Abstract: To assess the impact of apple wood, pear wood, peach wood, and cherry wood on the volatile flavor compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and sensory attributes of traditional Xinjiang smoked horsemeat sausages, a comprehensive analysis was conducted using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to quantify indicators such as volatile flavor compounds, color, and PAH content. The findings revealed that smoked samples exhibited decreased pH and L^* values, along with increased a^* and b^* values, compared to the control samples (P<0.05), the color of smoked cherry wood samples was redder and brighter, and there was no significant difference in water content among samples (P>0.05). Smoking elevated PAH content, notably phenanthrene and fluorene (P<0.05). The analysis identified 75 volatile aromatic components in various smoked horse sausage samples, predominantly phenols, terpenes, aldehydes, and ethers. partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and variable importance in projection (VIP) highlighted substantial differences in volatile aroma components among smoked horsemeat sausages. Specifically, 19 compounds with VIP values exceeding 1, notably guaiacol, 4-methylguaiacol, acetophenone, m-cresol, and 5-methylfurfural, were identified as distinct volatile aroma components (VIP>1, P<0.05), acetophenone and 4-methylguaiacol contents of apple wood smoked samples were the highest, giving samples unique woody aroma and smoke fragrance. Sensory evaluation favored the PG and YT samples for superior sensory quality and acceptability. In summary, apple wood has emerged as a more favorable smoking material for horsemeat sausages, although enhancements in processing techniques are warranted to mitigate the PAH content. This study lays a foundation for enhancing the caliber of smoked horsemeat sausages.