Tests showed horses that smelled body odour from people watching scary films startled more easily
Horses can smell fear, or at least whether you have scared yourself witless watching a horror movie, according to researchers who say the effect has consequences for riders, trainers and others who work with the animals.
In a series of tests, horses that smelled body odour from people watching scary films startled more easily, had higher heart rates and approached their handlers less often than when the odour came from people watching more joyful scenes.
If the finding holds up in future studies, it would suggest that fear is contagious between humans and horses, with volatile compounds in human sweat acting as a warning signal that danger may lurk nearby.
“This study shows how closely connected animals and humans are,” said Dr Léa Lansade at the University of Tours in France. “Unconsciously, we can transmit our emotions to animals, with quite important effects on their own emotions in return.”
