Topic:Behavior
Equine behavior encompasses the study of horses' actions, reactions, and interactions within their environment and with other living beings. It includes the examination of innate behaviors, such as grazing and herd dynamics, as well as learned behaviors influenced by training and human interaction. Understanding equine behavior is essential for improving horse welfare, training methods, and management practices. This topic covers a range of behaviors, from social structures and communication to stress responses and problem behaviors. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the various aspects of equine behavior, including factors that influence it and its implications for horse management and welfare.
A Qualitative Exploration of the Lived Experiences and Perspectives of Equine-Assisted Services Practitioners in the UK and Ireland. Equine-Assisted Services (EAS), which incorporate horses in a variety of ways in an effort to improve human wellbeing, have grown in popularity in recent years. Although much research has been conducted regarding the benefits that horses may provide for human health and wellbeing, little attention has been paid to practitioners' experiences and perspectives of the field, despite the fact they are uniquely positioned to advance our understanding of this area. This study aimed to explore practitioners' lived experiences of EAS, focusing on the benefits they observed, possible underlying mechanis...
Risk factors associated with owner-reported sleep disturbances in Nordic horses. Very little is known about sleep disturbances in horses, although several management or animal-based factors may contribute to an increased risk of disturbances. Objective: To investigate factors related to rest and sleep behaviour of horses kept in stalls as perceived by Nordic horse owners or caretakers and their association with suspected sleep disturbances (SSD). Methods: Cross-sectional survey. Methods: The 40 question online international survey included a convenience sample of horse owners or caretakers with horses over 4 years old kept in the same individual stalls for at least the l...
“But my horse is well cared for”: A qualitative exploration of cognitive dissonance and enculturation in equestrian attitudes toward performance horses and their welfare. There is concern amongst the public, equestrians, animal welfare organisations, and horse-sport governing bodies regarding the welfare of performance horses, but equestrian culture appears slow to change. The present study seeks to increase our understanding of human factors underlying the persistence of welfare-compromising management and training practices within the performance horse world. Individual, semi-structured interviews focused on equestrians' attitudes were conducted with 22 equestrians from classical equestrian disciplines in the US, Canada, and the UK. Interview transcripts were...
Horse Activity Participants’ Perceptions About Practices Undertaken at Activity Venues, and Horse Welfare and Wellbeing. Participation in horse-related activities frequently involves relocating horses from the home stable to an activity venue, which might require local, regional, or international travel. In these circumstances, horses are exposed to unfamiliar surroundings and experience changes to their daily routines, which could have negative welfare impacts. An online survey was conducted in 2021 to ask experienced horse sector participants about the horse management practices that they perceived worked well and provided for positive horse welfare when undertaken at venues. Qualitative analysis identified fo...
Horse owners seeking online health information: a mixed-methods study. Many people seek health-related information online, not only for themselves but also on behalf of others who cannot articulate their symptoms. This proxy information-seeking behavior is particularly relevant for animal owners, who must interpret their animals' symptoms without direct verbal feedback. While online health information-seeking in the context of one's own health is well-studied, the specific challenges of searching by proxy, especially for animal health information, remain largely unexplored. Unassigned: This study aimed to determine the specific information needs and search behavi...
Tight nosebands apply high pressures on the horses’ face and alter stride kinematics. Noseband tightness has received increasing attention within equitation science, however, there is little research into how this effects equine behaviour or performance. Objective: 1) determine the peak pressures under noseband in vivo at three different tightness; 2) assess limb and back kinematics at different noseband tightness. Methods: Noseband tightness (n = 8 horses) was set using an International Society for Equine Science (ISES) taper gauge with the three settings being; "two fingers (2F)", "one finger (1F)" and "zero fingers (0F)". Peak pressure under noseband was determined using pre...
Equine-assisted interventions in Germany: animal welfare knowledge and practices among equine-assisted professionals. Numerous studies have shown the positive effects that horses in equine-assisted interventions can have on a variety of recipients. The importance of animal welfare and implementation of animal welfare practices in equine-assisted interventions has not yet been extensively researched. Objective: The aim of this exploratory study was therefore to investigate the understanding of animal welfare from the perspective of equine-assisted professionals and how it is ensured by them. Methods: 111 equine-assisted professionals in Germany were surveyed about their knowledge of animal welfare and the indi...
