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Home / Equine Research Bank / Naturwissenschaften / Do horses with poor welfare show ‘pessimistic’ c...
Die Naturwissenschaften2017; 104(1-2); 8; doi: 10.1007/s00114-016-1429-1

Do horses with poor welfare show ‘pessimistic’ cognitive biases?

Abstract: This field study tested the hypothesis that domestic horses living under putatively challenging-to-welfare conditions (for example involving social, spatial, feeding constraints) would present signs of poor welfare and co-occurring pessimistic judgement biases. Our subjects were 34 horses who had been housed for over 3 years in either restricted riding school situations (e.g. kept in single boxes, with limited roughage, ridden by inexperienced riders; N = 25) or under more naturalistic conditions (e.g. access to free-range, kept in stable social groups, leisure riding; N = 9). The horses' welfare was assessed by recording health-related, behavioural and postural indicators. Additionally, after learning a location task to discriminate a bucket containing either edible food ('positive' location) or unpalatable food ('negative' location), the horses were presented with a bucket located near the positive position, near the negative position and halfway between the positive and negative positions to assess their judgement biases. The riding school horses displayed the highest levels of behavioural and health-related problems and a pessimistic judgment bias, whereas the horses living under more naturalistic conditions displayed indications of good welfare and an optimistic bias. Moreover, pessimistic bias data strongly correlated with poor welfare data. This suggests that a lowered mood impacts a non-human species' perception of its environment and highlights cognitive biases as an appropriate tool to assess the impact of chronic living conditions on horse welfare.
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Publication Date: 2017-01-12 PubMed ID: 28083632DOI: 10.1007/s00114-016-1429-1Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research article discusses a study that aimed to understand if horses living under difficult conditions show signs of poor welfare and a pessimistic judgement bias. It concluded that poor living conditions do indeed reflect in a horse’s health, behavior, and their perception of their environment.

Study Overview

  • The study observed 34 horses under two markedly different conditions. 25 horses lived under challenging conditions in restricted riding schools, while the other 9 lived under more natural, free-range conditions with stable social groups and leisure riding.
  • The welfare of these horses was assessed on several measures, including health-related indicators, behavioural signs, and posture.
  • The primary objective was to investigate if the living conditions correlated with the horses’ judgment biases. Judgment bias was measured by training the horses to discriminate between a bucket containing edible food (‘positive’ location) and a bucket with unpalatable food (‘negative’ location). The horses were later presented with a bucket in three different locations – closer to the ‘positive’ location, closer to the ‘negative’ location, and in between – to understand their bias.

Key Findings

  • The study noted significant behavioural and health-related problems among the horses living in restricted riding school conditions. These horses also demonstrated a pessimistic judgment bias, indicating that their living conditions significantly affected their mood and behaviors.
  • On the other hand, the horses living under naturalistic conditions exhibited signs of good welfare and showcased an optimistic bias. This reflects that their environment positively influenced their perception and wellbeing.
  • A critical finding was the correlation between pessimistic bias and poor welfare data among the restricted-living horses. This implies that the overall mood of the horses, associated with their living conditions, heavily influences their environment perception.

Conclusion

  • The study concludes that horses’ living conditions significantly impact their welfare and cognitive biases. Poor conditions correspond to poor welfare signs and a pessimistic bias, whereas good conditions correspond to better welfare and an optimistic bias.
  • Furthermore, the strong correlation between living conditions and judgement biases confirms the role of cognitive biases as an effective tool in assessing the impact of long-term living conditions on a horse’s welfare.

Cite This Article

APA
Henry S, Fureix C, Rowberry R, Bateson M, Hausberger M. (2017). Do horses with poor welfare show ‘pessimistic’ cognitive biases? Naturwissenschaften, 104(1-2), 8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-016-1429-1

Publication

Die Naturwissenschaften
ISSN: 1432-1904
NlmUniqueID: 0400767
Country: Germany
Language: English
Volume: 104
Issue: 1-2
Pages: 8

Researcher Affiliations

Henry, S
  • Université Rennes 1-UMR 6552 CNRS-Ethologie animale et humaine, Station Biologique de Paimpont, Paimpont, France. severine.henry@univ-rennes1.fr.
Fureix, C
  • Université Rennes 1-UMR 6552 CNRS-Ethologie animale et humaine, Station Biologique de Paimpont, Paimpont, France.
  • School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
Rowberry, R
  • Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK.
Bateson, M
  • Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK.
Hausberger, M
  • CNRS UMR 6552-Université Rennes 1-Ethologie animale et humaine, Rennes, France.

MeSH Terms

  • Animal Husbandry / standards
  • Animal Welfare
  • Animals
  • Behavior, Animal / physiology
  • Cognition / physiology
  • Horses / physiology
  • Horses / psychology

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