They Are Watching Us

They’re Watching Us: How Horses Read Our Faces and Learn Who to Trust

I’ve always told my students, “The horses are watching.” Not just in that wary, survival-instinct kind of way, but with a depth of curiosity and wisdom that goes far beyond what most people give them credit for.  

Now, science is catching up.  

A study out of the University of Sussex showed that horses *can* read human facial expressions—and not just in the moment. They remember them. Horses were shown photographs of people with angry or happy expressions, and later, when those same people appeared in person with neutral faces, the horses responded based on what they had seen before. They held tension in their bodies around those who had looked angry. They sought proximity to those whose photos had been kind.  

In other words, they noticed. They remembered. And they adjusted their behavior based on what they felt.  

We see this all the time in our work with rescue horses and the kids who come to our school. It’s why I’m always gently reminding students to *check their energy* before walking into the paddocks or pastures. Horses aren’t judging us like humans do—they're sensing us. They're reading our faces, our body language, our tone. They know if our smile is real. They know if we’re offering peace or pretending it.  

But it goes deeper. Horses don’t just understand us—they *learn us*.  

Another study showed that horses watch human behavior to figure out who they can rely on. In experimental setups where only one person held the key to solving a problem or accessing food, horses quickly learned who the "helper" was. They sought out the right human for help—just like a child running to the trusted adult in the room.  

This is something I see over and over with our herd. There are horses here who will bypass a whole crowd to walk right up to the one person who’s grounded, heart-forward, and present. They learn who can hold space for them. They learn who listens.  

And what a responsibility that gives us.  

To be seen that clearly—no masks, no pretending—can be unsettling. But it’s also an invitation. Horses invite us to live more honestly, more gently. To lead not with dominance, but with clarity and care. To be the kind of human a horse would come to for help.  

We’re not just training horses. They are shaping us, too—moment by moment, gaze by gaze.  

So the next time you step into the barn, remember:  

You are being watched.  

You are being studied.  

And you are being given a chance to be someone worth trusting.  

Isn’t that incredible?

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