Horses watched silent wolf videos, their hearts raced without visible fear

Horses have a hidden poker face when they face danger, hiding severe internal stress from their handlers even as their hearts beat at extremely high speeds.A study from The Ohio State University found that horses can instantly recognise a predator just by seeing it, even when it appears on a silent video screen with no smells, sounds, or past experiences to help them. Despite feeling stressed inside, the horses showed almost no visible signs of fear, staying physically calm and leaving riders unaware of what they were experiencing."Rather than just spooking, horses show remarkable cognitive restraint when evaluating a potential threat," said lead author Zeynep Benderlioglu, a senior lecturer in evolution, ecology and organismal biology at The Ohio State University. "And not all fear or stress will result in overt behavior. They're not in fight-or-flight mode, but they're assessing, and they're doing it in a remarkably fast way.