Horse Sense and Sensibility

Product Information

Simple overview of the nasal and oral cavity of the horse. The nasal cavity is opened while breathing and closed while the horse swallows. While breathing, the oral cavity is sealed from the esophagus, hence the tongue takes up most of the space in the mouth. The vomeronasal organ of the horse is situated in the upper jaw, just between the palate and the nasal cavity, and opens behind the front teeth. This organ is used to detect poorly volatile organic compounds and triggers the flehmen response. The olfactory turbinates hold the olfactory epithelium with sensory neurons projecting to the olfactory bulbs localized in the front of the horse's brain. Altogether, this forms the first part of the olfactory system. The opening discussion of money and marriage immediately establishes the important role that ordinary economic concerns will play in Austen's novel. Unlike the authors of Gothic and sentimental novels fashionable in her day, Austen refuses to romanticize; she recognizes that material realities constrain love and marriage. Nonetheless, she allows some of this sentimentality to seep into the novel, and the tension between reasonable economic concerns and overly romantic dreaming will constitute an important theme in the novel. Marianne reproved him warmly for using such expressions. Sir John, not understanding, only laughed and continued his bantering.

Mr. John Dashwood initially intends to keep his promise and treat his female relatives generously, but his wife Fanny, a narrow-minded and selfish woman, convinces him to leave them only five hundred pounds apiece. Fanny moves into Norland immediately following Mr. Henry Dashwood's death and becomes mistress of the estate, relegating John's stepmother Mrs. Dashwood and half-sisters Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret to the status of mere visitors.Old Mr. Dashwood is the owner of a large estate in Sussex called Norland Park. Following the death of his sister, Mr. Dashwood invites his nephew Mr. Henry Dashwood to come live with him at Norland. The younger Mr. Dashwood brings John Dashwood, his son from a previous marriage, as well as the three daughters born to his present wife. John Dashwood is grown and married, and has a four-year-old son, Harry. When Old Mr. Dashwood dies, he leaves his estate to John and little Harry, who had much endeared himself to the old man. But now John's father, Henry Dashwood, is left with no way of supporting his wife and three daughters, and he too dies one year later, leaving only ten thousand pounds for his family. Just before his death, he makes his son John promise to care for his stepmother and three half-sisters.

Margaret related something to her the next day, which placed this matter in a still clearer light. Willoughby had spent the preceding evening with them, and Margaret, being left some time in the parlour with only him and Marianne, had had opportunity for observations, which, with a most important face, she communicated to her eldest sister, when they were next by themselves. You are mistaken, Elinor," said she warmly, "in supposing I know very little of Willoughby. I have not known him long indeed, but I am much better acquainted with him, than I am with any other creature in the world, except yourself and mama. It is not time or opportunity that is to determine intimacy: -- it is disposition alone. Seven years would be insufficient to make some people acquainted with each other, and seven days are more than enough for others. I should hold myself guilty of greater impropriety in accepting a horse from my brother than from Willoughby. Of John I know very little, though we have lived together for years; but of Willoughby my judgment has long been formed." Inner ear cells – surrounding the vestibular apparatus – are responsible for converting sound waves into electrical impulses, which are then sent to your horse’s brain to be processed. Interpreting sound Horses show visible reactions to sounds, with one or both ears typically moving toward the direction of the sound source. The hearing ability of horses was first studied in the 1980's by Heffner and Heffner ( 46– 48) and surprisingly little research has been done on horse hearing since. They mapped the range of frequencies horses can detect and demonstrated that while larger animals tend to be adept at hearing lower frequencies, horses are an exception. The lowest frequency detectable by horses is 50 Hz, which is higher than the lowest human detection threshold of 20 Hz. Conversely, equine hearing exceeds the highest frequencies that can be heard by humans (33 kHz compared to 20 kHz for humans), indicating that there will be situations where a horse can detect sounds that humans are unable to hear, and vice versa. Furthermore, the funnel-shape of the equine ear provides an acoustic pressure gain of 10 to 20 dB ( 49) improving the acuity of equine hearing. From the viewpoint of horse-human interactions, it is important to consider that the higher frequency hearing abilities of horses compared to humans may explain some of the unwelcome and otherwise inexplicable behaviors that are regarded as problem behaviors. I will not say that I am disappointed, my dear sister," said John, as they were walking together one morning before the gates of Delaford House, "THAT would be saying too much, for certainly you have been one of the most fortunate young women in the world, as it is. But, I confess, it would give me great pleasure to call Colonel Brandon brother. His property here, his place, his house, every thing is in such respectable and excellent condition!—and his woods!—I have not seen such timber any where in Dorsetshire, as there is now standing in Delaford Hanger!—And though, perhaps, Marianne may not seem exactly the person to attract him—yet I think it would altogether be advisable for you to have them now frequently staying with you, for as Colonel Brandon seems a great deal at home, nobody can tell what may happen—for, when people are much thrown together, and see little of anybody else—and it will always be in your power to set her off to advantage, and so forth;—in short, you may as well give her a chance—You understand me."—The retina contains millions of light-sensitive cells, known as ‘rods’ and ‘cones’, which collect visual information. After this, your horse’s optic nerve, deep within their eye, will send that visual information to their brain to be processed and understood. Colour vision Internal states are difficult to study, because they can’t be directly observed. However, behavior can provide insight into what animals feel, think, and know. Emotional mirroring, motor mimicry, and synchronized movements are viewed as evidence of primal empathy,² and the responses are typically unconscious and immediate. Examples that have been used as evidence of animal empathy include contagious yawning, synchronized movement, and gaze-following. Colonel Brandon was now as happy, as all those who best loved him, believed he deserved to be;—in Marianne he was consoled for every past affliction;—her regard and her society restored his mind to animation, and his spirits to cheerfulness; and that Marianne found her own happiness in forming his, was equally the persuasion and delight of each observing friend. Marianne could never love by halves; and her whole heart became, in time, as much devoted to her husband, as it had once been to Willoughby. After a proper resistance on the part of Mrs. Ferrars, just so violent and so steady as to preserve her from that reproach which she always seemed fearful of incurring, the reproach of being too amiable, Edward was admitted to her presence, and pronounced to be again her son. New tastes follow the same sensory pathway as your horse’s sense of smell. So, horses can instantly get important information about any new tastes and store it for the future (like filing away the memory of, say, poisonous plants or wormer, and avoiding those tastes – as best they can – from that moment on!). Sight

