An article published in the U.S. journal PLOS showed that horses can sense human fear through smell, and the smell emitted when humans are afraid affects horse behavior and physiological responses.
According to CNN, a French research institute asked volunteers to put cotton pads under their armpits to watch horror movies and pleasant content, respectively. Then, they placed samples of cotton pads that had absorbed human sweat on the noses of 43 mares and made movements such as opening umbrellas while they fed. The experimental results showed that when horses thoroughly sniffed the body odor samples of horror movie watchers, they were more likely to be frightened by large-scale movements, and after being frightened, they became less willing to explore unfamiliar objects that frightened them. At the same time, horses behaved more warily than usual and were more reluctant to approach humans.
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In addition to emotions, different odors also affect horse physiological responses. When smelling a sample of odor emitted when humans are afraid, horses‘ heart rate increases and their behavioral state becomes more anxious. Conversely, when smelling a sample of human body odor in a pleasant scene, horses‘ physiological responses are relatively more normal.
The British Guardian reported that the finding clarified a new research direction, suggesting that horses may be able to judge whether humans pose a threat to them based on chemical signals released by sweat, demonstrating that emotional signals can be transmitted across species. The researchers told CNN that they will next study the effects of other human emotions on horses.
Research emphasizes that people who often interact with horses should be aware of the possible effects of their emotional states on the horses. If riders or horse trainers approach horses in a tense or fearful state, the body odor produced will make the horses feel uneasy, making them more likely to panic or avoid behavior. Maintaining a calm and positive emotional state not only helps communication between people and horses, but can also reduce the horse‘s nervous reaction due to feeling fear. (Xu Hyun)