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Horses Sense Human Fear Through Scent, Study Reveals

1/18/2026

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Summary

Story summary

A study in PLOS One shows horses can detect human fear via scent.
Researchers collected sweat from participants watching scary and joyful videos and exposed 43 horses to those odors.
Horses exposed to fear odors had higher stress, with increased heart rates and less contact with handlers.
Lead author Plotine Jardat says emotional awareness helps people work with horses, and the study implies emotional signals can cross species boundaries.

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Story summary

A study in PLOS One shows horses can detect human fear via scent.
Researchers collected sweat from participants watching scary and joyful videos and exposed 43 horses to those odors.
Horses exposed to fear odors had higher stress, with increased heart rates and less contact with handlers.
Lead author Plotine Jardat says emotional awareness helps people work with horses, and the study implies emotional signals can cross species boundaries.