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Horse Senses ~EYES AND SIGHT~ The eyes of a horse are set wide apart at the sides of its head. This means that when the head is raised, the horse has almost complete all-round vision without turning its head, an advantage developed in order to give protection from predators in the wild. This is why you must always approach a horse within its range of vision in order to avoid scaring it. ~EARS AND HEARING~ Horses have acute hearing, with a far wider range than human beings. Their ears are constantly mobile, twitching to pick upsounds, and turning forwards, sideways, and backward, like antennae. ~SMELL~ The horse has a strong sense of smell with well-developed nostrils designed to take in air at great speed, or when under stress. Horses are able to detect fear in humans via sweat, and are sensitive to the smell of blood. THey show their suspicion or dislike of new smells by sniffing or snorting and backing off, and they may refuse to eat food that smells strange tot hem. Many horses dislike the smell of pigs. ~TASTE~ Horses are selective feeders, and would starve rather than eat unpalatable vegetation. A field that appears to be evenly covered by healthy grass can be left ragged and patchy by a group of horses, which simply pick out the grasses they like, leaving coarse, rancid or fouled areas. Highly bread Thoroughbreds tend to be more sensitive to unfamiliar tastes than other breeds with stout constitutions. Horses that are difficult to catch can often be lured by tasty "tidbits" such as carrots, mints, or sugar lumps. ~TOUCH~ As horses are physically very sensitive, especially to pain, they respond well to patting and stroking. A whip is sometimes used as encouragement or correction when riding and as a training aid when lunging, to keep the horse moving forwards, or to stop it coming inward. Some horses react more strongly than others to the whip, especially those with finde skin. Horses seem to be reassured if they can touch a strange object with their muzzle. ~ATMOSPHERE~ Horses pick up and respond to human emotion and can be easily influenced by atmostphere. A nervous or frightened rider, for example, will make a horse hesitant, while a bold, confident one will often inspire boldness in a usually timid animal.
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