Horse Wisperer: Hair Reveals Horse Temperament

I'm going to tell you about a scientific study that reveals some interesting equine facts, but, in the end, raises one big human-related question.

So, let's start with the interesting equine facts. The researchers were studying horses - specifically the location of the horses' whorls (those spirally patches of hair on their faces), and it relationship to the horses' behaviour. Fascinatingly enough, they did find a connection. According to their research, you can determine certain attributes of a horse's personality by merely observing where their whorl is in relation to their eyes. As I said, this works with certain aspects of the horse's personality, but not all of them. The whorl will give you a clue as to the horse's temperament in terms of how it will treat a new rider - will it be easy to handle? Will it be cautious, or wary of unfamiliar objects? There are, however, certain characteristics that bore no relation to the horse's features, such as its reaction to being startled. So there you go, with some pretty amazing equine research.

However, as promised, there is a question all this raises about the people studying the horses: why on earth did they think to look for a relationship between a horse's behaviour and the hair on its face? Where they bullied by hipsters when they were young? Theirs is a fascinating discovery, but it makes one wonder how they were ever led to it. Can facial features be used as an indicator of personality for other animals? Does my long nose mean I must be a poet, and I know it?

I guess there's a lesson to be learned from all of this. You can lead a horse to water, but not if it has a whorl high on its face, because that horse isn't following you anywhere.

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