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Author Sighieri, C.; Tedeschi, D.; De Andreis, C.; Petri, L.; Baragli, P. url  openurl
  Title Behaviour patterns of horses can be used to establish a dominantsubordinate relationship between man and horse Type Journal Article
  Year 2003 Publication Animal Welfare Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 12 Issue Pages 705-708  
  Keywords ANIMAL WELFARE; BEHAVIOUR PATTERNS; DOMINANCE; UNHANDLED HORSE  
  Abstract This paper describes how man can enter the social hierarchy of the horse by mimicking the behaviour and stance it uses to establish dominance. A herd is organised according to a dominance hierarchy established by means of ritualised conflict. Dominance relationships are formed through these confrontations: one horse gains the dominant role and others identify themselves as subordinates. This study was conducted using five females of the Haflinger breed, totally unaccustomed to human contact, from a free-range breeding farm. The study methods were based on the three elements fundamental to the equilibrium of the herd: flight, herd instinct and hierarchy. The trainer-horse relationship was established in three phases: retreat, approach and association. At the end of the training sessions, all of the horses were able to respond correctly to the trainer. These observations suggest that it is possible to manage unhandled horses without coercion by mimicking their behaviour patterns.  
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  Corporate Author Thesis  
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  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes (up) Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4089  
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Author Cozzi, A.; Sighieri, C.; Gazzano, A.; Nicol, C.J.; Baragli, P. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Post-conflict friendly reunion in a permanent group of horses (Equus caballus) Type Journal Article
  Year 2010 Publication Behavioural Processes Abbreviated Journal Behav. Process.  
  Volume 85 Issue 2 Pages 185-190  
  Keywords aggression; affiliative interactions; conflict resolution; horse; post conflict; behaviour; reconciliation  
  Abstract Gregarious animals living in permanent social groups experience intra-group competition. Conflicts over resources can escalate into costly aggression and, in some conditions, non-dispersive forms of conflict resolution may be favoured. Post-conflict friendly reunions, hence reconciliation, have been described in a variety of species. The aim of this study was to explore, for the first time, the occurrence of reconciliation in a group of domestic horses (Equus caballus) and learn more about strategies used to maintain group cohesion. The behaviour of seven horses living as permanent group in an enclosure for at least 2 years was observed by video for 108 h from June to August 2007. We used a Post-Conflict/Matched Control method to assess the existence of reconciliation and third-party affiliation. Behaviours recorded Post-Conflict, or during Matched Control periods, were classified as affiliative based on previous descriptions of visual communication patterns in horses. The proportion of attracted pairs over total post-conflict situations was significantly greater than the proportion of dispersed pairs, both during dyadic interactions (p < 0.001) and during triadic interactions (p = 0.002). The results of the present study show that both dyadic reconciliation and third-party post-conflict affiliative interactions form important social mechanisms for managing post-conflict situations in horses.  
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  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0376-6357 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes (up) Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5168  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Baragli, P.; Mariti, C.; Petri, L.; De Giorgio, F.; Sighieri, C. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Does attention make the difference? Horses' response to human stimulus after 2 different training strategies Type Journal Article
  Year 2011 Publication Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research Abbreviated Journal J Vet Behav Clin Appl Res  
  Volume 6 Issue 1 Pages 31-38  
  Keywords attention; exploration; horse; human stimulus; training  
  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.
 
