Any horse owner will tell you how much they love their horse, and how much their horse loves them. Like any animal, the bond between equine and human can be incredibly strong; founded on love, affection and companionship.
Our customers regularly talk about their horses and the different situations that they find themselves in. They all have their own unique anecdotes that prove horses have very well-defined personalities and one of our favourites has to be the friendship between a 30 year old woman and a five year old horse.
Friends to the end
Our customer came to us looking for the best horse toys and grooming equipment for their faithful companion. We’re used to customers telling us about the special relationship they have with their horse, but this story was a little different.
The woman in question explained that she’d always been a lover of animals – and horses in particular. She’d always dreamed of owning her own horse someday but had expected it to have remained just that; a dream.
By a strange stroke of luck, she relocated to a more rural area for her work and soon found that owning a horse was not out of the question. Her choice was a beautiful little filly with distinctive markings and kind eyes – but these eyes hid a secret.
The filly, now aged five, has proven to be quite the mischievous female – but that just makes the relationship with her owner more special.
From stealing carrots from the shed to persistently removing any items of clothing she doesn’t like her owner wearing (usually straw hats), she has shown that she certainly gives her owner plenty of entertainment.
As well as this, the filly also shoes unconditional love and kindness to her owner – proving that her playful behaviour is a sign of contentment and happiness rather than frustration.
Her owner, who doesn’t always enjoy the best health, told us:
“Whenever I’m feeling a little under the weather, she always behaves herself to support me. She might still give me the odd nudge in the back of the leg or nuzzle my neck for attention but that’s just her being her and letting me know that no matter what, she’s my girl. On my better days, she’s far more mischievous – almost like a child – but if I’m not on form then she tones it down a bit. It’s like she can sense how I’m feeling and knows what to do to make it better.”
Speaking horse
While our customers routinely tell us anecdotes which prove horses are more human than we perhaps give them credit for, it’s interesting to note that some official studies support the idea.
Research by a team from the University of Rennes in 2010 found that while human friends may come and go, horses friendships can last a lifetime. Their survey found that horses have excellent memories for human faces which means that they can remember friendly faces – even after long periods of separation.
As these animals are open to new, non-threatening relationships in the wild and value the social connections made with their own family and ‘friends’, their bond with humans in a domestic setting is likely an extension of this.
This could explain why horses greet their owners so warmly and show so much affection. It can also explain why some owners feel they can grow to understand their horse’s body language and ‘speak’ to them – something you should keep in mind when shopping for your next horse supplies!
