Horses can smell humans’ fear and joy, study finds, and change their behaviour accordingly

2C55RTD A close up of a strong and muscular black horse's nose with a white stripe down the middle of the muzzle.

Horses can smell humans’ fear, a study has found, and its scent and that of other emotions can influence horses’ behaviour.

Research published in scientific journal Plos One found that horses showed “significantly heightened” fear responses and reduced interaction with people when they were exposed to fear-related human odours.

“These results highlight the significance...