Topic:Human-Animal Interaction
Human-animal interaction with regards to horses encompasses the various ways in which humans and horses engage and communicate with each other. This field of study examines the behavioral, psychological, and physiological responses that occur during these interactions. Researchers investigate aspects such as the impact of human presence on horse behavior, the effects of different training methods, and the mutual benefits of human-horse relationships. Studies often focus on how these interactions influence equine welfare, training outcomes, and human psychological well-being. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the dynamics, outcomes, and implications of human-animal interactions involving horses.
Reduction of biting and chewing of horses using differential reinforcement of other behavior. Biting and chewing by horses on crossties can result in injury to the handler and damage to equipment. Operant-conditioning techniques have been used to train horses and could be used to reduce or eliminate undesirable biting and chewing. Presently, a differential-reinforcement-of-other-behavior (DRO) schedule, in the context of a reversal design, was effective in reducing biting and chewing in two horses. In DRO schedules, a reinforcer is delivered contingent on the absence of a target behavior for a specified interval. Positive-reinforcement procedures offer an alternative to aversive-contro...
Cross-modal recognition of human individuals in domestic horses (Equus caballus). This study has shown that domestic horses are capable of cross-modal recognition of familiar humans. It was demonstrated that horses are able to discriminate between the voices of a familiar and an unfamiliar human without seeing or smelling them at the same moment. Conversely, they were able to discriminate the same persons when only exposed to their visual and olfactory cues, without being stimulated by their voices. A cross-modal expectancy violation setup was employed; subjects were exposed both to trials with incongruent auditory and visual/olfactory identity cues and trials with congruen...
Human-animal relationships: from daily life to animal-assisted therapies. Humans have a long history of relationship with domestic animals and nowadays pets often act as "social substitutes" through bonding. There is some evidence that pet presence at home may induce well being in people and the development of social skills in children. Animal assisted therapies aim at developing these skills in patients on the basis of human animal interactions. Experimental data obtained on animal models suggest that this is indeed a promising line. There is however a lack of clear scientific data that would help defines what the most appropriate procedures or species may be. Impr...
[Equine-assisted therapy in child psychiatry]. The use of a horse or pony as a therapeutic tool is often presented in the media as a recent phenomenon. A survey of 103 institutions shows that it is in fact an approach well rooted in child and adolescent psychiatry. However, professionals who use equine-assisted therapy are calling for an assessment to be carried out enabling them to hone their practices.
Prospective trial of equine-assisted activities in autism spectrum disorder. Anecdotal reports and some studies suggest that equine-assisted activities may be beneficial in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Objective: To examine the effects ofequine-assisted activities on overall severity of autism symptoms using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) and the quality ofparent-child interactions using the Timberlawn Parent-Child Interaction Scale. In addition, this study examined changes in sensory processing, quality of life, and parental treatment satisfaction. Methods: Children with ASD were evaluated at four time points: (1) before beginning a 3-to-6 month waiting ...
Therapeutic effects of a horse riding simulator in children with cerebral palsy. To evaluate the efficacy of horse ridding simulator on the sitting postural control of children with spastic diplegia. Methods: Forty children were randomly divided in a group using the simulator (RS) and a group performing conventional physical therapy (CT). FScan/Fmat equipment was used to register maximal displacement in antero-posterior (AP) and medio-lateral (ML) directions with children in sitting position. At the pre and post intervention stage both groups were classified according to the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) and, after intervention, by the AUQEI questionna...
Therapeutic horseback riding for ACT patients with schizophrenia. One form of psychiatric leisure rehabilitation which has only recently been explored for individuals with schizophrenia is Therapeutic Horseback Riding (THBR). This study is the first to examine THBR for Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) patients with schizophrenia. A sample of 6 ACT patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who reside in the community and 6 mental health care staff participated in 10 weeks of weekly horseback riding sessions with an experienced THBR instructor. Participating patients, staff and the THBR instructor were qualitatively interviewed at the start, ...
Effect of equine-assisted therapy on the postural balance of the elderly. To determine whether equine-assisted therapy (hippotherapy) produces alterations in the balance of the elderly. Methods: The sample included 17 older adults who were divided into experimental (7 subjects) and control (10 subjects) groups. Stabilometry data were acquired with a force platform. The Timed Up and Go test (TUG) was used for clinical analysis of seated balance, transfer from a seated to a standing position, walking stability and changes in gait. Sixteen equine-assisted therapy sessions were carried out. Results: Mann-Witney was used to compare the means between groups and no signifi...
Effect of equestrian therapy and onotherapy in physical and psycho-social performances of adults with intellectual disability: a preliminary study of evaluation tools based on the ICF classification. To assess the effects of equestrian rehabilitation (ER) and onotherapy (Ono) on physical and psycho-social performances of subjects affected by intellectual disability (ID), and to develop a measurement tool based on the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health-Children and Youth (ICF-CY). Methods: A tool based on the ICF-CY classification was designed to evaluate subjects undergoing equine rehabilitation within a bio-psychosocial approach. A simplified version of this evaluation form was developed for the equestrian instructors. The agreement between the two tools was...
Equine-facilitated psychotherapy for at-risk adolescents: the influence on self-image, self-control and trust. This article describes the theoretical-conceptual frame of equine-facilitated psychotherapy (EFP) for adolescents at-risk, the unique components of this intervention, and its implementation in an evaluation study. The study was conducted at a residential treatment facility for adolescents at-risk. We examined the outcomes of EFP on self-image, self-control, trust and general life satisfaction. Fourteen resident adolescents comprised the treatment group, and were compared with a matched group of 15 residents who did not receive EFP (control). The treatment comprised a weekly individual EFP sess...
