Boffins work out how to speak 'horse' and now have an idea how they're feeling

HORSES ARE MORE THAN JUST A LONG FACE - THEIR FACES CHANGE DEPENDING ON THEIR MOOD ACCORDING TO EXPERTS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH 15:19, 29 May 2025 Horse can pull different faces at

each other depending on their moods. Boffins said the animals change their expressions when they are trying to show each other whether they are feeling playful or aggressive. Researchers

from The University of Portsmouth found that when they are being friendly they put their noses forward. They also discovered when they are concentrating they move their ears forward and pull

them together. But when they are angry the ears appeared to be more flattened and backward-facing, with dilated nostrils and a lowered head. And when they were in a playful mood the lower

lip was droopy, they had a raised chin and their mouths were stretched open wide. Article continues below Dr Kate Lewis, the first author of the research, said: “Horses produce a rich and

complex repertoire of facial expressions, and we should not overlook the nuances in these if we want to truly understand the subjective experiences of horses.” The scientists also said

looking out for such signs could help improve the care and welfare of the creatures. The team analysed 72 hours of filmed observations to explore which facial movements occurred in each

context. Article continues below Dr Lewis added: “The beauty of what we did here is that we were systematic in how we documented the facial expressions, and that we covered a broad range of

naturally occurring behaviours. “Something of this size has not been attempted before in horses, and it’s really exciting to see the subtleties in how animals communicate with each other.”