If you board your horse or are forced to be apart from them for any reason, you know what it feels like to miss your best friend. Their smell, their cute little nuzzles, and the freedom that comes with riding—it’s hard to stay away for a single day, let alone an extended amount of time. But how does your horse feel? Do horses miss their owners in the same way we miss them? Do they even register our absence? Or do they only like us because of the food and attention we provide?

Horses and humans have been working together for centuries. Those relationships haven’t always been as positive as the one you share with your herd, but being around humans is nothing new to most horses. Humans breed horses for specific purposes, and after all this time, domesticated horses have come to rely on us. We’re the ones who bring them food, but it’s often about more than survival. Research suggests that horses also depend on the friendship we can provide.