The effectiveness of your horse’s senses makes them sensitive to the world around them, which is likely the reason they shy away from plastic bags and spook at birds flying from hedges! SmellOld age is known to affect hearing ability in many animals, including humans. In horses, only one study has investigated hearing ability as a function of age, finding that older horses (15–18 years old) showed fewer behavioral reactions to sounds than younger horses [aged 5–9 years; ( 54)]. Since then, no published studies have investigated age and hearing impairment in horses although several studies have emphasized the importance of hearing [e.g., ( 55)]. It has been suggested that as deafness progresses, the horse can compensate by enhancing other senses such as vision and by learning daily routines to still behave as per usual ( 56). Detection of partial or complete hearing loss in horses can be difficult, but it is nevertheless important for people working with horses to be aware that hearing ability can weaken with age. Horses are commonly trained to react to voice commands from the rider/trainer and such commands will become less detectable as the horse ages. Likewise, horses communicate with each other by means of vocalization e.g., during mating and whilst rearing their young, and these are predominantly low frequency sounds ( 57). Depending on the type of deafness (high or low frequency) horses may show no signs when ridden (high frequency sounds), but still be constrained in their social communication, or vice versa ( 55). The way your horse’s sense of taste works is just like yours; chemical messages from their tongue are sent to the brain to be processed. However, your horse uses their sense of taste slightly differently…

Studies show that while mutually grooming another horse, your horse’s heart rate lowers – which helps them feel calm. Grooming is a behaviour that enables horses to form strong bonds with each other, too. The eye of the horse is among the largest of terrestrial vertebrate species ( 16, 17). Contrary to the binocular and typically narrowed vision of most predators, the evolution of the horse's visual field has favored a more panoramic field of view with only limited binocular capability. Anatomical studies have shown that the maximum extent of the uniocular field of view in the horse is 228° with a mean around 195° ( 13). The binocular field of vision, which is 120° in humans, is only 55° to 65° in front of the horse ( 18), and the overlap is predominantly below the head, extending down ~75° ( 13). The visual input is therefore narrow and wide conferring a panoramic view, with only a small blind spot at the rear. Binocular’ refers to the way your horse uses both eyes to view the path directly in front of them. Horses use binocular vision when navigating uneven bridlepaths, for example, though they can also raise their head to use binocular vision to focus on distant objects, such as show jumps. Blind spot Although beautifully colourful, the iris has an important job! The iris is responsible for controlling the amount of light that enters your horse’s pupil. Pupil The capacity for empathy is thought to be a fundamental psychological mechanism of prosociality, the hallmark of which is taking a personal risk to help another in distress. This targeted helping requires the mental ability to take another’s perspective and is rare in nonhuman animals; it has been documented in great apes, dolphins, and elephants³ but probably does not occur in horses. Take-Home Message

Taste

Between Barton and Delaford, there was that constant communication which strong family affection would naturally dictate;—and among the merits and the happiness of Elinor and Marianne, let it not be ranked as the least considerable, that though sisters, and living almost within sight of each other, they could live without disagreement between themselves, or producing coolness between their husbands. In fact, horses are said to have better depth perception than cats and there’s research to suggest horses share some depth perception skills with humans. Anatomy of your horse’s eye Cornea Elinor thought it wisest to touch that point no more. She knew her sister's temper. Opposition on so tender a subject would only attach her the more to her own opinion. But by an appeal to her affection for her mother, by representing the inconveniences which that indulgent mother must draw on herself, if (as would probably be the case) she consented to this increase of establishment, Marianne was shortly subdued; and she promised not to tempt her mother to such imprudent kindness by mentioning the offer, and to tell Willoughby when she saw him next, that it must be declined. The senses are an important part of what makes horses behaviorally distinct. They are the tools that a horse uses to interact with its environment. This article discusses how horses use their five senses to interact with their environment.