I know they have different minds then us. But can they feel emotion? Such as grief, jelousy, anger, regret? I wouldnt think its possible, but can they feel any sort of emotion BESIDES basics such as fear, excitment, happiness, ect ?
I've read a number of studies and nothing conclusive has been proven regarding the degree and nature of emotions horses experience. The strongest evidence I've seen is the ongoing refusal to eat when a horse loses a buddy. There is no survival-based explanation for this. If horses are only able to sustain emotion for short periods, and their emotions are based in survival instincts, then how does refusing to eat and standing around acting depressed fit into that? I go along with theories that compare horses to small human children, holding that horses do experience emotions but don't apply moral judgment to their actions. In other words, a horse may kick out in rage, but doesn't then feel regret for doing it. I've witnessed enough jealous behavior in horses to be convinced that it exists. Horses routinely fight for attention from favorite humans or each other. This could be related to survival instincts since humans provide food, etc., and pairing up with herd buddies does help to foster an individual horse's safety, but it still manifests as jealousy.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com So of the emotions you listed, the one I would question is regret. The thought processes and learning required for a horse to feel actual regret is not very likely in my opinion, based on my experience and from what I've read about equine learning capacity.
They certainly feel some emotions. I know I have seen love, hate, fear, pleasure, anger, competitiveness, etc. More complex feelings such as guilt and jealousy are harder to figure out, and it is easy to personify animals when their "emotions" could be more basal things that we decide to read as complex emotion. For example, fear of punishment looks a lot like guilt, and can be read that way. Anger at a lack of attention can look like jealousy . Shock at a change in behavior (losing a pasture mate) can look like grief. They may be feeling these complex emotions, but they just as easily may not. What it really comes down to is how you react to them. In general, your instinctual reaction to the emotion you perceive in your horse is the right one, but just keep in mind that they are prey animals and therefore behave in slightly different ways than humans.
I have watched horses grieve. I am not talking about whinnying for awhile. I am talking about standing dejectedly for days and refusing to eat after a buddy died. When one also quit drinking water, I knew the depth of his emotions and I have no other word to substitute for that.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
When my mustang mare was separated from her herd and arrived here, she was stressed beyond belief. Then she went into depression. Closed down emotionally. I do not know how else to explain a month of that in any other terms. Their behavior is different , their eyes are different, even their feet will show a change in the hoof wall from that time.
If you see a horse that has been handled too roughly and separates itself from the herd, standing dejectedly with head down, my husband calls that "shut down". If that isn't akin to a human emotion, I do not know what is.
I watched my daughter's mare exact revenge on a farrier that was too rough with her. She was a piece of cake for me to handle, but one day when I wasn't standing there, he put a lip chain on her and jerked her around .
A half hour later when I was putting her back into the pasture, he walked by and she popped him with a rear foot. I was stunned, but he had it coming! Anger? I do not know, but it was definitely the only time I ever saw her do anything like that and anybody could get her to pick up feet, so she got even, that's for sure.
YES if u dnt think so hang out with my Gelding, he loves to play jokes, hes usually always happy but if you don't ride him in a week he acts depressed and neglected lol, he wont look at you and acts sad in his stall till you notice him and start playing with him. I train horses and when I work with that horse he gets SO jealous its unreal, he refuses to look at you and wont come up to you when you call him. He is not hard to piss off, expecally other horses, he will stay mad at a horse for a long time if they kick him or try to boss him around, he picks on the horses im training too, if I work with them longer. Hes so amazing and sometimes I swear he IS a human with a horse costume on ha ha.
Yes they can . If you take a baby away from the mother they will cry and get very upset. A lot of horses whinny and come running when they see their owners. If I am giving one horse attention, my other horse will watch and give me a dirty look until I go give her attention as well. Horses are no different than people. They feel the same pain, happiness, and exitement as we do. They show it differently but they do feel.
What use does a wild horse have with being jealous? Or regret? None.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com Horses don't have any use for those .... those are human emotions, although you are going to hear a lot of people say ...." oh, my horse gets jealous! Or regrets bucking me off! " It's just them projecting human emotions onto their horse.
