DD Animal News – If you grew up around horses—or even just took a few riding lessons—you probably learned that ear position is a big clue to what your equine friend is thinking. Ears forward? Good. Ears back? Not so good. But a new study suggests there’s a whole lot more going on in a horse’s face than most of us realized.
Inspired by a lifelong fascination with equine behavior, researchers set out to decode the subtle facial expressions horses use to communicate, especially with each other. What they discovered is a rich, complex language written in nostrils, lips, and ears—a language not just of threats and warnings, but of friendship, playfulness, and curiosity too.
Why Face Time Matters in the Herd
Horses are deeply social animals. In the wild, they live in herds with complex dynamics, where communication is key as they share spaces. Just like humans, horses use a wide range of facial muscles to send signals, and understanding these cues can help prevent misunderstandings—or even injuries—among horses and their handlers.
While earlier research focused on how horses express pain, or how they react to human-controlled scenarios (like being teased with food), this study took a more natural approach. Researchers filmed horses interacting with each other out in the pasture—no humans directing the action, no treats involved.
How They Cracked the Code
The team used a system called EquiFACS (that’s short for Equine Facial Action Coding System), which maps out two specific facial muscle movements called “action units” and “action descriptors.” Action units refer to contractions in facial muscles, whereas action descriptors refer to general facial movements.
By combining this data with video footage of natural horse interactions—like friendly nose bumps or a warning kick—the researchers were able to catalog 22 discrete facial expressions.
These included the usual suspects: ears pinned back in a warning, flared nostrils in alertness, and brows raised in caution. But the real surprise came when they studied horses at play.
Play Faces: A Window Into Equine Emotions
When horses play, their faces get super expressive—more than in any other context. Researchers saw quick sequences of facial shifts: floppy lower lips, raised chins, wide-open mouths, exaggerated ear positions, and even visible eye whites. The variety and speed of these changes were surprisingly similar to play faces seen in primates and carnivores.
That’s a big deal, because it suggests this kind of expressive “play language” might be much older in evolutionary terms than we thought. And just like in dogs or monkeys, these exaggerated expressions probably help make sure no one mistakes play for a fight.
What This Means for Horse People (and Science)
This new “facial catalog” could be a game-changer—not just for researchers, but for anyone who works with horses. By learning to recognize subtle shifts in a horse’s expression, handlers can better understand what their animal is feeling and avoid unnecessary stress or conflict.
As for the study’s lead author? She says she wishes she had this guide back when she was a kid at the riding stables. Same, honestly.
Turns out, if you really want to know what your horse is thinking, you just have to look them in the face—and know what you’re looking for.
