Horses and humans tended to “couple” their HRV—a strong indicator of emotional status—in Part 2 compared to Part 1, during which they were separated, Baragli said. | Photo: Courtesy Dr. Paolo Baragli

Italian researchers are hot on the trail to understand what exactly is going on with that connection so many riders and owners claim to feel. Through high-tech research using wearable monitoring systems and advanced algorithms, they’ve determined that horses and humans tend to align their physiological responses to emotional stimulation.

At least, that’s the case in this preliminary study, said Paolo Baragli, DVM, PhD, researcher in the University of Pisa Department of Veterinary Sciences, in Italy. Along with colleague Antonio Lanata, PhD, of the University of Pisa’s E. Piaggio Bioengineering and Robotics Research Center and the Department of Information Engineering, he’s investigating the mysteries of the horse-human heart connections.

In their pilot study, they tested cardiac parameters of 11 humans and one mare as the humans individually spent time with the horse