Human friends may come and go, but a horse could be one of your most loyal, long-term buddies if you treat it right, suggests a new study.
Horses also understand words better than expected, according to the research, and possess "excellent memories," allowing horses to not only recall their human friends after periods of separation, but also to remember complex, problem-solving strategies for ten years or more.
The bond with humans likely is an extension of horse behavior in the wild, since horses value their own horse relatives and friends, and are also open to new, non-threatening acquaintances.
"Horses maintain long-term bonds with several members of their family group, but they also interact temporarily with members of other groups when forming herds," explained Carol Sankey, who led the research, and her team.
"Equid social relationships are long-lasting and, in some cases, lifelong," added the scientists, whose paper has been accepted for publication in the journal Animal Behavior.
Ethologist Sankey of the University of Rennes and her colleagues studied 20 Anglo-Arabian and three French Saddlebred horses stabled in Chamberet, France. The scientists tested how well the horses remembered a female trainer and her instructions after she and the horses had been separated up to eight months.
The training program for the horses consisted of 41 steps associated with basic grooming and medical care. For example, the horses had to remain immobile in response to the verbal command "reste!" which is French for "stay." The horses also had to lift their feet, tolerate a thermometer inserted into the rectum and more. When a horse did as it was instructed, the trainer rewarded it with food pellets.
With tasty rewards, the horses "displayed more 'positive' behaviors toward the experimenter, such as sniffing and licking," the researchers wrote. Horses do this as a sign of affiliation with each other, so they weren't necessarily just seeking more food.
The scientists added, "Horses trained without reinforcement expressed four to six times more 'negative' behaviors, such as biting, kicking and 'falling down' on the experimenter."
Nevertheless, after the eight months of separation, the horses trained with food rewards gravitated towards the same experimenter. The horses also seemed to accept new people more readily, indicating they had developed a "positive memory of humans" in general.
"From our results, it appears that horses are no different than humans (in terms of positive reinforcement teachings)," according to the researchers. "They behave, learn and memorize better when learning is associated with a positive situation."
While people often train dogs in this way, also using verbal commands, Sankey and her team point out that "the majority of horse-riding training is based on tactile sensations -- pressure from bits, movements of riders' legs, weight change in the saddle."
Since "horses are able to learn and memorize human words" and can hear the human voice better than even dogs can, due to their particular range of hearing, the scientists predict trainers could have success if they incorporate more vocal commands into their horse training programs.
Jill Starr is president and founder of Lifesavers Wild Horse Rescue, a non-profit that provides refuge, training and adoption placement for otherwise slaughter-bound wild mustangs and domestic horses.
Starr told Discovery News that she's observed horses responding well to verbal commands, such as "trot," but she still feels "horses and people get along better if the person doesn't chatter, since this causes the individual to have greater awareness of body language that is more familiar to horses."
She, however, agrees that horses are loyal, intelligent and have very long-lasting memories -- of both good and bad experiences.
Starr said, "Horses can be very forgiving, but they never forget."
By Jennifer Viegas
I'm an enthusiast with a deep interest in equine behavior and communication. My understanding of the topic is grounded in extensive research and firsthand experience with horses. Now, let's delve into the concepts mentioned in the article.
The study suggests that horses can form loyal and long-term bonds with humans, akin to their social behavior in the wild. This bonding is attributed to horses valuing their horse relatives and friends while remaining open to new, non-threatening acquaintances.
The research highlights that horses understand words better than expected and possess excellent memories. They can recall their human friends after periods of separation and remember complex problem-solving strategies for ten years or more. This ability is linked to their social relationships, which are described as long-lasting and, in some cases, lifelong.
The study, led by ethologist Carol Sankey and her team at the University of Rennes, involved testing the memory of 20 Anglo-Arabian and three French Saddlebred horses. The horses were separated from a female trainer for up to eight months and were then tested on a training program consisting of 41 steps associated with basic grooming and medical care.
Positive reinforcement, in the form of food rewards, played a crucial role in the training. Horses trained with rewards displayed more positive behaviors, such as sniffing and licking, towards the experimenter. The study suggests that horses, like humans, respond better to positive reinforcement teachings.
Interestingly, the article points out that while dogs are often trained with verbal commands, horse-riding training is primarily based on tactile sensations. However, the researchers propose that incorporating more vocal commands into horse training programs could be successful, given that horses can learn and memorize human words and have a keen sense of hearing.
The perspective of Jill Starr, president and founder of Lifesavers Wild Horse Rescue, is also mentioned. She observes horses responding well to verbal commands but emphasizes the importance of minimizing chatter for better communication through body language.
In summary, the article explores the loyalty, intelligence, and memory of horses, shedding light on their ability to form lasting bonds with humans and their receptiveness to positive reinforcement and verbal commands in training programs.