  Address attention; exploration; horse; human stimulus; training  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1558-7878 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes (up) Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5286  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Lovrovich, P.; Sighieri, C.; Baragli, P. pdf  openurl
  Title The human-given cues and behavioural plasticity of horses during a delayed three choice task Type Conference Article
  Year 2012 Publication Proceedings of the 2. International Equine Science Meeting Abbreviated Journal Proc. 2. Int. Equine. Sci. Mtg  
  Volume in press Issue Pages  
  Keywords  
  Abstract Recent studies have tested the ability of horses to understand human gestures. But even at the moment results are rather contradictory. This study was aimed at analyzing ability of horses to understand, remember and use human-given cues in a delayed three choice task. After the training period, sixteen horses had to choose between three blue buckets. One of them hid a carrot. Eight horses (A-group) saw the person hiding the carrot and they had to choose the correct bucket only after the person had hidden carrot and gone away. Control group, eight horses (B-group) did not know where the carrot was, and could only choose the bucket through the use of smell or by random choice. Each horse carried out 10 trials in the same test session. A-group chose the correct bucket to a greater extent on the first try (4.37±1.42), compared to the second (3.00±0.53) and the third try (0.75±0.71). With significant differences between the first and the second try (t14=2.582, p=0.022), the first and the third try (t14=6.508, p=0.000), and between the second and the third try (t14=7.180, p=0.000). Also the B-group chose the correct bucket to a greater extent on the first try (3.87±0.83) compared to the second (3.37±1.51) and the third (1.75±1.49). Anyway, there was no differences between the first and the second try (t14=0.821, p=0.425). As regards the B-group, statistical differences were found between the first and the third try (t14=3.523, p=0.003) and between the second and the third try (t14=2.171, p=0.048). Moreover, A-group showed a negative correlation (r=-0.652, p=0.0409) between the number of correct answers at first trial, and seemed that they used human information during the first half of the trials. As the trials proceeded, the average time required to find carrot decreased, with a negative correlation (r=-0.779, p=0.0079) over trials while, the number of overturned bucket to find carrot increased over trials (r=0.770, p=0.0091). As the trials proceeded, the horses tended to choose at first the bucket where the carrot had been found in the previous trial (r=0.450, p=0.013). Any kind of correlation over trials was found in B-group. In the first trials, the horses we studied seemed to understand human given-cues information, store it and use it appropriately even in absence of a person. As trials proceeded they seemed to change strategy, searching carrots where it had been found in the previous trial. Therefore, horses could use human given-cues or other cognitive strategy depending on the time, energy cost and mental effort required to solve the task. KW -  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Lovrovich, P. Thesis  
  Publisher Xenophon Publishing Place of Publication Wald Editor Krueger, K.  
  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 978-3-9808134-26 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes (up) Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5547  
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Author Baragli, P.; Vitale, V.; Paoletti, E.; Sighieri, C.; Reddon, A.R. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Detour behaviour in horses (Equus caballus) Type Journal Article
  Year 2011 Publication Journal of Ethology Abbreviated Journal J. Ethol.  
  Volume 29 Issue 2 Pages 227-234  
  Keywords Detour behaviour; Equus caballus; Horses; Lateralization; Spatial reasoning  
  Abstract The objective of this study was to investigate the ability of horses (Equus caballus) to detour around symmetric and asymmetric obstacles. Ten female Italian saddle horses were each used in three detour tasks. In the first task, the ability to detour around a symmetrical obstacle was evaluated; in the second and third tasks subjects were required to perform a detour around an asymmetrical obstacle with two different degrees of asymmetry. The direction chosen to move around the obstacle and time required to make the detour were recorded. The results suggest that horses have the spatial abilities required to perform detour tasks with both symmetric and asymmetric obstacles. The strategy used to perform the task varied between subjects. For five horses, lateralized behaviour was observed when detouring the obstacle; this was consistently in one direction (three on the left and two on the right). For these horses, no evidence of spatial learning or reasoning was found. The other five horses did not solve this task in a lateralized manner, and a trend towards decreasing lateralization was observed as asymmetry, and hence task difficulty, increased. These non-lateralized horses may have higher spatial reasoning abilities.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Springer Japan Place of Publication Editor  
  Language English Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0289-0771 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes (up) Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5686  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Baragli, P.; Demuru, E.; Palagi, E. pdf  openurl
  Title Mirror on the wall, who is the horsest of our all? Self-recognition in Equus caballus Type Conference Article
  Year 2015 Publication Proceedings of the 3. International Equine Science Meeting Abbreviated Journal Proc. 3. Int. Equine. Sci. Mtg  
  Volume Issue Pages  
  Keywords Domestic horse • Mark test • Socio-cognitive skills • Self-awareness  
  Abstract Mirror Self-Recognition (MSR) is an extremely rare capacity in the animal kingdom that reveals the emergence of complex cognitive capacities (de Waal 2008). So far, MSR has been reported only in humans, chimpanzees (Gallup, 1970), bottlenose dolphins (Reiss and Marino, 2001) and Asian elephants (Plotnik et al, 2006), all species characterized by a highly developed cognition. There is growing evidence that domestic horses posses high cognitive abilities, such as cross-modal individual recognition (Proops et al, 2009), triadic post-conflict reunion to maintain social homeostasis (Cozzi et al, 2010), complex communicative systems (Whatan and McComb, 2014), flexibility in problem-solving (Lovrovich et al, 2015), and long-term memory (Hanggi and Ingersoll, 2009). All these capacities make horses a good candidate to test the ability of MSR in a domestic species. Through a classical MSR experimental paradigm (de Waal 2008) we tested eight horses living in social groups under semi-natural conditions (from the Italian Horse Protection rescue centre). Animals showing MSR typically go through four stages (Plotnik et al, 2006): (i) social response, (ii) physical mirror inspection (e.g., looking behind the mirror), (iii) repetitive mirror-testing behaviour (i.e., the beginning of mirror understanding), and (iv) self-directed behaviour (i.e., recognition of the mirror image as self). The final stage, known as the “mark-test”, is verified when a subject spontaneously uses the mirror to check for a coloured artificial mark on its own body which it cannot perceive otherwise. The horses underwent a three-phase “mark-test”: 1) with sham mark (transparent ultrasound water gel) positioned on both side at jaw level, 2) mark (yellow eye shadow mixed with ultrasound water gel) positioned on left side of jaw (with sham mark on the right), 3) mark (yellow eye shadow mixed with ultrasound water gel) positioned on right side of jaw (with sham mark on the left)

