Horses may yawn for a surprising reason, and scientists now think it is not just because they are tired or bored. A study published on 10 April 2026 found that horses can catch yawns from each other, much like humans do. Researchers from the University of Pisa in Italy studied 48 semi-wild ponies and horses living in Tuscany for seven months.
The team found that horses had almost a 90 percent chance of yawning after seeing another horse yawn. Scientists believe this may help horses build stronger social bonds. In other words, yawning could be part of how they connect with each other.
Yawning has been seen in many animals, but experts still do not fully understand why it happens. There are two main types of yawning. One is spontaneous yawning, which happens when an animal wakes up, feels sleepy or may need to become more alert. The other is contagious yawning, which happens after seeing another animal yawn.
Contagious yawning has already been seen in humans, chimpanzees and dogs. Now horses can be added to that list as well. During the study, scientists filmed more than 700 horse yawns and checked which animals copied the behaviour within three minutes.
The researchers found that mares were more likely to yawn after seeing a relative or a close group member yawn. These were often horses that spent time grooming each other. This suggests that contagious yawning may be linked to friendship and trust.
Scientists say more research is needed to fully understand this behaviour. Even so, the study gives an interesting clue about how horses live together. A yawn, it seems, may be more than just a yawn.
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