Horses can make facial expressions just like humans

Horses can make 17 facial movements -- which is three more than our relatives, the chimpanzees, and just 10 fewer than humans. In order to try and identify whether horses can pull more than just a long face, researchers at the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom created the Equine Facial Action Coding System (EquiFACS) to determine any discrete expressions made by horses.

By dissecting a horse's head and identifying its facial musculature, in addition to watching 15 hours of horse behaviour in 86 horses ranging in breed and age, they were able to log any possible faces that the animals can make. Using the Equine Facial Action Coding System, researchers found horses can make 17 facial expressions.

Anne Burrows, a professor at Duquesne University in Pennsylvania says that there is growing evidence to suggest that animals do indeed communicate intentionally, not just with each other -- but with humans as well. "It makes sense because humans domesticated these animals, but it's fascinating. The literature on dogs is so extensive but it seems to be spreading out to other domestic animals as well." The research provides an ideal framework, the study says, for investigations into whether the facial movements are associated with positive or negative emotional states.