Latest news with #horseplay
Telegraph
7 days ago
- Health
- Telegraph
The expressions that reveal how a horse is feeling
There is more to horseplay than meets the eye, scientists have found after discovering a wide range of equine facial expressions and their meanings. A total of 22 facial behaviours were identified, falling into one of four categories – playing, friendly, alert or aggression. Scientists gathered videos of 36 horses at an equine centre in Winchester, Hampshire, and used a computer system to track precise muscle movements in the face. Each facial change was linked to specific muscle actions to allow for precise matching of behaviour to expression. When horses were in a jolly mood and playing around, they tended to open their mouths, the scientists found. This, they said, was similar to how carnivores and primates are agape when playing with a friend or family member, suggesting a universal origin of horseplay among mammals. Other telltale signs of playfulness were lots of eye white being visible, rotated and flattened ears, and a raised chin. In contrast, signs of agonistic behaviour that foreshadowed aggression were a lowered head, flared nostrils and raised eyebrows. When on alert, or in a high attentional state, horses had their ears facing forward and blinked more, often raising or lowering their heads to see or smell better. Friendliness was harder to identify, the scientists found, with neutral expressions often meaning the horse was in a good mood. Pushing noses forward was the only big indicator, according to the study. Dr Leanne Proops, the study's author and an associate professor in animal behaviour and welfare at the University of Portsmouth, said: 'This work is a game-changer for anyone working with horses. 'It gives us a new lens through which to view and interpret their behaviour, ultimately leading to better care and stronger human-animal relationships.' Horses have a more limited range of facial expressions than humans or dogs, the scientists wrote in their study, and as a result many facial movements are seen across different behaviours. 'Based on the systematic measurement of individual muscle movements, we have provided the first comprehensive ethogram showing that the domestic horse is capable of producing a wide range of distinct facial behaviours,' the scientists wrote. 'While this is a comprehensive ethogram of captive horses, the full range of horse facial behaviours is likely to be wider when we consider sexual interactions, male herding behaviours, adult-young interactions and rarer/lesser performed behavioural interactions.' Conventional wisdom in horse care has stated that if a horse has its ears forwards it is happy, and if they are back it is upset or in pain, but this study has challenged this. Its authors wrote: 'We therefore recommend that care is taken to not automatically attribute ears back or flattened to aggressive intent or pain.'
BreakingNews.ie
26-05-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Macron cites horseplay as wife appears to push the French leader
French first lady Brigitte Macron appeared to push her husband away with both hands on his face just before they disembarked a plane to start a tour of south-east Asia this weekend. President Emmanuel Macron dismissed the gesture – caught on camera – as just horseplay, but it has caused a stir back in France. Advertisement French media tried to decipher the interaction that cameras spotted through the just-opened door of the plane. The headline of a story on the website of the daily Le Parisien newspaper asked: 'Slap or 'squabble'? The images of Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron disembarking in Vietnam trigger a lot of comment.' The incident was dismissed as 'horseplay' (AP) Mr Macron later told reporters that the couple – married since 2007 after meeting at the high school where he was a student and she was a teacher – were simply joking around. 'We are horsing around and, really, joking with my wife,' he said, adding that the incident was being overblown: 'It becomes a sort of geo-planetary catastrophe.' Advertisement His office earlier offered a similar explanation. 'It was a moment where the President and his wife were decompressing one last time before the start of the trip by horsing around. It's a moment of complicity. It was all that was needed to give ammunition to the conspiracy theorists,' his office said. The video – taken as the Macrons arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Sunday – showed a uniformed man pulling open the plane door and revealing the President standing inside, dressed in a suit and talking to someone who was not visible. Mr Macron married his wife Brigitte in 2007 (AP) Two arms – in red sleeves – reached out and pushed Mr Macron away, with one hand covering his mouth and part of his nose while the other was on his jawbone. The French leader recoiled, turning his head away. Advertisement Then, apparently realising that he was on camera, he broke into a smile and gave a little wave. In subsequent images, Mr Macron and his wife, wearing a red jacket, appeared at the top of the stairs. He offered an arm but she did not take it. They walked down the carpeted stairs side by side. Brigitte Macron was Brigitte Auziere, a married mother of three children, when they met at Mr Macron's high school. A teacher, she supervised the drama club where Emmanuel Macron, a literature lover, was a member. Advertisement He moved to Paris for his last year of high school, but promised to marry Brigitte. She later moved to the French capital to join him and divorced before they finally married.