Lady and the champ: The shared career experiences and retirement transition of a champion jockey and his partner. Elite sporting careers are made up of a succession of transitions and adjustments across multiple layers. Part of the microenvironment is an athlete's romantic partner who moves through the transitions alongside them, being impacted along the way. Though researchers are yet to explore jockeys and their partners experiences within the horse racing context. Framed through the transition environment working model (Henriksen et al., 2024) and supported by the family systems theory (Broderick, 1993), this study aimed to explore the career experiences and retirement transition of a retired Champion ...
Artificial intelligence tools to assess different levels of activity performed by semi-wild horses in grassland ecosystems. In order to understand the role of horses in ecosystems and to effectively use their grazing in the protection of grasslands, it is important to assess where they primarily stay, followed by whether these habitats are used for grazing or resting. The main goal of the study was the model development based on artificial intelligence tools which allow to distinguish the basic levels of activity performed by horses using data from an accelerometer mounted in a collar worn by animals. The model calibration was based on direct observations of five randomly selected Polish primitive horse mares. In o...
Owner-Observed Behavioral Characteristics in Off-the-Track Thoroughbreds (OTTTBs) in Equestrian Second Careers. The off-the-track Thoroughbred's (OTTTB's) suitability for equestrian retraining and rehoming should always be subject to behavioral considerations. Certain attributes may be advantageous to a horse's racing performance but unfavorable to their prospects off the track. It is important to gain a non-biased understanding of how Thoroughbreds (TBs) in equestrian disciplines compare with other horses behaviorally, to minimize risks of poor welfare and safety outcomes. The current study used owner-reported information ( = 1633) from the Equine Behavior Assessment and Research Questionnaire (E-BARQ)...
An iterative approach to identify key predictive features of fear reactivity and fearfulness in horses (Equus caballus). This study extends previous findings by applying artificial intelligence (AI) methods to a larger dataset to identify key features that predict fear reactivity (i.e., immediate reaction to fear inducing stimuli) and fearfulness (i.e., a stable personality trait) in 101 Lipizzan horses. The analysis included 221 morphological, kinematic, behavioral and management measurements per horse. Previous findings were confirmed, as body and head size were identified as promising predictors of aspects of fear-related trait. Using an iterative AI approach, six key features for fear reactivity and nine for...
Neanderthal coasteering and the first Portuguese hominin tracksites. Multiple sources of evidence for the systematic use of coastal ecosystems and resources by Neanderthals are known. Fossil hominin footprints offer direct portraits of individual or social group presence and locomotor behavior, and interspecific interactions, in the coastal ecospace. Here we describe the first two hominin tracksites found in the southwestern most region of Europe. At Monte Clérigo, dated to 78 ± 5 ka, trackways of three individuals demonstrate how Neanderthals navigated dune landscapes. These behaviors suggest route planning, with dune systems serving as advantageous set...
International Survey Exploring Rider-Perceived Sidedness of the Horse. Laterality or sidedness in the horse is commonly addressed as part of the horse's training. An international online survey regarding horse and rider sidedness and asymmetry was conducted, with 2304 useable responses. Confidence intervals (95%) were used to evaluate if some response options were chosen more frequently. Discounting answers of 'not sure' or 'not applicable', the right fore hoof was more often perceived to be more upright (22%) than the left (15%), and the left shoulder was more prominent (24%) more often than the right (17%), whilst most respondents reported no difference. Both l...
Substance withdrawal during psychotherapy incorporating equines: A preliminary investigation of the role of neurotransmitters during treatment. Substance withdrawal presents a barrier to substance use disorder (SUD) recovery in part due to symptoms implicating neurotransmitters and their metabolites. Despite this relationship, research investigating alternative treatments such as psychotherapy incorporating equines (PIE) have primarily targeted vital signs and cortisol concentrations. Previous research has also proposed benefits of human-horse physiological coupling, but the role of neurotransmitters in the relationship between humans and horses during PIE has not yet been investigated. The purpose of this study was to characterize ne...
