Do Horses Love Us?   

Not long ago, I had someone ask me, do horses like or even love us? I feel we should resist the temptation to put human qualities in horses. Horses are neither naughty nor nice. Horses aren’t loving nor caring. They are not intelligent like humans, nor are they keen to learn new skills, and they certainly don’t treat problems as a challenge.

They see problems as a threat and often panic when faced with new situations. Horses are simply horses. However, they are very aware of their place in life, and are extremely simple in their routine, from feeding to fighting. They dislike change. We too often take the human perspective and change our horse’s routine to avoid boredom. I think this can sometimes be a mistake.

Horses prefer to do the same things in the same way – thereby avoiding risk and jeopardizing their survival. Perhaps we get that soft nicker when they see us coming because of the carrots we always bring them. But it sure doesn’t mean we can’t love them.