Emotional video shows horse consoling his owner — not realizing she was crying for him

A heartbreaking video surfaced on the internet through the account @stand_for_horse, and left everyone teary-eyed. The clip was originally captioned in German, "Ein Pferd zu verlieren ist ein Schmerz, den man nicht in Worte fassen kann. Auf Insta findet ihr wieso, weshalb, warum." Which in English translates to, "Losing a horse is a pain you can't put into words. On Instagram, you can find out why. On Instagram, I have explained the reasons."  The video goes on to describe one of the most painful separations anyone can go through, highlighting a common occurrence across households where children's feelings live on as collateral damage.

The video showcases a blonde girl sitting on the ground, sobbing. The other being in the clip is a horse who is consoling the emotional girl. The overlay text reads, "How he tries to comfort me, not knowing that I am crying because my parents sold him." While the original source of the video is unknown, the clip was posted by the account @stand_for_horse — a profile that often posts videos revolving around horses, from their adoption stories and funny incidents, to exposing any unfair treatment being meted out to them. Positioning itself as an account for advocacy, it seeks to familiarize the masses with the emotional side of horses — who are only otherwise viewed as race animals.

What is surprising is how quickly the horse was able to sense the tension and stress of the owner, showcasing exceptional emotional intelligence. An informative report by the National Library of Medicine sheds light on the human-horse relationship when it comes to understanding emotions. It showcased that horses can read human cues like body odors, posture, and expressions and respond accordingly. Evidence suggests that horses can also remember past interactions with humans and recognize different emotional states in humans. The reason horses have strong emotional intelligence is due to their strong senses. They may sense and reflect human feelings, have unique personalities, and form different attachment styles, much like humans in their social and emotional behavior. 

The melancholic video grabbed the attention of numerous Instagram users, resulting in more than 217,000 views and 11,700 likes. The supportive comments simply kept flowing as well. One user, @hayeshorsesandtraining, wrote, " I am sorry. There may be unknown circumstances and maybe they had no choice. Been there where I have had to sell a heart horse because it was what was best for him when life happens." @bunfoo24 commented, "I hope your parents watched this and cried their eyes out." One user shared her personal experience as well: @scarlettdressageofficial stated, "This happened to me and I managed to finally buy him back 5 years later." 

Another user had a similar experience: @linpbishop expressed, "That happened to me some years ago. I live alone now surrounded by rescued animals. It broke me then and still does now as the girl that bought him broke his leg and he had to be put down. I never forgave them." 

For more wholesome horse content, follow @stand_for_horse on their Instagram account.