Regulatory Integrity and Welfare in Horse Sport: A Constructively Critical Perspective. This commentary evaluates contemporary equestrian sport governance through the lens of equine welfare science. Drawing on evidence from the FEI Sport Forum 2025 debates, the IFHA Racing Integrity Handbook, media coverage of horse sport, recent scientific presentations, regulatory texts, and published research, we identify systemic shortcomings in how horse welfare is assessed, prioritised, and protected. Key issues include reliance on performance as a proxy for welfare, inadequate "fit-to-compete" protocols, neglect of horses' mental states, coercive tack and equipment practices (e.g., double ...
Influence of lighting on sleep behaviour, circadian rhythm and spontaneous blink rate in stabled riding school horses (Equus caballus). Modern horse husbandry involves significant time spent indoors, often in suboptimal lighting conditions and with frequent night-time disturbances by humans for management purposes. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of a customised light-emitting diode (LED) lighting system and a standard fluorescent lighting fixture on equine sleep behaviours, circadian rhythmicity and spontaneous blink rates in horses. Ten riding school horses experienced two stable lighting conditions for four weeks each in a cross-over study running from January to March, 2023. The treatment lighting co...
A comparison of a transdermal eutectic lidocaine/prilocaine cream and subcutaneous lidocaine injection prior to jugular vein catheterization in horses: a randomized crossover study. To compare horses' aversive behavioural responses to the application of 5% prilocaine/lidocaine eutectic mixture of local anaesthetics (EMLA) cream versus subcutaneous infiltration of 2% lidocaine, followed by jugular vein catheterization. Methods: Blinded, randomized study. Methods: A group of 26 university-owned research horses. Methods: Each horse received both treatments at opposite jugular sites with ≥ 12 hours between procedures. One randomly assigned jugular site received 1 g cm of 5% EMLA cream 60 minutes before catheterization, while the contralateral site received 1.5 mL of 2% lido...
Impact of feeding strategies on the welfare and behaviour of horses in groups: An experimental study. Finding feeding strategies that meet horses' needs without compromising health is essential for optimising welfare, particularly in group housing, where limited hay availability increases aggression and injury risks. Recently, two strategies have emerged: portioning daily intake into smaller, frequent meals using time-controlled hay racks, or slowing intake with "slow-feeders." However, the effects of such management practices on horse behaviour remain underexplored. We conducted a cross-over study with 18 mares divided into four groups to compare three feeding strategies: "traditional" (3 of ...
A Pilot Study on Blood Concentration of β-Amyloid (40 and 42) and Phospho-Tau 181 in Horses. In humans, aging is often accompanied by cognitive decline, as seen in Alzheimer's disease. In contrast, the aging process in horses remains poorly characterized. This study aims to explore the presence of blood-based biomarkers associated with cognitive degeneration in this species. Twenty-three Arabian horses were enrolled, and 5 mL of blood was collected from each to measure serum levels of β-amyloid peptides (Aβ40 and Aβ42) and phosphorylated tau protein (pTau181), both considered reliable indicators of cognitive impairment in other species. Aβ42 was undetectable in all samples, while ...
Influences of Double Versus Snaffle Bridles on Equine Behaviour at Dressage Competitions and Factors That Interact with Their Effect. Despite welfare concerns, conflict behaviours (indicative of momentary states of acute stress) are common in horses during dressage competitions. Identifying factors that affect conflict behaviours during competition therefore has the potential to improve equine welfare. The aim of this exploratory study was to assess the effect of bridle type (double versus snaffle) in relation to other potential affecting factors (e.g., average head angle, competition level and type, tack variation) on conflict behaviours during dressage competition. An ethogram was created to analyse the conflict behaviour ...
Group housing increases alertness and social interaction compared to traditional single stabling in two-year-old sport horse stallions during pretraining. Horses in training are often stabled individually, but this is increasingly questioned. We have investigated the effects of different stabling systems in Warmblood stallions during a 12-week pretraining programme. Stallions were 24 months old and housed either in a group stable (Group 24, n = 9) or in individual boxes (Box 24, n = 10), or they were 30 months of age and housed in individual boxes (Box 30, n = 10). Cortisol, heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), body development, injuries and selected behaviour patterns were analysed (1) at transfer from pasture to stable and (2) the...
