Ever wondered if ponies can interpret human emotions through facial expressions? While humans may instinctively avoid someone with a furrowed brow, how well do horses understand our feelings? A recent study by Dr. Katrina Merkies, an associate professor and researcher at the University of Guelph, set out to answer this intriguing question. Dr. Merkies and her team conducted an experiment involving 20 lesson ponies and a group of skilled actors to determine whether ponies could distinguish between happy, sad, angry, and neutral human facial expressions.