Not only do horses have emotions but they have a wide array of them. I have seen many featured by my two beloved horses I grew up with. Anger, joy, sadness, excitement, fear, anxiety, perhaps horses are even able to exhibit emotions as complex as jealousy. These are the emotions WE humans perceive in our horses, but who knows, it could be that horses have a larger repertoire of emotions but are unable to express them as we would like them to.
Fear is perhaps the most common emotion associated with horses. And it is truly understandable if we think of the fact, that in nature horses were prey. They therefore, may seem extra alert and moody. After all, this fear is what has preserved this species from being extinct. If they lacked fear they would be gone, extinctjust as the Dodo bird. Some horses may be more skittish than others, but over all, a horse is genetically programmed to be in fight or flight situation.
An angry horse is not a happy camper. Luckily, its ears pulled back, eyes rolled and teeth bared ready to bite, can help us understand his not so happy mood. Horses may be angry as of a result of being closed up all day or because they do not want to accept the saddle. An upset horse may also be rebelliously kicking the door if food is not promptly served.
Sadness can be seen in horses that are left without their favorite companion. Horses are animals meant to live together, so they get emotionally attached to each other or towards a substitute buddy such as a goat or lamb. Separate them,and you will see the horse literally missing his friend. Sadness can be seen as well in the eyes of horses that have been forced to refrain from activity due to an injury.
No other horses can exhibit joy in life more than a horse running and jumping around like a young colt. This is pure joy of life. Have you ever seen the look on the face of horses being able to get out and run in the green pasture? Their spirits seem lifted and they surely feel grateful to be alive!
Anxiety: you know like the horse unable to stay still from the anxiety? My horse used to get nervous before an upcoming sportive event and you could really read the tension. His body muscles were tense and he was frothing at the mouth excessively. He also had lots of bowel movements prior the event. He surely felt the tension and knew what was going on.
I am not sure about jealously but my horse sure used to make these sort of annoyed faces when I used to pet another horse. After seeing him again, minutes later, he seemed to want to avoid me like the plague. It seemed like I hurt his feelings and he was playing the non forgiving role.
Of course, horses also exhibit love. My horses used to greet me with the cutest grumbles and we used to cuddle every morning after grooming time. I am sure horses do grow attached to their owners and even in a deep way. We all wished horses could talk, but being spared fromthis gift, we must read all their physical cues in order to interpret their feelings. Yes, horses surely have emotions and as so, must be treated in a human and dignitary way.