Gentle Horse Greets New Feline Friend And It's The Sweetest Thing
Farm life is full of delightful moments, from baby chicks being born to unlikely species bonds. Speaking of the latter, these sorts of friendships may be more common than you think. One Redditor shared a budding friendship of his own between a very gentle horse and — wait for it — a farm cat! It's the sort of slice of life that will surely make you wish you lived on a farm. See for yourself!
"The trainer sent me this and said he found a new friend," shared the Redditor to over 45,000 viewers. The video shows the horse snuggling up to a cat in a very gentle first meeting, and it's quite possibly the sweetest thing ever. According to the Redditor, his red roan horse was in training when he came across the cat, and the two immediately bonded.
Readers swooned at this precious moment in the comments of the video. "My horse loves to sniff the barn dogs that are brave enough to walk up to her," shared one commenter, implying this might be a more common behavior for horses. Another commenter said, "Barn kitties love their animal friends!" Which raises the adorable idea that perhaps this friendship was simply meant to be.
Can horses get along with other animals?
Turns out this sweet horse and farm cat are representative of a likely (though odd) pair. Horses and barn cats are known to have a pretty sweet bond. However, this is not a cut-and-dried rule for all animals interacting with horses. So, which animals are likely to be in horse and pure interspecies friendships that thrive? And how can you encourage healthy bonds?
Horses are typically very social and gentle creatures. Since their natural instinct is to live in a herd, they're especially open to all sorts of companions, from dogs to cows and even llamas. Though horses can get along just fine with horned animals like sheep and goats, experts urge humans to proceed with caution as the horns can be dangerous — even if the animal itself is gentle. As for pigs, it's best to keep them separated by a fence where they can still see each other, or introduce them very slowly.
It's important to note: each horse has its own individual personality, and some are more territorial than others. Horses use their noses to greet and learn more about people and other animals, so it's a good idea to monitor this behavior during their first meeting, just like the trainer did in the video above! If all goes well, you may be able to capture an adorable video of your own, like this golden retriever puppy and horse's instant bond.