Learning in horses refers to the process by which these animals acquire, process, and retain information through experiences, training, and environmental interactions. This process involves cognitive functions such as memory, perception, and problem-solving, which can influence a horse's behavior and performance. Various methods, including classical and operant conditioning, are employed to facilitate learning in horses, often focusing on improving responses to cues and enhancing training outcomes. Research in this field explores the mechanisms underlying learning, the factors affecting learning efficiency, and the implications for training practices. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that examine the processes, methodologies, and implications of learning in equine behavior and training.
Heird JC, Lennon AM, Bell RW.Twenty-four yearling Quarter Horse fillies were divided into three groups (I) very limited handling, (II) intermediate handling and (III) extensive handling. At about 14 months of age, each horse was preconditioned for 2 weeks and then run in a simple place-learning T-maze test in which it had to locate its feed. Thirty trials were run daily for 20 days, with the location of the feed changed each day. To retire from the maze, a horse had to meet the criterion: 11 correct responses in 12 tries, with the last eight being consecutive. Horses in Group II required the fewest trials to reach criteri...
Mader DR, Price EO.The discrimination learning ability of Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds was compared by means of visual cues in a three-choice test with food as a reward. Quarter Horses learned significantly faster than Thoroughbreds, and learning progressed more rapidly for both breeds in a second discrimination task. Significant negative correlations were observed between age and rate of learning. Quarter Horses tended to be less reactive than Thoroughbreds, but individual emotional reactivity ratings and learning scores were not correlated. No correlation was found between social dominance and learning sco...
Tumber MR, Burke MK.Lameness in horses resulting from foot pathology is very common. When investigating the cause of a lameness localised to the foot, the first step is most frequently radiographic imaging. Therefore, being able to identify normal anatomy and recognise pathology on radiographs is important for a veterinary medicine student to learn. Computer-aided learning (CAL) is becoming increasingly utilised in the teaching of students on medicine-related courses, especially post-COVID where online learning has been continued in hybridisation with in-person teaching.In this study, a low-cost CAL module was cr...
Wnuk E, Janicka W, Stachurska A, Owerczuk R, Łuszczyński J.Differences in the ranges and capacities of sensory modalities cause horses to perceive their surroundings differently than humans. To date, the horses' sense of smell has been studied mainly regarding social and reproductive behaviour. The role of olfaction in horse management and use also seems to be of utmost importance. The aim of this study was to determine the response to a scent of different intensities by horses of different sexes and types (warmblood horses vs ponies). The study involved 21 adult mares and geldings, of which 15 subjects learned how to complete the required task and we...
Hämäläinen MJ, Brotherus IL, Wigren HM, Kaimio TE, Suomala H, Olbricht AM, Hänninen LT, Mykkänen AK.Reduced rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep is associated with impaired learning in many species. We developed a reversal learning test (RLT) suitable for field conditions to explore this association in 16 healthy horses. Nocturnal REM-like sleep behavior was recorded five times for 48 h over a six-week period. The horses performed a target training task followed by an RLT using two objects. When the horses reached a predefined frequency of touching the object, the spatial location was reversed. Mean test parameters were statistically analysed using GENLIN models, longitudinal continuous variables...
Guyonnet AE, Whishaw IQ.The domestic horse (Equus ferus caballus) makes dung deposits to form "stud-piles" and compulsively examines dung droppings, suggesting that dung contains species-relevant information. The present study investigates horses' use of location (place), odor (object) and memory for dung sniff encounters. Horses were video recorded in 2 indoor and 4 outdoor riding arenas as they were taken at different time intervals to experimenter-determined objects or dung deposits that they could sniff. Frame-by-frame video analysis measured approaches, sniff duration, nostril use, ear position and blinking asso...
