FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 10000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2026; 16(6); 873; doi: 10.3390/ani16060873

Horse Olfactory Exploration of Various Plants with Regard to Smell and Taste Familiarity.

Abstract: The sense of smell is the first sense by which horses determine the suitability of feed for consumption. The aim of the study was to assess the influence of the degree of familiarity with the smell and taste of plants on horses' olfactory exploration. Behavioural responses of twenty adult horses to nine herbs of three degrees of familiarity-least familiar (unknown in the first trial), known only by smell, and known by smell and taste-were investigated. During the tests, the horses were allowed to explore the individual herbs placed in a crib constructed to prevent them from eating the contents. Horses' pre-consuming behaviour towards olfactory cues of plants was mainly expressed by different times of exploration. The horses explored herbs known by smell and taste less intensively than those initially unfamiliar, but not less intensively than herbs known only by smell. Thus, having more sensory experience (taste and olfactory) with a plant in the past, horses are often quicker to recognise plants based solely on the sense of smell in the future. The sex and type of the horse (warmblood, pony) may influence responses towards herbs of different levels of familiarity.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2026-03-11 PubMed ID: 41897850PubMed Central: PMC13023347DOI: 10.3390/ani16060873Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

Horse olfactory exploration of plants varies with their familiarity to the plant’s smell and taste, with horses showing more intense investigation of unfamiliar plants. Previous sensory experiences, including tasting, help horses recognize plants by smell more quickly later on.

Objective of the Study

  • Investigate how horses explore the smell of various plants based on their familiarity with the plants’ smell and taste.
  • Understand how sensory experiences influence horses’ pre-consumption behavior toward feed plants.

Background and Rationale

  • The sense of smell is the primary way horses evaluate whether a feed is suitable for consumption.
  • Understanding horse olfactory exploration helps improve knowledge about feeding behaviors, preferences, and possible dietary management.
  • Familiarity with plants can be at different levels: unknown (not previously experienced), known by smell, or known by both smell and taste.

Methodology

  • Subjects: Twenty adult horses of varying sex and types (warmbloods and ponies).
  • Plant Selection: Nine herbs grouped into three familiarity categories:
    • Least familiar (unknown at first trial)
    • Known only by smell
    • Known by both smell and taste
  • Experimental Setup:
    • Herbs placed in a crib designed to prevent horses from consuming the plants.
    • Horses allowed to explore the plant odors freely but not eat them.
  • Behavioral Observations:
    • Measured the time spent exploring the plants through smell-based investigation.
    • Recorded differences in olfactory exploration duration depending on plant familiarity.

Key Findings

  • Horses spent more time exploring herbs that were initially unfamiliar compared to those they knew by both smell and taste.
  • There was no significant difference in exploration time between herbs known by smell only and those known by smell and taste.
  • Previous tasting experience with a plant allowed horses to recognize it more quickly later based solely on smell.
  • Sex and horse type (warmblood vs. pony) appear to influence olfactory responses, although specific details on these effects were not elaborated in the abstract.

Interpretation of the Results

  • The longer exploration of unfamiliar plants may indicate increased attention or caution when encountering new feed.
  • Having tasted a plant previously does not reduce the effort to explore it by smell compared to only knowing it by smell, suggesting taste experience might build clearer olfactory recognition.
  • Experience with taste positively reinforces the horse’s ability to identify plants using smell alone, which can facilitate future feed selection and decision-making.
  • The difference by sex and horse type could hint at inherent behavioral or sensory processing variations that affect olfactory exploration.

Implications and Applications

  • Feeding management: Understanding that horses rely heavily on smell and their experience with plants can support introducing new feeds more effectively.
  • Animal welfare: Recognizing natural exploratory behaviors may help create more engaging and less stressful feeding routines.
  • Breed-specific or sex-specific feeding strategies might be developed if further research confirms differential olfactory responses.

Limitations and Future Directions

  • The study’s sample size was limited to twenty horses, which may affect generalizability.
  • Details on how sex and type influence behavior require further investigation.
  • Future research could explore physiological or neurological correlates of olfactory learning in horses.
  • Studies could also examine how olfactory exploration relates to actual feed consumption and preference in a naturalistic setting.

