by Denise Steffanus

Think back to your first encounter with a horse. Were you warned that if you were afraid, the horse could smell your fear? It turns out that was good advice.

People emit a particular chemosignal while experiencing a specific emotion that induces the same emotion in another person who smells that odor. Chemosignals are chemical signals the human body gives off, primarily through sweat. Now researchers have found that horses also can smell human emotions.

Dr. Antonio Lanatá and his colleagues at the University of Pisa, Italy, have found that horses can smell fear and happiness. While these are just two emotions the researchers identified, further studies may reveal horses can pick up additional emotions from the body odors humans emit.

The researchers theorized, “We know that horses perform unexpected reactions when being ridden by a nervous person. This research background led us to suspect that the olfactory system of horses is likely to enable them to read human emotional states by means of the axial chemosignals humans emit.”

Read more: Can Horses Really Smell Fear? Yes, And That’s Not All

by Homa Bash

The bond between a boy and his horse is a sight to behold.

For 13-year-old AJ and his horse Addy — it is a bond that began three years ago.

One that AJ remembers with crystal clarity.

“We called his name, he came running up to us — didn’t even know who we were — came up and buries his face into my chest like, I’ll choose you. ‘I choose you.’ It’s almost like he said that to me,’” AJ said.

The bond made was extra special because AJ is on the autism spectrum and deals with severe anxiety and ADD. So much so that being in a classic school setting was a struggle.

“With the anxiety and just being a little bit different from everybody, it was just hard for him, and he got bullied quite a bit,” said mom Shelly Ochoa.

Read more: Boy with Autism Forms Incredible Bond with Horse After Being Bullied in School