Hi Sherry,

What an interesting question. From my experience-- I have 15 horses-- yes, you can tell some horses apart by their neighs. It depends on the horse, and what other horses are around (if two have similar neighs, it can be difficult to tell them apart); I've found that I can often tell my horses by their whinnies.

My little quarter horse has such a deep, roaring neigh that I know instantly it's him. Our Arab has a deep, nasally neigh; and one of our appaloosas has a shrill, short whinny, while the other (a mare named Softly) has a deep, soft, enthusiastic nicker that rumbles on forever (she will, greet you with a long string of nickers every time she sees you). Everyone who hears her can often tell her apart by her voice right away because she is unusual. But not all horses have such distinct 'voices'. Our two ponies, for example, both have shrill, short neighs that are hard to tell apart.

Overall, I say it's very possible, but it depends on the person knowing the horse, and it helps if the horse has a distinct whinny.

I'm going to start a thread on our message board and ask other horse owners about their experiences, and if they can tell their horses by their whinnies. You can read it here: Can you tell your horse's whinny?

Thanks,
Annamaria
www.ultimatehorsesite.com