The mirror was one 0.5-cm-thick piece of 140x220-cm plexiglass glue on wood. Each test lasted one hour, horses were tested once a day, in consecutive days and at the same time. Our preliminary result on 1 horse shows some changes in self-directed behaviours which can be attributed to presence of the coloured mark. Firstly, the presence of the coloured mark significantly increased the frequency of scratching on both sides of the muzzle (p < 0.0001). The most intriguing result (p < 0.0001) comes from the comparison of the scratching rates directed towards the coloured mark side (N = 41) and the sham mark side (N = 23). Under the control condition (i.e. sham mark on both sides) no statistical difference was found for the scratching rates directed to the muzzle sides (dx N = 8; sx N = 5). Although further analyses are needed to confirm these preliminary results, our finding opens new scenarios about the evolution of Mirror Self-Recognition. The capacity of horses to recognize themselves in a mirror may be the outcome of an evolutionary convergence process driven by the cognitive pressures imposed by a complex social system and maintained despite thousands years of domestication.

Keywords:

Domestic horse · Mark test · Socio-cognitive skills · Self-awareness

References

De Waal FBM (2008) The thief in the mirror. PloS Biol 6(8):e201

Gallup GG Jr (1970) Chimpanzees: Self-recognition. Science 167: 86-87.

Reiss D, Marino L (2001). Mirror self-recognition in the bottlenose dolphin: A case of cognitive convergence. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 98:5937-5942.

Plotnik J, de Waal FBM, Reiss D (2006) Self-recognition in an Asian elephant. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 103: 17053-17057.

Proops L, McComb K, Reby D. (2009) Cross-modal individual recognition in domestic horses (Equus caballus). Proc Nat Acad Sci USA;106:947-951.

Cozzi A, Sighieri C, Gazzano A, Nicol CJ, Baragli P. Post-conflict friendly reunion in a permanent group of horses (Equus caballus). Behav Process 2010;85:185-190.

Wathan J, McComb K. The eyes and ears are visual indicators of attention in domestic horses. Curr Biol 2014;24(15): R677-R679.

Lovrovich P, Sighieri C, Baragli P (2015) Following human-given cues or not? Horses (Equus caballus) get smarter and change strategy in a delayed three choice task. Appl Anim Behav Sci, in press.

