You know your horse loves you when.......

when mine calls to me every morning and evening :) he has started to walk over to me in the field now, which he didn't used to do!
 
Our appy says morning even when we have parked all the way down the car park and he cant see us but we hear him
The old mare kisses me(doesnt always kiss)
The wb asks for a scratchy ear rub(she was ear twitched and has issues)
The tb just spends hours snogging you(there is no other word for it:D)
The little welshie cuddles closer when he is worried.
 
Think you're all deluded, TBH. Horses don't do "love", they do food anticipation. Closest I think they get is feeling "safe" and un threatened with you. Don't knock it, that's a big achievement for a predated animal.
 
Deseado said:
Think you're all deluded, TBH. Horses don't do "love", they do food anticipation. Closest I think they get is feeling "safe" and un threatened with you. Don't knock it, that's a big achievement for a predated animal.
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Which is why I said 'she trusts me'. I also had a TBxWelshD who kicked a stone up onto her knee and limped for a few strides. I rubbed it and put her back into the filed. She walked along limping, at the other side of the fence to the other gate and when I opened that held up the opposite knee for a rub! The Clydie, who got her feather stuck in a fence 3 weeks after we got her, told my Dad, as he drove past her field, that she was stuck by making exaggerated 'lift my foot up' movements. Dad stopped the car, she stood stock still and waited for him to cut her free. All examples of trust IMO. And certainly none of my examples is food related.
 
Mine canter up the field to me and whinny- but that's because they are or hoping to get fed. Still, whether its for me or for the bucket, it's nice that they do it.
 
I'm under no illusions that some stuff mine do is food related. But I can think of various scenarios not involving either food or the expectation of food/ shelter. The few occasions mine has been badly injured or very scared in her life its me alone she is relaxed with.
Daughter & her pony have a close bond. When daughter was ill & didn't see her for days, the first few days she was happy with me feeding her carrots & checking her. By the fifth day she was ignoring the carrots & racing up & down the fence line calling at the car & stables expecting daughter to emerge. When daughter did return, & same after our holiday she made it quite clear she had missed her.
I suppose it depends whether you believe they are capable of love, but even if you don't ours are certainly as fond of us as any dog or pet is capable of being.
 
Merlin has a tendency to run and hide by me if he gets chased off by his big half-brother..which is quite a change from the nervous, aggressive semi-feral badly handled loon he came to me as...I interpret that as 'love' but I guess its really his association with me as his 'safe zone'.
David had changed hands a lot before he came to us, and is a pretty self-contained little pony-type dude anyway, but just lately he has seemed to be quite happy to come over and stand and have a fuss, which is quite sweet and maybe as this is the longest he's been with anyone, he's really starting to settle.
And as for my big boy, Spirit, haven't had him that long and have quite a few issues to work through with him, but he did go to sleep in the field one day, with his nose drooped onto my belly button - which is either trust or complete user-y-ness, I don't know which!
 
Had a lovely moment this morning, when we came across some felled trees on the forestry (thanks Forestry types - really clever...). We managed to get through the first lot with me on board, but the second lot was just too much - he couldn't lift his hind legs high enough and there were head height branches, too. So, I got off and one by one, I stood on or lifted up the branches as appropriate, with Henry taking one step forward at a time. Once through, I walked him on a few feet and let him have some grass. At this point, I decided to go back and take some pics of our obstacles. Stood in the middle of the branches, I heard a little whinny and saw that Henry had brought his head up. He then come trotting back and stood expectantly, waiting for me to get out. How cute is that?!?

..and that was after my cat followed me (off-road) to a neighbour's house up the road, waiting like a good boy whilst I looked after their chooks, geese and ducks, before trotting back after me. :D
 
I don't believe horses know the sentiment of love, but mine will stop eating his hay as soon as he spots me and walk over to the gate, and then watch me leave which I find sweet :)
 
I have so many examples of this, I have been so lucky with my horses.

The most powerful example for me was with my mare (now at rainbow bridge) when she had grass sickness. For a period of time I would get anguished calls from the yard to get down there quickly as she was very agitated. She would settle the minute she saw me. All I would do is be with her. This was at a yard she had been at for years, with people who had looked after her on full livery for years, but no, only I would do.

My OH used to say he couldn't understand why I had her as he could see no bond, until she got ill, and he freely admitted he couldn't believe the depth of bond he saw.

She pulled through BTW.
 
he only wickers and winnys at me, its so cute ive not had him long either, I'll appear at his stable and he'll always wicker at me, when he sees me in the field or just walking around on the yard, he's always talking to me, and its so sweet coz he only does it to me :D makes my heart melt :)
 
I have 20 horses shouting / nickering at me every morning... I wish I could say I believed that means I am loved!

First on the yard gets 'the big hello', and I'm always first.

A couple of them will actively come over to say hello in the field / fall asleep on me / follow me around which i do think is cute. But I dont think its love.
 
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