While horses  might not be the first animal that springs to mind for scent detection, there’s no doubt that horses living out on the range regularly employ their senses to find the resources necessary for survival.

Check out horses learning search and rescue drills at: http://www.ktvn.com/story/37954691/horses-use-scent-detection-in-search-and-rescue-drills?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=14272991 (on KTVN Channel 2 Reno Tahoe Sparks News). Once they realize that finding the human’s scent is associated with a peppermint reward, they efficiently find their targets.

Have you been involved in training horses for scent detection? Drop us a line in the comments below to share your experience.

RESOURCES

1. Canaday, Ryan. “Horses Use Scent Detection in Search and Rescue Drills: downloaded from  http://www.ktvn.com/story/37954691/horses-use-scent-detection-in-search-and-rescue-drills