Cite This Article

APA
Wnuk E, Janicka W, Stachurska A, Janicka K, Wnęk M, Jagusiak W, Łuszczyński J. (2026). Horse Olfactory Exploration of Various Plants with Regard to Smell and Taste Familiarity. Animals (Basel), 16(6), 873. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16060873

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 16
Issue: 6
PII: 873

Researcher Affiliations

Wnuk, Elżbieta
  • Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, Department of Horse Breeding and Use, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 13 Akademicka Street, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
Janicka, Wiktoria
  • Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, Institute of Biological Basis of Animal Production, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 13 Akademicka Street, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
Stachurska, Anna
  • Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, Department of Horse Breeding and Use, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 13 Akademicka Street, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
Janicka, Kamila
  • Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, Institute of Biological Basis of Animal Production, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 13 Akademicka Street, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
Wnęk, Marta
  • Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, Department of Horse Breeding and Use, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 13 Akademicka Street, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
Jagusiak, Wojciech
  • Faculty of Animal Science, Department of Genetics, Animal Breeding and Ethology, University of Agriculture in Cracow, 21 Mickiewicz Avenue, 31-120 Cracow, Poland.
Łuszczyński, Jarosław
  • Faculty of Animal Science, Department of Genetics, Animal Breeding and Ethology, University of Agriculture in Cracow, 21 Mickiewicz Avenue, 31-120 Cracow, Poland.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

