A few days of social separation affects yearling horses’ response to emotional reactivity tests and enhances learning performance.

This study investigated how a period of social isolation influenced the emotional reactivity and learning performance of yearling horses. The results suggested that short-term isolation could reduce emotional reactivity and enhance learning abilities.

Methodology

• The research team worked with 25 yearling horses, assigning 12 to an isolation group and 13 to a control group. The horses in the isolation group were separated from their peers for consecutive 11 days, while those in the control group remained in their social setting.
• During the isolation period, both groups were subjected to two learning tasks. The first was a habituation procedure where a new object was introduced for two minutes daily. The second was an instrumental learning task where the horse had to move either forward or backward to secure a food reward.

Emotional Reactivity Assessment

• At the end of the isolation, emotional reactivity tests were conducted. These tests examined the horses’ reactions to new elements, humans, social separation, sudden changes, and sensory stimuli.
• The researchers were particularly interested in seeing how the horses behaved towards unfamiliarity, seeking to understand if social isolation had any effect on their response to new situations or items.

Findings

• The results indicated that the isolated horses showed quicker habituation to the new object than those in the control group. They also performed better in the task requiring a learned response for earning food.
• In terms of emotional reactivity, the isolated horses were less reactive to new elements, social separation, and sudden changes than the control horses.
• Overall, these results suggest that the exceptional performance of isolated horses might be due to reduced emotional reactivity, caused by their experience of being isolated.