The Power of a Horse Hug

The power of a horse hug. It can make you forget the stresses of the day, lift the weight of the world from your shoulders and remind you that there is magic to be found in friendship. 

How and why is that anyway? Horses are incredibly sensitive and preceptive and they have a large electromagnetic field surrounding their heart. Studies have shown the human heart rate can decrease to a frequency not typical for the human heart rate when we spend time around horses. This lower rate, while not typical for humans, is very common and normal in horses. The consensus is that the horse electro magnetic field must be dominant to humans and thus it can have a literal calming affect on our heart, something we often experience when spending time with our horses. 

So next time you go to the barn or your pasture focus on being present and really intentional with your horse. Soak in all of that relaxing energy. Immerse yourself in every aspect of being with your horse including grooming, hand grazing, riding and doing liberty. Be with them, bond with them and use every opportunity to build that special connection. Two hearts, one heartbeat. 

Fun Facts:

1.) A horse can hear your heart beat from 4 feet way. 

2.) In the wild horses sync their heartbeat to the heard. If one heartbeat goes up they know danger is near.  

3.) Horses can recognize human facial expressions and in turn also recognize familiar faces of humans they spend time around

For more detailed information on the horse-human heart connection you can check out the following studies:

Heart to Heart- A Quantitative Approach to Measuring the Emotional Bond Between Horses and Humans.

Heart Math Study: Heart-Human Connection & Horses

Investigating horse-human interactions: The effect of a nervous human

Quantitative heartbeat coupling measures in human-horse interaction