This Week in Horse Health News Presented by Absorbine

It's all in the eyes...whenever Mark gets his 'worried look' on. Photo by Colleen Peachey. It's all in the eyes...whenever Mark gets his 'worried look' on. Photo by Colleen Peachey.

I generally find that it is pretty easy to get a read on a horse’s emotional state — or at least I find that is true with my own geldings. I think being around them on a daily basis does help to keep me more in tune with their mental states, and it is fairly obvious if any of them are cranky, mellow, scared, excited, or anything and everything in between.

By taking cues from my horses’ posture and expressions, I can get a good indication of how they are feeling on a particular day. Something like ear position is definitely one of the easier indicators…and facial expressions can be a little bit more complicated. I feel like paying attention to equine facial expressions can tell a lot though.

Especially when it comes to the eyes; when my gelding Mark gets stressed, the very first place I notice it showing is in his eyes. He gets what I call his “stressed out sad eyes.” Recently, researchers have concluded that certain types of equine eye wrinkles can be linked to emotional states. You can check out an article over at Horsetalk in order to learn more here.

And then check out some of the other headlines from this week in Horse Health News presented by Absorbine:

Common OTTB Behavior Traits: Have you ever hear generalizations about behaviors that ex-racehorses exhibit? There are behaviors that off-the-track horses may have, that contrary to popular belief are not really specific to ex-racehorses. Learn more about some of the behaviors that you might be able to expect should you bring home an OTTB of your very own. [The Horse]

A Close-Up on Wolf Teeth: Does your horse still have his or her wolf teeth? Did you know that it is estimated that somewhere between 50-75% of horses still have their wolf teeth? Learn more about a horse’s first upper pre-molar (commonly called the wolf teeth), why these teeth are routinely removed from young horses, and also what to expect if your horse is having his or her’s removed. [Horsetalk]

Are Fat Horses More Dominant?: Every pasture has a one: the dominant horse that leads the rest of the field. Is there any link between dominance and equine body condition? Researchers from the University of Bristol and the WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition (both of which are location in the UK), conducted a study, which concluded that as herd rank increases, that so does body score. [The Horse]

What Whinnies May Mean: Do you have a really vocal horse? Ever wonder what all those whinnies actually mean? A team of Swiss researchers have come to the conclusion that certain types of whinnies actually indicate the nature, as well as the intensity, of certain types of emotional states. [Equus Magazine]