Overnight dexamethasone suppression and cortisol index tests in clinically healthy horses and with crib-biting. The dexamethasone suppression test (DST) has been used in humans for the diagnosis of psychiatric problems such as depression, anxiety and Cushing's syndrome, and in horses for the ante mortem diagnosis of dysfunction of the intermediate part of the pituitary. Objective: This study aimed to examine the functionality of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis through the DST and the cortisol index (CI), to evaluate the rhythmicity of the circadian cycle of cortisol in healthy horses with crib-biting or windsucking. Methods: A total of 20 Colombian Creole horses of both sexes, under similar mana...
Social Isolation of Horses vs. Support Provided by a Human. It is assumed that horses have a strong herd instinct that cannot be suppressed by any form of social support from humans. The aim of this study was to assess the behaviour and heart rate parameters of horses that received various forms of human support during short-term social isolation. The research material consisted of 12 clinically healthy recreational warmblood mares and geldings. The test was carried out four times. The research test consisted of two parts, which began in the presence of accompanying horses and under conditions of social isolation, with and without support provided by a...
Transportation to the Slaughterhouse: Can Training Reduce the Stress Response in Horses? The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of self-loading training on the overall stress response during pre-slaughter transportation in slaughter horses. Thirty-two slaughter horses were divided into two groups: the control group (CG) and the Trained Group (TG). For six weeks, the TG horses were trained to self-load using a method based on target training and shaping. Animals from both groups were transported to the same slaughterhouse in small groups on different days using the same truck along the same route. The baseline and post-transportation values of the eye temperature and fecal...
Immediate effects of a 30-min hippotherapy session on center of pressure displacement in children with autism spectrum disorder: A quasi-experimental study. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder affecting sensorimotor systems, potentially disturbing postural control and stability. Considering the treatment options for these children, hippotherapy (HPOT) is based on horse movements to provide sensory stimuli and motor challenges, potentially contributing to improvements in postural control. Objective: To investigate the immediate effects of a 30-min HPOT session on the center of pressure (CoP) displacement of children with ASD (ASDG) and children with typical development (TDG). Methods: 120 children (60 ASDG; 60 TD...
“There’s no blueprint for this kind of loss”: Resilience following the death of an equine in an equine-assisted services program. For practitioners involved in equine-assisted services (EAS), the death of a horse can be a significant life disruption. This study aims to understand the communicative resilience processes that equine-assisted service practitioners express following the death of an equine in their program. This study analyzed secondary qualitative data from a cross-sectional online survey completed by 84 participants. Analysis revealed practitioners engaged in all five communicative resilience processes following the death of an equine in their program. This research extends current resilience research by exa...
The relationship of early life adversity and physiological synchrony within the therapeutic triad in horse-assisted therapy. In any therapeutic setting, the outcome depends in part on the therapeutic alliance, characterized by mutual understanding, empathy and trust among the participants. This also manifests through physiological synchronization (PS) processes involving breathing, heart and brain. This study examined the dynamics of heart rate variability (HRV) synchronization patterns during horse-assisted therapy. We explored the correlations between the therapist's horse preference, levels of early life adversity (ELA), and PS relationships within and across dyads of participants, therapists, and therapy horses....
Exploring the induction and measurement of positive affective state in equines through a personality-centred lens. There is increasing focus on how to induce and measure positive affective states in animals and the development of social license to operate has brought this to the forefront within equestrianism. This study aimed to utilise a range of methods to induce and measure positive affect in horses in real-world settings. Twenty healthy horses were scored for personality, exposed to four induction methods (wither scratching, high value food provision, positive reinforcement training and the addition of an affiliative conspecific), and data collected on their behaviour (QBA and ethograms) and physiolog...
Stoicism or Defeat? The Psychological Impact of the Kiln Environment on Working Donkeys and Mules. One of the most problematic situations for the estimated 60 million working donkeys and mules across the world is within the brick kiln environment. In countries such as Egypt, Nepal, India and Pakistan, donkeys and mules carry dried bricks into small kilns either by pulling carts or carrying loaded packs. The health and welfare problems of this environment are well documented: they may carry excessive loads; work long hours, have difficulties accessing food, water and rest options; and can frequently suffer untreated illnesses including dental problems, lameness and open wounds from poorly fi...