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Animal cognition2016; 20(3); 397-405; doi: 10.1007/s10071-016-1056-4

Domestic horses send signals to humans when they face with an unsolvable task.

Abstract: Some domestic animals are thought to be skilled at social communication with humans due to the process of domestication. Horses, being in close relationship with humans, similar to dogs, might be skilled at communication with humans. Previous studies have indicated that they are sensitive to bodily signals and the attentional state of humans; however, there are few studies that investigate communication with humans and responses to the knowledge state of humans. Our first question was whether and how horses send signals to their potentially helpful but ignorant caretakers in a problem-solving situation where a food item was hidden in a bucket that was accessible only to the caretakers. We then examined whether horses alter their behaviours on the basis of the caretakers' knowledge of where the food was hidden. We found that horses communicated to their caretakers using visual and tactile signals. The signalling behaviour of the horses significantly increased in conditions where the caretakers had not seen the hiding of the food. These results suggest that horses alter their communicative behaviour towards humans in accordance with humans' knowledge state.
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Publication Date: 2016-11-24 PubMed ID: 27885519DOI: 10.1007/s10071-016-1056-4Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

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 investigates how horses communicate with their human caretakers when faced with a problem they can’t solve, finding that horses use visual and tactile signals more when their caretakers are unaware of the solution.

Objectives of the Research

  • The research aims to investigate whether, and how, domestic horses signal to their human caretakers when faced with unsolvable tasks.
  • It also examines how horses change their behaviour based on the caretakers’ knowledge of the situation.

Methods

  • The researchers set up a problem-solving situation where food was hidden in a bucket that was only accessible to the caretakers, not the horses.
  • The behaviour of horses was monitored and recorded in situations where the caretakers had observed the hiding of the food and where they had not.

Findings

  • The study found that horses communicated with their caretakers using visual and tactile signals when they couldn’t access the hidden food.
  • The frequency of the signalling behaviour significantly increased in settings where caretakers had not seen the hiding of the food, indicating that horses adapt their communication based on their caretakers’ knowledge of the situation.

Implications

  • The results of the study contribute to our understanding of animal communication with humans, specifically horses. It sheds light on their sensitivity to human sensory and attention states.
  • It broadens our knowledge of the complexity of communication between humans and domesticated animals, especially horses.
  • The findings could potentially affect how we handle, train, and interact with horses, since acknowledging their ability to communicate and understand human knowledge states could help in providing more effective care.

Cite This Article

APA
Ringhofer M, Yamamoto S. (2016). Domestic horses send signals to humans when they face with an unsolvable task. Anim Cogn, 20(3), 397-405. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-016-1056-4

Publication

Animal cognition
ISSN: 1435-9456
NlmUniqueID: 9814573
Country: Germany
Language: English
Volume: 20
Issue: 3
Pages: 397-405

Researcher Affiliations

Ringhofer, Monamie
  • Graduate School of Intercultural Studies, Kobe University, 1-2-1 Tsurukabuto, Nada-ku, Kobe, 657-8501, Japan. r_monamie@pony.kobe.u-ac.jp.
Yamamoto, Shinya
  • Graduate School of Intercultural Studies, Kobe University, 1-2-1 Tsurukabuto, Nada-ku, Kobe, 657-8501, Japan.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Behavior, Animal
  • Communication
  • Cues
  • Female
  • Horses / psychology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Problem Solving
  • Social Behavior
  • Video Recording
  • Vocalization, Animal

Citations

This article has been cited 26 times.
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