Trained actors ( n = 2), using the human Facial Action Coding System, displayed four facial expressions (anger, sadness, joy and neutral) individually to twenty ponies. This study investigated how ponies distinguish facial expressions presented by live actors. Evidence has shown that dogs and horses are able to distinguish positive and negative facial expressions by observing photographs of humans, however there is currently no research on how facial expressions from a live human are perceived by horses. Ponies clearly distinguish among human facial expressions but other factors also contribute to their responses to humans.Ĭommunication within a species is essential for access to resources, alerting to dangers, group facilitation and social bonding human facial expressions are considered to be an important factor in one’s ability to communicate with others. Ponies with more experience as a lesson mount had lower heart rates and lower head carriage although they exhibited more oral behaviours and kept their ear on the actor more. The ponies distinguished between the actors, favouring one actor with shorter looking and approach times and fewer oral behaviours. The ponies looked with their left eye first, more often and for longer to angry expressions and with their right eye first to joy, in keeping with the theory of lateralized responses (i.e., the right brain hemisphere is activated by stimuli on the left and is predominant in emotionalized responses). In this study, 20 ponies were individually presented with facial expressions of anger, joy, sadness and neutral by two different live actors. Reading facial expressions across species is particularly relevant for domesticated animals who rely on humans for food, shelter, safety and social relationships. Facial expressions communicate a great deal of information that can potentially convey the affective state of the sender and facilitate approach or avoidance responses by the receiver.
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