More than a long face: horses use ‘rich repertoire’ of expressions to interact

During aggressive encounters, horses’ ears tend to be flattened and backward-facing, and the nostrils dilated. Photograph: Anastasija Popova/Alamy

They might get asked by bartenders about their long faces, but horses pull a variety of expressions when interacting with each other, researchers have found.

While facial movements can help members of the same species communicate emotions or other signals to each other, they can also be important for inter-species understanding – such as helping humans glean insights into the experiences of domesticated animals.