If you spend much time on sanctuary grounds, you likely know that residents have complex and fascinating personalities and quirks. However, many people have never had the opportunity to experience all the amazing things that make residents unique for themselves. We have created a series of articles compiling fun and fascinating facts about residents to share with supporters and the general public. Horses are amazing beings who deserve to be better known!

10 Fun Facts About Horses

1. Did you know some horses grow mustaches? It’s true, certain especially hairy breeds, can grow mustaches.
2. Horses cannot burp, vomit, or breathe through their mouths. They only breathe through their noses!
3. When exposed to lavender scented air, heart rates in horses lower, feeling calmer while exposed to the lavender. Do you have any scents that help calm you down?
4. Asleep on their feet! While horses average 1-3 hours of deep sleep while lying down each day, they mostly take shorter naps standing throughout a 24 hour period.
5. Studies have shown that horses recognize positive and negative emotions in humans!
6. Continuing from the last fact, a horse can also remember what your emotional state was when they last saw you, so being calm and cheery and gentle can be important when meeting the same individual horse regularly!
7. Many horses form such close bonds with herdmate(s) that being separated from them is very distressing to them. They may whinny loudly and pace the fence until they can be with their friend again.
8. Horses have great long-term memories! They can recall things they have learned years later without any refresher of what they learned between learning and recalling.
9. Horses have a lot to say! Horses communicate through vocalizations, body language, and facial expressions. A whinny can hold negative or positive emotions depending on the tone, length, and situation.
10. Horses can hear much higher frequencies of sound than humans can (much like the ultrasonic of a bat!) and humans can hear some low frequency sounds that horses can’t. 

Hopefully this gives you and your visitors a better idea about the complex and fascinating lives of Horses. Did you find any of these fun facts surprising? Or would you like to see a verified fun horse fact added to this list? Let us know!

SOURCES:

These Horses Can Grow Mustaches—Who Knew? | SimpleMost

Effect of Aromatherapy On Equine Heart Rate Variability | Journal Of Equine Veterinary Science  (Non-Compassionate Source)

Why Does a Horse Lie Down? | The Horse   (Non-Compassionate Source)

Animals Remember Previous Facial Expressions That Specific Humans Have Exhibited | Current Biology  (Non-Compassionate Source)

Behavioural Reactions Of Horses (Equus Caballus) To Separation Stress In Conspecifics. A Pilot study On Emotional Contagion In The Horse |Animal Science Papers And Reports  (Non-Compassionate Source)

Separation Strategies For The Herd-Bound Horse | Horse Canada  (Non-Compassionate Source)

Perception Of Emotional Valence In Horse Whinnies | Frontiers In Zoology   (Non-Compassionate Source)

All About The Horse’s 5 Senses | Equisense