Hanggi EB, Ingersoll JF. (2009) Long-term memory for categories and concepts in horses (Equus caballus). Anim Cogn; 12:451-462.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Baragli, P. Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes (up) Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5874  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Baragli, P.; Demuru, E.; Scopa, C.; Palagi, E. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Are horses capable of mirror self-recognition? A pilot study Type Journal Article
  Year 2017 Publication Plos One Abbreviated Journal Plos One  
  Volume 12 Issue 5 Pages e0176717  
  Keywords  
  Abstract Mirror Self-Recognition (MSR) unveils complex cognitive, social and emotional skills and it has been found only in humans and few other species, such as great apes, dolphins, elephants and magpies. In this pilot study, we tested if horses show the capacity of MSR. Four subjects living socially under naturalistic conditions were selected for the experiment. We adopted the classical mark test, which consists in placing a coloured mark on an out-of-view body part, visible only through mirror inspection. If the animal considers the image as its own, it will use its reflection to detect the mark and will try to explore it. We enhanced the classical paradigm by introducing a double-check control. Only in the presence of the reflecting surface, animals performed tactile and olfactory exploration of the mirror and looked behind it. These behaviors suggest that subjects were trying to associate multiple sensory cues (visual, tactile and olfactory) to the image in the mirror. The lack of correspondence between the collected stimuli in front of the mirror and the response to the colored mark lead us to affirm that horses are able to perceive that the reflected image is incongruent when compared with the memorized information of a real horse. However, without replication of data, the self-directed behavior towards the colored marks showed by our horses cannot be sufficient per se to affirm that horses are capable of self-recognition.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Public Library of Science Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes (up) Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 6158  
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Author Lanata, A.; Guidi, A.; Valenza, G.; Baragli, P.; Scilingo, E. P. openurl 
  Title The Role of Nonlinear Coupling in Human-Horse Interaction: a Preliminary Study Type Conference Article
  Year 2017 Publication 2016 38th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC) Abbreviated Journal EMBC  
  Volume Issue Pages  
  Keywords  
  Abstract This study focuses on the analysis of humanhorse

dynamic interaction using cardiovascular information

exclusively. Specifically, the Information Theoretic Learning

(ITL) approach has been applied to a Human-Horse Interaction

paradigm, therefore accounting for the nonlinear information

of the heart-heart interplay between humans and horses.

Heartbeat dynamics was gathered from humans and horses

during three experimental conditions: absence of interaction,

visual-olfactory interaction, and brooming. Cross Information

Potential, Cross Correntropy, and Correntropy Coefficient were

computed to quantitatively estimate nonlinear coupling in a

group of eleven subjects and one horse. Results showed a

statistical significant difference on all of the three interaction

phases. Furthermore, a Support Vector Machine classifier

recognized the three conditions with an accuracy of 90:9%.

These preliminary and encouraging results suggest that ITL

analysis provides viable metrics for the quantitative evaluation

of human-horse interaction.
 
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  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes (up) Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 6176  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Baragli, P.; Vitale, V.; Paoletti, E.; Mengoli, M.; Sighieri, C. url  openurl
  Title Encoding the Object Position for Assessment of Short Term Spatial Memory in Horses (Equus caballus) Type Journal Article
  Year 2011 Publication International Journal of Comparative Psychology Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 24 Issue 3 Pages  
  Keywords  
  Abstract In this study, the detour problem was combined with the classic delayed-response task to investigate equine short-term spatial memory. Test subjects were eight female horses, divided into two groups (A and B) of four subjects each. The motivating object was made to move and disappear behind one oftwo identical obstacles in a two-point-choice apparatus. After a 10 s (Group A) or 30 s (Group B) delay the animal was released to seek the object. Both groups made more correct (14.8 ± 1.3 forGroup A and 13.5 ± 3.1 for Group B, mean ± SD) than incorrect choices (5.3 ± 1.3 for Group A and6.5 ± 3.1 for Group B, mean ± SD) and the performance of each group was significantly above chance level (z = 4.14,  p = 0.000, for Group A and z = 3.02, p = 0.002, for Group B). Therefore, tested animals were able to recover the object by approaching the correct obstacle after 10 s or 30 s delays, showing that they had encoded and recovered from memory the existence of the target object and its location.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2168-3344 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes (up) Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 6178  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Vitale, V.; Balocchi, R.; Varanini, M.; Sgorbini, M.; Macerata, A.; Sighieri, C.; Baragli, P. url  doi
openurl 
  Title The effects of restriction of movement on the reliability of heart rate variability measurements in the horse (Equus caballus) Type Journal Article
  Year 2013 Publication Journal of Veterinary Behavior Abbreviated Journal J. Vet. Behav.  
  Volume 8 Issue 5 Pages 400-403  
  Keywords behavior; heart rate variability; horse; measurement; reliability; restriction of movement  
  Abstract Analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) is a noninvasive approach for investigating the sympathovagal balance of the autonomic nervous system. In recent years, HRV has been increasingly evaluated in animal research. In horses, it has been suggested that basal resting conditions can be achieved by restraining them. The aim of this study was to verify how restriction of movement influences HRV i2n horses. Ten healthy standardbred mares were used to measure the electrocardiographic signal under 2 conditions: free to move in the stall and restrained in the stock. Results indicate that the restriction of movement is associated with increased nervous system sympathetic activity not consistent with resting conditions.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1558-7878 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes (up) Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 6618  
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