This article includes 39 references
  1. Saslow CA. Understanding the perceptual world of horses.. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2002;78:209–224.
    doi: 10.1016/S0168-1591(02)00092-8google scholar: lookup
  2. Rørvang MV, Nielsen BL, McLean AN. Sensory abilities of horses and their importance for equitation science.. Front. Vet. Sci. 2020;7:633.
    doi: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00633pmc: PMC7509108pubmed: 33033724google scholar: lookup
  3. Christensen JW, Keeling LJ, Nielsen BL. Responses of horses to novel visual, olfactory and auditory stimuli.. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2005;93:53–65.
    doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2005.06.017google scholar: lookup
  4. Rørvang MV, Jensen MB, Nielsen BL. Development of test for determining olfactory investigation of complex odours in cattle.. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2017;196:84–90.
    doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2017.07.008google scholar: lookup
  5. Sabiniewicz A, Borowicz H, Geminiani G, Trawiński J, Hummel T, Laska M. Behavioral responses of horses (Equus ferus caballus) vary in response to potentially threatening odor condition and aversive social odor stimuli.. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2023;266:106023.
    doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2023.106023google scholar: lookup
  6. Padodara RJ, Jacob N. Olfactory Sense in Different Animals.. Indian J. Vet. Med. 2014;2:1–14.
  7. Hothersall B, Harris P, Sörtoft L, Nicol CJ. Discrimination between conspecific odour samples in the horse (Equus caballus). Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2010;126:37–44.
    doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2010.05.002google scholar: lookup
  8. Jezierski T, Jaworski Z, Sobczyńska M, Ensminger J, Górecka-Bruzda A. Do olfactory behaviour and marking responses of Konik polski stallions to faeces from conspecifics of either sex differ?. Behav. Process. 2018;155:38–42.
    doi: 10.1016/j.beproc.2017.09.015pubmed: 28962880google scholar: lookup
  9. Nielsen BL, Jezierski T, Bolhuis JE, Amo L, Rosell F, Oostindjer M, Christensen JW, McKeegan D, Wells DL, Hepper P. Olfaction: An overlooked sensory modality in applied ethology and animal welfare.. Front. Vet. Sci. 2015;2:69.
    doi: 10.3389/fvets.2015.00069pmc: PMC4672279pubmed: 26664995google scholar: lookup
  10. Van den Berg M, Giagos V, Lee C, Brown WY, Cawdell-Smith AJ, Hinch GN. The influence of odour, taste and nutrients on feeding behaviour and food preferences in horses.. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2016;184:41–50.
    doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2016.08.015google scholar: lookup
  11. Culda CA, Stermin AN. Horses’ Senses Involvement in Food Location and Selection.. Bull. Univ. Agric. Sci. Vet. Med. Cluj-Napoca Anim. Sci. Biotechnol. 2019;76:94–101.
    doi: 10.15835/buasvmcn-asb:0008.19google scholar: lookup
  12. Sahu BK, Parganiha A, Pati AK. Behavior and Foraging Ecology of Cattle: A Review.. J. Vet. Behav. 2020;40:50–74.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jveb.2020.08.004google scholar: lookup
  13. Van den Berg M, Lee C, Brown WY, Hinch GN. Does energy intake influence diet selection of novel forages by horses?. Livest. Sci. 2016;186:6–15.
    doi: 10.1016/j.livsci.2015.07.022google scholar: lookup
  14. Oliveira KD, Sá JCD, Costa C, Meirelles PRDL, Fachiolli DF, Pereira AM. Identification of the predictors of preference for alfalfa hay by equines.. Rev. Bras. Saúde Prod. Anim. 2018;19:301–314.
    doi: 10.1590/s1519-99402018000300007google scholar: lookup
  15. Goodwin D, Davidson HPB, Harris P. Selection and acceptance of flavours in concentrate diets for stabled horses.. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2005;95:223–232.
    doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2005.04.007google scholar: lookup
  16. Redgate SE, Cooper JJ, Hall S, Eady P, Harris PA. Dietary experience modifies horses’ feeding behavior and selection patterns of 3 macronutrient rich diets.. J. Anim. Sci. 2014;92:1524–1530.
    doi: 10.2527/jas.2012-5579pubmed: 24496846google scholar: lookup
  17. López CL, Ferreira LMM, García U, Moreno-Gonzalo J, Rodrigues MAM, Osoro K, Ferre I, Celaya R. Diet selection and performance of horses grazing on different heathland types.. Animal 2017;11:1708–1717.
    doi: 10.1017/S1751731117000465pubmed: 28264752google scholar: lookup
  18. Merkies K, Visneki M, Danel J, Carson J, Elu ED, Fritsch L. Taking the Bitter with the Sweet—A Preliminary Study of the Short-Term Response of Horses to Various Tastants in Solutions.. Int. J. Equine Sci. 2024;3:12–20.
    doi: 10.64292/ijes.98google scholar: lookup
  19. Rørvang MV, Nicova K, Yngvesson J. Horse odor exploration behavior is influenced by pregnancy and age.. Front. Behav. Neurosci. 2022;16:941517.
    doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.941517pmc: PMC9366077pubmed: 35967896google scholar: lookup
