Humans can communicate a lot with our facial expressions, and new research suggests horses can do the same.

A study recently published in the journal PeerJ used the Equine Facial Action Coding System, or EquiFACS, to identify expressions linked with horses’ cognitive and emotional states. The team then used this information to create an ethogram, or a table of species’ different behaviors, based on facial expressions in positive, negative, and neutral social interactions with other horses.

In all, the research uncovered 805 different expressions across 22 behaviors.

Dr. Leanne Proops, study co-author and Associate Professor in Animal Behavior and Welfare at the University of Portsmouth, says, “This is the first time we’ve been able to systematically document how horses combine facial movements into meaningful expressions. It opens up new possibilities for understanding equine emotions and improving welfare.”

Some of the findings were that alertness is typically shown through forward ears and head placement that best helps with sensory input. Friendly interactions also often led to neutral expressions, which suggests that a neutral face means a positive mood.

Interestingly, horses’ expressions during play were also similar to those of primates and carnivores, including a wide-open mouth, which suggests this may be encoded in the biology of mammals.

Dr. Kate Lewis, lead author, says, “We found that horses often use the same facial movements across different contexts, but the combinations and intensities vary. This flexibility underscores the importance of considering the whole body and context when interpreting equine behavior.”

The researchers believe that the more we’re able to learn about what facial expressions mean, the better human-horse relationships will be. You can read the whole study here.

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