World Horse Welfare’s free-to-view educational ‘Horses Explained’ films returned on Friday, July 11th with Dr. Andrew Hemmings, a specialist in equine behavioural neuroscience, sharing fascinating insights into how the horse’s senses influence their behaviour, and how owners can use touch to build a stronger bond with their horses.
As well as explaining how different a horse’s sight is when compared to humans – horses have excellent vision in low light and their eyes have evolved to the side of their head over millions of years as a prey animal living in wide open spaces – Dr. Hemmings shared that the sense often neglected by horse-owners is cutaneous sensation, or the sense of touch. Elaborating on the importance of touch, Dr. Hemmings said:
“Cutaneous sensation is so important to the sensory environment of the horse. Horses communicate with one another via touch. It’s also one of the main ways that humans connect with the horses they own and are responsible for.”