare got upset one time and started whinnying and my stallion ran to her side and calmed her down. He was upset for awhile after the rotten excuse for a vet killed his first Thoroughbred mare. He was very unhappy. He stayed by her body like he was waiting for her to get up. She really loved him and thought he was wonderful and they were inseparable. It was hard on him. He is definitely sympathetic and caring which is why he gets along so good with everybody. Back when I was raising cows one heifer having her first calf started bellowing and the herd ran to her. They thought she was being attacked. I ran to her also and helped her deliver it. Dogs,cats,etc all have the same emotions as humans and we are all sentient beings with souls.

[Roger]

I think that 99.9 % of all horse behavior is herd related. To understand horse behavior, you have to understand how horses behave in herds and it is common for individuals to pair up, but it is a mutual protection sort of thing. Horses respond to you by how they read your mannerisms. If you act shy and timid with head hung low and shoulders stooped, they will run over you as they ascert dominance to you. Try it. Hold your hand up over your head like a paw and watch them back-up.

[trackgal]

I went to a breeding farm down in Ocala to visit one of my "girls" (now a broodmare) I used to gallop at the track, this was 2 years later, I'd asked the trainer where she was and if I could see her, he said "she is way down in that field with the other's under the tree's", He said I'll get the golf cart and we can drive down there," So I said can I just call her over? He laughed and said she 's not gonna come up unless it's feed time..With that, I called her, she heard my voice and that was it, she came running over like a banshee! and was very happy to see an old freind! the trainer? he couldn't believe it.

[Roger]

I guess she views you as the alpha mare. Horses do have excellent memories. I'll bet it made you proud.

[Georgerz]

Soundfast wrote: "People are animals too. Homo sapiens(the human race) is most closely related to chimpanzees".

Tell that to the creationists!!!

[trackgal]

This filly was my first ride of the day, every day for 3 year's 7 day's a week, All my horses at the track were special to me, I had "alittle something going" with all my horses, make them feel special and they will try there heart out for you.

[WarHorse]

Over the years I have come to believe that horses are geniuses when it comes to social relations. So many people have complained about "stupid horses" when it ends up the horse is training the person.

I have had some horses - usually younger ones - "apologize" when they've done something wrong;

I have had a mount become jealous of my riding another horse and he was never the same reliable steed I had known;

Some horses have an excess of personality - I am recalling a suckling colt last year who tried to run off a new mare/foal that were introduced to "his" field. His older brother would put forth any amount of effort to not go back into the barn after his time on the walker. (I finally bit his nose to get him in.)

Most of a year after I left Lane's End, I stopped by for a visit and saw the yearling colts in a little cluster out in their field. Wondering if any of them were "mine," I let out my special whistle. Three heads popped up and pushed the cluster to the fence for a visit. It was tres cool. So yes, I have no problem believing trackgal. Heck, some of my massage clients have developed the habit of nickering when I enter the barn.

I could go on and on. Equine psychology is sort of a hobby.

[Sylvie Hebert]

a few years back i rescued a mare.after a while she was in good shape and we started trying to ride her,she was absolutly nuts and nasty,a girl working for me started playing with her,ended up riding and grooming her for 2 years.When i got sick my family sold some of my horses and boarded some others(the unsalable crazy ones and the old or lame) out for 3-4 months .That girl had left a few years before.When i was healthy enough i hired that girl to go pick up those horses and that wild mare just whinnied and ran up to her to jump in the trailer like a kid pony...

[zinn21]

The closest I've seen to empathy in a horse was one day many years ago when hotwalking one, I tripped and fell right on my face. The horse just stopped and looked at me as if to say "Get your sorry ass up. I'm still warming down"

[WarHorse]

The closest I've seen to empathy in a horse was one day many years ago when hotwalking one, I tripped and fell right on my face. The horse just stopped and looked at me as if to say "Get your sorry ass up. I'm still warming down"

I was riding one bareback and leading four when one of the four stopped to scratch. Off I slid and the gelding just stopped and looked at me with much the same expression!

[StealingKat]

I have a mare who "talks" she will nicker at you and then swing her head along the electric fence to keep you from getting hurt on it. Never seen anything like it, it is really cute. She is telling you loud and clear not to tough the evil white line