Are horses sad when they are sold?

Whether it’s a move, a change in family situation, or even a death of the horse’s owner, scenarios exist that necessitate the sale of a horse.

Wondering how the animal feels about a sale?

In this article you will find the answer to this question and also the best tips on how to make the sale as pleasant as possible for your horse.

Are horses sad when they are sold?

Horses do not know that they are the property of a human being and therefore have no idea what a sale is. That is why horses are not sad when there is a change of ownership.

However, the sale may mean that the horse has to move to another stable and leave its herd and the familiar environment that gives it security and safety.

In this case, the horse may react anxiously and stressed and it is quite common for horses to miss their old home in the first days and weeks.
Can horses feel emotions?

Yes, horses are very sensitive and can feel fear, joy, sadness, etc. just as we humans can. Horses are also excellent at recognizing emotions in us humans.

For example, a study was conducted in which various horses were shown photos of people with angry facial expressions.

Subsequently, the horses were shown pictures of people with a friendly facial expression.

The horses had never seen the people in real life.

Now the people in the photos approached the horses in real life.

It was found that the horses reacted with avoidance behavior to the people of whom they had previously seen a photo with an angry facial expression, while they approached the other people with curiosity.

This shows that horses are highly sensitive creatures with an excellent sense of emotions.

Therefore, you should also always be mindful of the inner attitude with which you approach your horse. If you have had a stressful day and are internally full of frustration and anger, your horse will sense these negative emotions and may react with fear or insecurity.

This may cause him to not want to be captured because he can’t gauge you right now. Your horse only notices that something is wrong with you, but cannot understand that your negative emotions have nothing to do with the horse.

Therefore, it makes sense to take a deep breath on such days and first do activities that provide a little relaxation before you go to the horse.

Otherwise, your frustration will increase if you have a bad day anyway and then your horse doesn’t want to do what you want him to do.

If such situations occur frequently and you take your frustration out on your horse in the worst case, this behavior on your part can damage your relationship in the long term!

In which situations can horses feel sadness?

You now know that horses are capable of feeling emotions and therefore also grief.

Under which circumstances a horse is sad, how intense the sadness is and how long it lasts is just as different as with us humans.

However, there are some situations in which most horses react with sadness.

For example, many horses are sad when a herd member who was very important to them dies.

Horses also build friendships with each other and no matter how large the herd, for the most part, each horse has a horse buddy with whom they get along especially well and form a close bond.

Have you ever wondered if horses can form as close a bond with their owners as they do with another horse?

You will find out the answer in the next section.

Do horses form an (emotional) bond with their owners?

Whether horses form a bond with their owners and how close this bond is depends largely on how you behave towards your horse.

If you don’t put riding first, but instead make a point of training your horse so that he can enjoy your activities together, he will develop a relationship of trust with you over time.

If you own your horse for several years, set clear rules and limits without overriding his needs, you can even – in your horse’s eyes – replace his herd for the duration of your stay in the stable.

You can tell if your horse fully accepts you and enjoys your company by the way he grumbles when he is in the pasture and you call him or he sees you. It will voluntarily leave its herd and is interested in spending time with you – even if you don’t have any tasty food with you.

Horses can tell if you mean well or if you are just trying to satisfy your own needs and have a good time.

If, on the other hand, you also care about your animal’s well-being, prove yourself reliable, predictable and trustworthy in its eyes, it will gladly join you.

In the next paragraph, you will learn more about how you can help a new horse get used to you, so that it quickly forms a bond with you.

This is how you can make your new horse’s early days with you easier!

The time has come!

Finally you have your own horse!

You get into your car, pick up your horse with the trailer, bring him to his new home and are just happy. For your horse, however, this move means stress at first.

You can help your horse adjust to the new environment and overcome the grief of losing his former herd by giving your horse a structured daily routine to give him security.

If you have known the horse for some time and have perhaps already built up a bond with the animal because, for example, you were previously the horse’s riding partner, your mere presence can also provide security.

If, on the other hand, you don’t know the horse yet, it makes sense not to ask much of the animal for the first few days or even weeks.

Get to know each other first by not doing anything with the horse yet except for grooming and maybe a short walk.

Make sure that the animal still gets enough exercise in a paddock or a paddock and can at least make contact with conspecifics over a fence.