AS the Chinese New Year comes, many would read up predictions for the coming year to find out how they could be wealthier, happier, find love, or even if it is the right time for a career change.
Most would do this so that they may put a smile on their faces and on their loved ones. Since it is the year of the Fire Horse in the Lunar calendar, maybe a horse can be smiling at you as well.
But wait... is it true that when a horse 'smiles' at you, it is happy?
Verdict:
False
When a horse puts a 'smile' on its face, it may look like it is happy, but it is actually not.
This is known as the Flehmen response - a behaviour where the horse curls its upper lip and closes its nostrils while exposing its front teeth.
By doing so, it relays information to the olfactory bulb – the area in the horse's brain that processes smell and is connected directly to the nostrils.
For a healthy horse, it uses this as a way to process new tastes and smells. The horse will hold this position for several seconds and may do it multiple times.
While the response is exhibited by both sexes, it tends to be more common in males (stallions) to detect the female (mares) in heat.
When the stallion recognises the scent of the pheromones the mare is radiating, he holds them in his nostrils for several seconds to further process them.
Thus, when a horse does this to you, it is not smiling at you, but rather smelling you, to get to know you better.
So, if a horse's 'smile' is not an indicator of its well-being, how does one know it is happy?
A happy horse would have its eyes half-closed, relax its muzzle and nostrils, and stretch out and curl its upper lip.
Its posture will not be tensed up, while its tail may swing loosely to show that it is in a good mood.
Interestingly enough, in China, a red plush horse toy with an accidental downturned mouth has become a best seller ahead of the Chinese New Year.
Dubbed the "crying horse” by online users, the toy was designed as a happy-faced CNY decoration, but a manufacturing mistake turned its smile into a frown.
ALSO READ: Accidental 'crying horse' toy wins hearts in China
One seller was quoted as saying, "We will keep selling it. This crying horse really fits the reality of modern working people.”
But hey, as a human being reading this, don't forget to look forward to the Chinese New Year with a smile.
Source:
https://www.horsenation.com/
https://www.chewy.com/
https://www.farmhousetack.com/
https://thehorse.com/164730/
