While horse owners often feel a deep, exclusive bond with their animals, scientific understanding of this relationship—specifically from the horse’s perspective—remains limited. A 2025 pilot study published in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science by researchers at Linköping University explored whether horses show a behavioral bias toward their owners compared to strangers.
The study examined 30 privately owned horses through two distinct lenses: a physical reunion and a scent-based preference test.
The Study Design: Reunion and Odor Tests
The researchers conducted two experiments to measure “safe haven” behavior, where an animal seeks a specific attachment figure for comfort during stress:
The Reunion Test. After a brief separation in an unfamiliar arena, horses were reunited with both their owner and a stranger simultaneously. Researchers recorded which person the horse approached first and how long they stayed in close proximity.
The Odor Test. Horses were presented with two buckets—one containing a t-shirt worn by their owner for five nights and another with a stranger’s t-shirt. This tested if horses recognized and preferred their owner’s unique scent.
Key Findings: A “Generalized” Relationship?
Contrary to the researchers’ initial hypotheses, the horses did not show a conclusive owner bias at the group level in either test.
The study found that while 12 horses approached their owner first during reunion, 10 approached the stranger. These results suggest that horses may view humans more generally as a “safe haven” rather than forming an exclusive attachment to one individual, as is often seen in dogs.
Why the Lack of Bias?
The researchers proposed several reasons why horses might not show the same “owner-only” preference found in other companion animals:
Social Evolution. Unlike dogs, horses live outside the human household and may experience stronger attachment to other horses than to humans.
Generalized Experience. Horses often change owners throughout their lives. This history may lead them to form a generalized positive association with humans based on their past experiences.
Curiosity vs. Familiarity. In the odor test, younger horses sniffed the stranger’s scent more, likely due to higher levels of natural curiosity compared to older horses.
This pilot study highlights that the human-horse bond is complex and distinct from the child-parent or dog-owner model. While long-term relationships do seem to increase physical contact, horses appear remarkably willing to accept comfort from unfamiliar humans. This “generalized” trust is a provisional testament to the horse’s adaptability, though it suggests we still have much to learn about how they truly perceive us.
Rönnow, E., & Roth, L. S. V. (2025). Horses show limited owner bias in reunion and odor tests: A pilot study. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 146, 105755. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2025.105755
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