A recent study led by Nottingham Trent University in the UK has found that horses can detect human fear through their sense of smell. Researchers collected sweat samples from humans who watched frightening videos and presented these samples to horses in controlled experiments. The results showed that when horses smelled ‘fear sweat,’ their heart rates significantly increased, and they displayed more frequent ear-pinning behavior—indicating heightened alertness or anxiety. In contrast, when exposed to ‘calm sweat’ (collected from people watching neutral content), the horses remained noticeably more relaxed.This study provides the first experimental evidence that horses can perceive human emotional states not only through visual and auditory cues but also via chemical signals—specifically, body odor. This deepens our understanding of the emotional connection between humans and horses and helps explain why horses sometimes become restless even when their riders appear outwardly calm.The research team emphasizes that these findings have important implications for equestrian training, animal welfare, and human-horse interactions. Riders and trainers should be aware that their emotional states may unconsciously influence their horses, highlighting the need for better emotional self-regulation during training. Additionally, this study opens new avenues for exploring whether other animals possess similar olfactory sensitivity to human emotions.
近期一项由英国诺丁汉特伦特大学主导的研究发现，马匹能够通过嗅觉感知骑手的恐惧情绪。研究人员采集了人类在观看恐怖视频时分泌的汗液样本，并将其呈现给实验中的马匹。结果显示，当马闻到‘恐惧汗液’时，它们的心率显著上升，耳朵向后转动的频率增加，表现出明显的警觉或紧张行为；而闻到‘平静汗液’（来自观看中性内容的人）时，马则表现得更为放松。这项研究首次提供了实验证据，证明马不仅能通过视觉和听觉线索理解人类情绪，还能通过化学信号——即气味——来感知人类的情绪状态。这进一步揭示了人与马之间深层次的情感交流机制，也解释了为何有时骑手即使外表镇定，马仍会显得焦躁不安。研究团队指出，这一发现对马术训练、动物福利以及人马互动具有重要意义。教练和骑手应意识到自身情绪可能通过无意识的方式影响马匹，从而在训练中更加注重情绪管理。此外，该研究也为其他动物是否具备类似能力提供了新的研究方向。
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