Is That Horse Happy or Sad? His Whinny Will Tell

Researchers say it appears horses can transmit their emotions through their whinnies.
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If laughter is contagious among humans, are similarly happy feelings contagious among horses? A group of Swiss researchers has taken a closer look at this theory—and it seems that horses can share and transmit their emotions through their whinnies.

“Our preliminary results suggest that horses are able to distinguish positive-emotion whinnies from negative-emotion whinnies among familiar horse voices, and that they react accordingly with positive and negative emotions,” said Elodie Briefer, PhD, of the Institute of Agricultural Sciences and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, in Zurich. “Those emotions are often expressed in response whinnies.”

Familiarity among horses appears to be a key component in this ability to communicate emotions vocally, Briefer said during her presentation at the Swiss Equine Research Day, held April 16 in Avenches.

In their study, Briefer and her colleagues studied 18 horses during different vocalization and listening tests. The horses came from various stables, so they were familiar with some, but not all, of the participating equids

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Passionate about horses and science from the time she was riding her first Shetland Pony in Texas, Christa Lesté-Lasserre writes about scientific research that contributes to a better understanding of all equids. After undergrad studies in science, journalism, and literature, she received a master’s degree in creative writing. Now based in France, she aims to present the most fascinating aspect of equine science: the story it creates. Follow Lesté-Lasserre on Twitter @christalestelas.

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