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New research on the complexity of equine social signals.
A study from the University of Sussex has found that horses use their ears along with their eyes to communicate with other horses. 72 horses were tested for their interaction over buckets of food. Pictures of a horse, with ears or eyes covered, were posted across from the test subject to see how the participating horse reacted. If either ears or eyes were covered, then the horse would choose a feed bucket randomly. However, when the image of the horse with ears and eyes uncovered was displayed, the direction of the ears would influence the study horse as to which feed bucket it chose.
Researchers concluded that horses have a set a of body signals that allows a significant degree of communication and interaction, since horses are very social animals and have very strongly delineated hierarchies while in a herd (Victoria Gill, “Horses’ Mobile Ears Are 'Communication Tool,’ ” BBC at BBC.com, August 5, 2014).
While many scientists attribute these social characteristics to evolution, we need to look deeper. Animals, and their unique means of communication, were created by God (though not with the same potential for eternal life as human beings) and modeled on the family relationship. They require a mother and a father in order to have offspring, and so on. There are many lessons to be learned from how animals interact and the patience it takes for humans to interact with them.
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