Effects of early experience on the learning ability of yearling horses.
Abstract: 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 criterion. These horses also learned more and had the highest percentage of correct responses (P less than .05). Mean trainability tended to predict learning ability; however, trainability and trials to criterion were not significantly correlated. Mean emotionality scores indicated a tendency for horses in the intermediately handled group to be less emotional than those in Group I or III. Results indicated that horses with an intermediate amount of handling scored higher on an intermediate test of learning. All handled horses scored higher on learning tests than those not handled.
Publication Date: 1981-11-01 PubMed ID: 7319966DOI: 10.2527/jas1981.5351204xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- 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.
This study explored how early life experiences influence the learning ability of yearling horses, revealing that horses with moderate amounts of handling demonstrated the highest learning ability.
Study Design and Participants
- The experiment involved 24 young Quarter Horse fillies, aged around 14 months. These were split into three groups: those with limited handling (Group I), intermediate handling (Group II), and extensive handling (Group III).
Experimental Procedure
- Prior to the experiment, each horse underwent a preconditioning phase of two weeks.
- A simple T-maze test was used to assess learning ability. The horse’s task was to find its food, placed in different locations on separate occasions. Each horse had 30 trials daily for 20 days.
- A horse was considered to have successfully managed the task if it could, on 11 out of 12 occasions, find the food and make eight consecutive correct responses. The number of trials it took to reach this standard was recorded.
Results
- The horses in Group II achieved the set criteria in the fewest trials, indicating that they learned more quickly and effectively than the other groups. This group also had a higher proportion of correct responses, suggesting a better learning ability (P less than .05).
- There was a trend where a higher ‘trainability’ score was linked to better learning ability, although there was no significant correlation between trainability and the number of trials required to reach the criterion.
- Emotionality scores suggested that horses in Group II were less emotional than those in Groups I or III, which may have affected their cognitive performance.
- All handled horses (Groups II and III) generally performed better on learning tests than those not handled (Group I).
Conclusion
- The study’s findings suggest that horses exposed to an intermediate level of handling in their early life demonstrate better learning capabilities when compared to those who had minimal or extensive handling. The way a horse is handled at an early age could thus impact its cognitive performance and learning ability as it matures.
Cite This Article
APA
Heird JC, Lennon AM, Bell RW.
(1981).
Effects of early experience on the learning ability of yearling horses.
J Anim Sci, 53(5), 1204-1209.
https://doi.org/10.2527/jas1981.5351204x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Conditioning, Psychological
- Female
- Handling, Psychological
- Horses / physiology
- Learning
Citations
This article has been cited 4 times.- Mactaggart G, Waran N, Phillips CJC. Identification of Thoroughbred Racehorse Welfare Issues by Industry Stakeholders. Animals (Basel) 2021 May 11;11(5).
- Burattini B, Fenner K, Anzulewicz A, Romness N, McKenzie J, Wilson B, McGreevy P. Age-Related Changes in the Behaviour of Domestic Horses as Reported by Owners. Animals (Basel) 2020 Dec 7;10(12).
- Johnson TB, Stanton ME, Goodlett CR, Cudd TA. T-maze learning in weanling lambs. Dev Psychobiol 2012 Dec;54(8):785-97.
- Berger J, Valdez S, Puschner B, Leutenegger CM, Gardner IA, Madigan JE. Effects of oral tetrachlorvinphos fly control (Equitrol) administration in horses: physiological and behavioural findings. Vet Res Commun 2008 Jan;32(1):75-92.
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists
