I was watching a movie the other day...Firehouse Dog I believe. And it said that dogs can remember a scent for up to three months...and I'm a horseback rider, so naturally that got me thinking about horses. Can they remember scents, and if so, how long?
guard dog
Favorite Answer
I imagine that Horses are similar to people in this and definitely like dogs in recognizing scents. Most scents come back to us humans through a memory associated with that scent. Dogs can remember scents for a long time and can be trained to recognize scents for police/security work. I believe that Horses are probably a mix between dogs & us...they have their own instincts about certain scents as any animal would(fire or scents from an upcoming storm for examples) but that they are like us and remember from experience other scents that they like or dislike. Not all Horses are crazy about sugar cubes, maybe they don't have a sweet tooth. Some love apples, others carrots. Horses have personalities just like humans and dogs. I don't know if any study has ever been done on this, but it would be interesting to find out. Good question. Guard Dog
horse93girl
I do believe it does depend on the importance of the scent. Such as if they were in a tragic experience (like a barn fire) im pretty sure they'd remember the scent of the smoke for a very long time and be wary of it. If a horse was extremely attached to a human then they would probably remember the scent also for a long time. It also may depend on the horse... Interesting question!
Anonymous
It seems horses never forget. They could probably remember scents for 5 months or more, if you are semi-consistent with the scent. If they smell it once, and then dont smell it for a long time, it won't last too long in their head.
Anonymous
interesting question...
they do go by scent a lot...not sure how long exactly they remember a scent, I would think it depends on the importance of the scent to the horse.
Honey
Reminds me of elephants! n__n
An elephants memory is so incredibly large in it's capacity, that they can remember certain people/events for up to ten or more years.
And I reckon horses could prolly remember a scent - As animals they are slightly more advanced in the bodily evolution, so I would say yes. :D