Horse Senses

Horses perceive the world differently from humans because their senses developed differently through evolution to cope with different ways of living and surviving. Horses are essentially prey/flight animals. The horse’s senses therefore determine how the world appears to him and how he reacts to it. As the horse's perception and understanding are very different to ours, sometimes their reactions to events and their surroundings seem strange to us.

In Horse Senses, the author compares the horse's sensory organs with those of humans to avoid misunderstandings, as lack of knowledge can lead to many problems when dealing with horses. The five senses covered in this book are hearing, sight, smell, taste, and touch. Each section explains how the horse's sense works, relating this to care, behaviour, and riding, and explaining why some practices are appropriate and why others are not. The behavioural aspect of dealing with horses is emphasised throughout.

The author, founder of the Equine Behaviour Forum and author of over 40 books on equine topics, holds an HNC in Equine Sciences and Management, is a Classical Riding Club Gold Award Holder and classical trainer, an equine shiatsu practitioner, and an Associate Member of the International Society for Equitation Science. This book is useful for all horse owners, horse breeders, and trainers who wish to gain a better understanding of how the horse’s senses function, as well as for veterinary students and practitioners.