“Horses are social animals with their own ways of showing care and concern for each other and, as we see in this video, that interest extends to artificial horses as much as to living ones.
Her life is important for horses. They are not aggressive by nature and have grown to behave like prey, having been hunted for food by larger animals. They will run from predators. This is why horses sleep standing up. This sleeping position lets them take flight faster if another animal comes after them.
A horse’s sense of balance is also heightened. This along with their strength is what suits horses to domestication and physical labor. A horse herd is a complex structure, with leaders who gain the respect of the other herd members. Something most people do not realize is that mares, not stallions, are the ones in charge of herds.
Horses even act as therapists for adults and children with physical and mental disabilities. Riding a horse can build confidence and help a disabled person become more self-sufficient because the feeling of independence creates a better quality of life.
Since they are so smart, horses are also curious and love to inspect the world around them. People who train horses will sometimes use this quality to get the animals comfortable. One technique they use is letting the horse come to them because the horse wants to know more about the other creature in their space. An appeal to curiosity may get better results, for trainers, than trying to approach a horse with no previous introduction.
Horses need a lot of exercises to keep their muscles and joints powerful. This does not always mean someone has to ride the horse. Tame horses who trust their handlers can take walks, like dogs, on sturdy leads or ropes. The horse knows their walker will not take them into danger, and the walkers trust the horses to obey gentle commands.
In this video, a woman walks a horse around a residential neighborhood. They are in hilly terrain, with a mountain in the background. Next, to a mailbox, there is a small plastic statue of a horse. Someone off-camera suggests that the woman let the horse come and sniff the figure.
The woman with the lead says sweet words to the horse, patting and petting the statue while making eye contact. The horse follows, as it has been trained to do, and then inspects the figure as if meeting a new friend. It is a cute moment.
The horse draws closer, nuzzling its face against the face of the statue. The horse does not seem to mind that the statue fails to snuggle him back, or that its face feels different from a living horse face. The horse continues to nuzzle the sides of the face, making gentle snorting noises.
The woman and her off-camera friend say “it’s not real” and “it’s plastic so that you know.” But the horse doesn’t mind. The gentle creature has found a new friend. This shows how curious horses can be. The snorting is how horses exchange scents. Since the plastic horse is so small, it may be that the larger horse thinks it is a foal.
Wholesome videos like this help explain why so many people love horses. Once trained and socialized, they are loyal companions and reliable workers or performers. The horse in the video has a shiny coat and an outgoing attitude. The women in the video take good care of their pet, and the horse is happy to find another horse that is just as real and important to him as any other member of his herd.”
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