  20. Stachurska A, Tkaczyk E, Różańska-Boczula M, Janicka W, Janczarek I. Horses’ response to a novel diet: Different herbs added to dry, wet or wet-sweetened oats.. Animals 2022;12:1334.
    doi: 10.3390/ani12111334pmc: PMC9179354pubmed: 35681799google scholar: lookup
  21. Nielsen BL. Innateness and learning in olfactory behaviour and odour perception.. .
    doi: 10.1079/9781786391599.0016google scholar: lookup
  22. Bini de Lima AC, Sebastião da Fé VC, Palermo Hernandes MS, Oliveira dos Santos VM. Olfactory Stimulation as Environmental Enrichment for Domestic Horses—A Review.. Animals 2023;13:3180.
    doi: 10.3390/ani13203180pmc: PMC10603683pubmed: 37893904google scholar: lookup
  23. Perry EB, Handlos GC, Fenton JM. Impacts of olfactory cues on equine feeding behavior.. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2024;138:105096.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2024.105096pubmed: 38750945google scholar: lookup
  24. Van den Berg M, Giagos V, Lee C, Brown WY, Hinch GN. Acceptance of novel food by horses: The influence of food cues and nutrient composition.. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2016;183:59–67.
    doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2016.07.005google scholar: lookup
  25. Wilk I, Wnuk E, Stachurska A, Janicka W, Tkaczyk E, Kumanowicz N, Łuszczyński J. Explorative behaviour in horses when presented with unfamiliar poisonous and non-poisonous plants.. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2024;277:106352.
    doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106352google scholar: lookup
  26. Wnuk E, Janicka W, Stachurska A, Owerczuk R, Łuszczyński J. Assessment of olfactory sensitivity in horses using positively conditioned scent.. Animal 2025;19:101680.
    doi: 10.1016/j.animal.2025.101680pubmed: 41202732google scholar: lookup
  27. McDonnell SM, Poulin A. Equid play ethogram.. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2002;78:263–290.
    doi: 10.1016/S0168-1591(02)00112-0google scholar: lookup
  28. Fureix C, Jego P, Sankey C, Hausberger M. How horses (Equus caballus) see the world: Humans as significant “objects”.. Anim. Cogn. 2009;12:643–654.
    doi: 10.1007/s10071-009-0223-2pubmed: 19381698google scholar: lookup
  29. Briefer EF, Mandel R, Maigrot AL, Briefer Freymond S, Bachmann I, Hillmann E. Perception of emotional valence in horse whinnies.. Front. Zool. 2017;14:8.
    doi: 10.1186/s12983-017-0193-1pmc: PMC5303229pubmed: 28203263google scholar: lookup
  30. Rørvang MV, Nicova K, Yngvesson J. Testing olfaction in equids: Age and gestational stage affects olfactory interest.. Res. Sq. 2021;10:1–32.
    doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-957361/v1google scholar: lookup
  31. Pfister JA, Gardner DR, Cheney CC, Panter KE, Hall JO. The capability of several toxic plants to condition taste aversions in sheep.. Small Rumin. Res. 2010;90:114–119.
    doi: 10.1016/j.smallrumres.2010.02.009google scholar: lookup
  32. Mal ME, McCall CA, Newland C, Cummins KA. Evaluation of a one-trial learning apparatus to test learning ability in weanling horses.. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 1993;35:305–311.
    doi: 10.1016/0168-1591(93)90082-Zgoogle scholar: lookup
  33. Houpt KA, Zahorik DM, Swartzman-Andert JA. Taste aversion learning in horses.. J. Anim. Sci. 1990;68:2340–2344.
    doi: 10.2527/1990.6882340xpubmed: 2401656google scholar: lookup
  34. Pfister JA, Stegelmeier BL, Cheney CD, Ralphs MH, Gardner DR. Conditioning taste aversions to locoweed (Oxytropis sericea) in horses.. J. Anim. Sci. 2002;80:79–83.
    doi: 10.2527/2002.80179xpubmed: 11831531google scholar: lookup
  35. Harper MT, Oh J, Giallongo F, Lopes JC, Weeks HL, Faugeron J, Hristov AN. Preference for flavored concentrate premixes by dairy cows.. J. Dairy Sci. 2016;99:6585–6589.
    doi: 10.3168/jds.2016-11001pubmed: 27209139google scholar: lookup
  36. Cuchillo-Hilario M, Wrage-Mönnig N, Isselstein J. Forage selectivity by cattle and sheep co-grazing swards differing in plant species diversity.. Grass Forage Sci. 2018;73:320–329.
    doi: 10.1111/gfs.12339google scholar: lookup
  37. Łuczyńska M, Jaworski Z, Stolarczyk B. Behawior koników polskich utrzymywanych w systemie hodowli rezerwatowej [Behaviour of Polish Konik horses bred on the reserve]. Rocz. Nauk. Pol. Tow. Zootech. 2008;4:217–228.
  38. Feh C. Relationships and communication in socially natural horse herds.. In: Mills D.S., McDonnell S.M., editors. The Domestic Horse: The Origins, Development and Management of Its Behaviour. Cambridge University Press; Cambridge, UK: 2005. p. 85.
  39. Janczarek I, Wilk I, Pietrzak S, Liss M, Tkaczyk S. Taste preferences of horses in relation to their breed and sex.. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2018;64:59–64.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2018.02.010pubmed: 30973154google scholar: lookup

Citations

This article has been cited 0 times.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,493 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.