CTV News
26-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Macron says he and wife were horsing around when she appears to push the French leader
French President Emmanuel Macron, left, with his wife Brigitte Macron arrive to attend an interview with journalists from BFM television and the Mediapart investigative website, at the Theatre national de Chaillot in Paris, Sunday, April 15, 2018. (Francois Guillot/Pool Photo via AP) PARIS — French first lady Brigitte Macron appeared to push her husband away with both hands on his face just before they disembarked from their plane to start a tour of Southeast Asia this weekend. President Emmanuel Macron dismissed the gesture -- caught on camera -- as just horseplay, but it caused a stir back home. French media on Monday tried to decipher the interaction that cameras spotted through the just-opened door of the plane. The headline of a story on the website of the daily Le Parisien newspaper asked: 'Slap or `squabble'? The images of Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron disembarking in Vietnam trigger a lot of comment.' Macron later told reporters that the couple -- married since 2007 after meeting at the high school where he was a student and she was a teacher -- were simply joking around. 'We are horsing around and, really, joking with my wife,' he said, adding that the incident was being overblown: 'It becomes a sort of geo-planetary catastrophe.' His office earlier offered a similar explanation. 'It was a moment where the president and his wife were decompressing one last time before the start of the trip by horsing around. It's a moment of complicity. It was all that was needed to give ammunition to the conspiracy theorists,' his office said. The video -- taken as the Macrons arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Sunday -- showed a uniformed man pulling open the plane door and revealing the president standing inside, dressed in a suit and talking to someone who wasn't visible. Two arms -- in red sleeves -- reached out and pushed Macron away, with one hand covering his mouth and part of his nose while the other was on his jawbone. The French leader recoiled, turning his head away. Then, apparently realizing that he was on camera, he broke into a smile and gave a little wave. In subsequent images, Macron and his wife, wearing a red jacket, appeared at the top of the stairs. He offered an arm but she didn't take it. They walked down the carpeted stairs side by side. Brigitte Macron was Brigitte Auziere, a married mother of three children, when they met at his high school. A teacher, she supervised the drama club where Emmanuel Macron, a literature lover, was a member. He moved to Paris for his last year of high school, but promised to marry Brigitte. She later moved to the French capital to join him and divorced before they finally married.
Washington Post
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Macron says he and wife were horsing around when she appears to push the French leader
PARIS — French first lady Brigitte Macron appeared to push her husband away with both hands on his face just before they disembarked from their plane to start a tour of Southeast Asia this weekend. President Emmanuel Macron dismissed the gesture — caught on camera — as just horseplay, but it caused a stir back home. French media on Monday tried to decipher the interaction that cameras spotted through the just-opened door of the plane. The headline of a story on the website of the daily Le Parisien newspaper asked: 'Slap or 'squabble'? The images of Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron disembarking in Vietnam trigger a lot of comment.' Macron later told reporters that the couple — married since 2007 after meeting at the high school where he was a student and she was a teacher — were simply joking around. 'We are horsing around and, really, joking with my wife,' he said, adding that the incident was being overblown: 'It becomes a sort of geo-planetary catastrophe.' His office earlier offered a similar explanation. 'It was a moment where the president and his wife were decompressing one last time before the start of the trip by horsing around. It's a moment of complicity. It was all that was needed to give ammunition to the conspiracy theorists,' his office said. The video — taken as the Macrons arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Sunday — showed a uniformed man pulling open the plane door and revealing the president standing inside, dressed in a suit and talking to someone who wasn't visible. Two arms — in red sleeves — reached out and pushed Macron away, with one hand covering his mouth and part of his nose while the other was on his jawbone. The French leader recoiled, turning his head away. Then, apparently realizing that he was on camera, he broke into a smile and gave a little wave. In subsequent images, Macron and his wife, wearing a red jacket, appeared at the top of the stairs. He offered an arm but she didn't take it. They walked down the carpeted stairs side by side. Brigitte Macron was Brigitte Auzière, a married mother of three children, when they met at his high school. A teacher, she supervised the drama club where Emmanuel Macron, a literature lover, was a member. He moved to Paris for his last year of high school, but promised to marry Brigitte. She later moved to the French capital to join him and divorced before they finally married.
Associated Press
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Macron says he and wife were horsing around when she appears to push the French leader
PARIS (AP) — French first lady Brigitte Macron appeared to push her husband away with both hands on his face just before they disembarked from their plane to start a tour of Southeast Asia this weekend. President Emmanuel Macron dismissed the gesture — caught on camera — as just horseplay, but it caused a stir back home. French media on Monday tried to decipher the interaction that cameras spotted through the just-opened door of the plane. The headline of a story on the website of the daily Le Parisien newspaper asked: 'Slap or 'squabble'? The images of Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron disembarking in Vietnam trigger a lot of comment.' Macron later told reporters that the couple — married since 2007 after meeting at the high school where he was a student and she was a teacher — were simply joking around. 'We are horsing around and, really, joking with my wife,' he said, adding that the incident was being overblown: 'It becomes a sort of geo-planetary catastrophe.' His office earlier offered a similar explanation. 'It was a moment where the president and his wife were decompressing one last time before the start of the trip by horsing around. It's a moment of complicity. It was all that was needed to give ammunition to the conspiracy theorists,' his office said. The video — taken as the Macrons arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Sunday — showed a uniformed man pulling open the plane door and revealing the president standing inside, dressed in a suit and talking to someone who wasn't visible. Two arms — in red sleeves — reached out and pushed Macron away, with one hand covering his mouth and part of his nose while the other was on his jawbone. The French leader recoiled, turning his head away. Then, apparently realizing that he was on camera, he broke into a smile and gave a little wave. In subsequent images, Macron and his wife, wearing a red jacket, appeared at the top of the stairs. He offered an arm but she didn't take it. They walked down the carpeted stairs side by side. Brigitte Macron was Brigitte Auzière, a married mother of three children, when they met at his high school. A teacher, she supervised the drama club where Emmanuel Macron, a literature lover, was a member. He moved to Paris for his last year of high school, but promised to marry Brigitte. She later moved to the French capital to join him and divorced before they finally married.
