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Author |
Krueger, K.; Flauger, B.; Farmer, K.; Maros, K. |
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Title |
Horses (Equus caballus) use human local enhancement cues and adjust to human attention |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2011 |
Publication |
Animal Cognition |
Abbreviated Journal |
Anim. Cogn. |
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Volume |
14 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
187-201 |
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Keywords |
Human–horse interaction – Horse – Attention-reading – Position – Familiarity |
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Abstract |
This study evaluates the horse (Equus caballus) use of human local enhancement cues and reaction to human attention when making feeding decisions. The superior performance of dogs in observing human states of attention suggests this ability evolved with domestication. However, some species show an improved ability to read human cues through socialization and training. We observed 60 horses approach a bucket with feed in a three-way object-choice task when confronted with (a) an unfamiliar or (b) a familiar person in 4 different situations: (1) squatting behind the bucket, facing the horse (2) standing behind the bucket, facing the horse (3) standing behind the bucket in a back-turned position, gazing away from the horse and (4) standing a few meters from the bucket in a distant, back-turned position, again gazing away from the horse. Additionally, postures 1 and 2 were tested both with the person looking permanently at the horse and with the person alternating their gaze between the horse and the bucket. When the person remained behind the correct bucket, it was chosen significantly above chance. However, when the test person was turned and distant from the buckets, the horses’ performance deteriorated. In the turned person situations, the horses approached a familiar person and walked towards their focus of attention significantly more often than with an unfamiliar person. Additionally, in the squatting and standing person situations, some horses approached the person before approaching the correct bucket. This happened more with a familiar person. We therefore conclude that horses can use humans as a local enhancement cue independently of their body posture or gaze consistency when the persons remain close to the food source and that horses seem to orientate on the attention of familiar more than of unfamiliar persons. We suggest that socialization and training improve the ability of horses to read human cues. |
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Springer Berlin / Heidelberg |
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1435-9448 |
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Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
5178 |
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Author |
Baragli, P.; Mariti, C.; Petri, L.; De Giorgio, F.; Sighieri, C. |
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Title |
Does attention make the difference? Horses' response to human stimulus after 2 different training strategies |
Type |
Journal Article |
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Year |
2011 |
Publication |
Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research |
Abbreviated Journal |
J Vet Behav Clin Appl Res |
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Volume |
6 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
31-38 |
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Keywords |
attention; exploration; horse; human stimulus; training |
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Abstract |
We hypothesized that in an open environment, horses cope with a series of challenges in
their interactions with human beings. If the horse is not physically constrained and is free to move
in a small enclosure, it has additional options regarding its behavioral response to the trainer. The
aim of our study was to evaluate the influence of 2 different training strategies on the horse’s behavioral
response to human stimuli. In all, 12 female ponies were randomly divided into the following 2
groups: group A, wherein horses were trained in a small enclosure (where indicators of the level of
attention and behavioral response were used to modulate the training pace and the horse’s control over
its response to the stimuli provided by the trainer) and group B, wherein horses were trained in a closed
environment (in which the trainer’s actions left no room for any behavioral response except for the one
that was requested). Horses’ behavior toward the human subject and their heart rate during 2 standardized
behavioral tests were used to compare the responses of the 2 groups. Results indicated that the
horses in group A appeared to associate human actions with a positive experience, as highlighted by
the greater degree of explorative behavior toward human beings shown by these horses during the tests.
The experience of the horses during training may have resulted in different evaluations of the person, as
a consequence of the human’s actions during training; therefore, it seems that horses evaluate human
beings on daily relationship experiences. |
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attention; exploration; horse; human stimulus; training |
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1558-7878 |
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Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
5286 |
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Author |
Rochais, C.; Henry, S.; Fureix, C.; Hausberger, M. |
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Title |
Investigating attentional processes in depressive-like domestic horses (Equus caballus) |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2016 |
Publication |
Behavioural Processes |
Abbreviated Journal |
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124 |
Issue |
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Pages |
93-96 |
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Keywords |
Horses; Attention; Cognition; Welfare; Depression |
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Abstract |
Abstract Some captive/domestic animals respond to confinement by becoming inactive and unresponsive to external stimuli. Human inactivity is one of the behavioural markers of clinical depression, a mental disorder diagnosed by the co-occurrence of symptoms including deficit in selective attention. Some riding horses display ‘withdrawn’ states of inactivity and low responsiveness to stimuli that resemble the reduced engagement with their environment of some depressed patients. We hypothesized that ‘withdrawn’ horses experience a depressive-like state and evaluated their level of attention by confronting them with auditory stimuli. Five novel auditory stimuli were broadcasted to 27 horses, including 12 ‘withdrawn’ horses, for 5 days. The horses’ reactions and durations of attention were recorded. Non-withdrawn horses reacted more and their attention lasted longer than that of withdrawn horses on the first day, but their durations of attention decreased over days, but those of withdrawn horses remained stable. These results suggest that the withdrawn horses’ selective attention is altered, adding to already evidenced common features between this horses’ state and human depression. |
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0376-6357 |
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Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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6023 |
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