Asymmetry of behavioral responses to a human approach in young naive vs. trained horses. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of training experience on young horses (Equus caballus)' lateralized responses to an approaching human. The results show that the one year old untrained horses display asymmetrical responses to an approaching human, with more negative reactions (escapes, threats) when approached from the left side, while approaches towards the right shoulder elicited more positive behaviors. On the contrary, two years old trained horses reacted equally positively to approaches and contact on both sides. Our findings support those of previous studies investiga...
Do horses have a concept of person? Animals' ability for cross-modal recognition has recently received much interest. Captive or domestic animals seem able to perceive cues of human attention and appear to have a multisensory perception of humans. Results: Here, we used a task where horses have to remain immobile under a vocal order to test whether they are sensitive to the attentional state of the experimenter, but also whether they behave and respond differently to the familiar order when tested by a familiar or an unknown person. Horses' response varied according to the person's attentional state when the order was given by a...
[Hippotherapy in the paedopsychiatric care project]. Hippotherapy uses relationships with horses as a mediation method. The care treatment aims to act on the psychological functioning of children affected by relational disorders, especially in order to help the development of communication and emotions. A partnership has been established between the paedopsychiatric university centre at the CHRU in Tours (37) and a horse-riding centre.
Does work affect personality? A study in horses. It has been repeatedly hypothesized that job characteristics are related to changes in personality in humans, but often personality models still omit effects of life experience. Demonstrating reciprocal relationships between personality and work remains a challenge though, as in humans, many other influential factors may interfere. This study investigates this relationship by comparing the emotional reactivity of horses that differed only by their type of work. Horses are remarkable animal models to investigate this question as they share with humans working activities and their potential diff...
Differential outcomes of unilateral interferences at birth. Behavioural modifications, including modifications of emotional reactivity, can occur following early experience such as handling (manual rubbing). Here, we investigated the effects of unilateral tactile stimulation at an early stage on emotional reactions later on. We handled newborn foals intensively on one side of their body. This early unilateral tactile experience had medium-term effects: the reactions of foals to a human approach, when they were 10 days old, differed according to the side stimulated at birth. Fewer right-handled foals accepted contact with humans, they delayed first cont...
The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach: what about horses? How do we bond to one another? While in some species, like humans, physical contact plays a role in the process of attachment, it has been suggested that tactile contact's value may greatly differ according to the species considered. Nevertheless, grooming is often considered as a pleasurable experience for domestic animals, even though scientific data is lacking. On another hand, food seems to be involved in the creation of most relationships in a variety of species. Results: In this study, we used the horse training context to test the effects of food versus grooming during repeated human-ho...
Horses (Equus caballus) use human local enhancement cues and adjust to human attention. 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) ...
Partners with bad temper: reject or cure? A study of chronic pain and aggression in horses. Experiencing acute pain can affect the social behaviour of both humans and animals and can increase the risk that they exhibit aggressive or violent behaviour. However, studies have focused mainly on the impact of acute rather than chronic painful experiences. As recent results suggest that chronic pain or chronic discomfort could increase aggressiveness in humans and other mammals, we tested here the hypothesis that, in horses, aggression towards humans (a common source of accidents for professionals) could be linked to regularly reported vertebral problems of riding horses. Results: Vertebra...
Reinforcement as a mediator of the perception of humans by horses (Equus caballus). A central question in the interspecific human/animal relationship is how domestic animals perceive humans as a significant element of their environment. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the use of positive or negative reinforcement in horse training may have consequences on the animals' perception of humans, as a positive, negative or neutral element. Two groups of ponies were trained to walk backwards in response to a vocal order using either positive or negative reinforcement. Heart rate monitors and behavioural observations were used to assess the animals' perception of humans o...
Changes in trunk and head stability in children with cerebral palsy after hippotherapy: a pilot study. Hippotherapy (HPOT) is a therapy that uses horse movement. This pilot investigation objectively evaluated the efficacy of HPOT in improving head/trunk stability in children with cerebral palsy (CP). The participants were six children with spastic diplegia and six children without disability. Head and trunk stability was challenged by using a motorized barrel and measured by a video motion capture system before and after a 12-week intervention of 45 min of HPOT a week. The variables measured were anterior-posterior (AP) translation of the head, and spine at five points and average AP head angle...
Visual laterality in the domestic horse (Equus caballus) interacting with humans. Most horses have a side on which they are easier to handle and a direction they favour when working on a circle, and recent studies have suggested a correlation between emotion and visual laterality when horses observe inanimate objects. As such lateralisation could provide important clues regarding the horse's cognitive processes, we investigated whether horses also show laterality in association with people. We gave horses the choice of entering a chute to left or right, with and without the passive, non-interactive presence of a person unknown to them. The left eye was preferred for scannin...
Attributing attention: the use of human-given cues by domestic horses (Equus caballus). Recent research has shown that domestic dogs are particularly good at determining the focus of human attention, often outperforming chimpanzees and hand-reared wolves. It has been suggested that the close evolutionary relationship between humans and dogs has led to the development of this ability; however, very few other domestic species have been studied. We tested the ability of 36 domestic horses to discriminate between an attentive and inattentive person in determining whom to approach for food. The cues provided were body orientation, head orientation or whether the experimenters' eyes we...