Hind limb stepping over obstacles in the horse guided by place-object memory.
Abstract: An animal that has stepped over an obstacle with its forelimbs uses a memory of the obstacle to guide the hind limbs so that they also clear the obstacle, even in situations in which long pauses are introduced between forelimb and hind limb stepping. To further clarify the features of hind limb obstacle clearance memory, the present study examined hind limb obstacle clearance in the horse. A rider guided horses over obstacles and paused the horse over obstacles in tests that examined the relationship between forelimb and hind limb stepping, with the following results. First, the horses displayed memory for an obstacle as measured by hind limb lifting over the obstacle for durations lasting as long as 15 min. The response was not dependent upon ongoing visualization of the obstacle, as limb lifting was unaffected by visual occlusion with blinders, a blindfold, or by removing the obstacle during the pause. Second, previous experience of stepping over an obstacle led to pause-related hind limb lifting at the object's previous location even on trials for which there was no obstacle and so no preceding forelimb lifting. Third, whereas a horse would lift its hind limbs to clear two successively presented obstacles, replacing an obstacle before the horse after the forelimbs had cleared the obstacle prevented subsequent hind limb lifting at the obstacle's previous location. Taken together the results show that hind limb obstacle clearance is guided by a place-object memory. The results are discussed in relation to the differential sensory and memonic control of forelimb and hind limb stepping with the suggestion that place-object memory can guide hind stepping as well as overshadow working memory from front leg stepping.
Publication Date: 2008-11-24 PubMed ID: 19071161DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2008.11.023Google 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 research paper explores how horses navigate physical barriers, demonstrating that they use a kind of memory called “place-object memory” to step over obstacles with their hind legs, even when they cannot see or when there have been considerable delays between the movements of their forelegs and hind legs.
Objective of the Study
- The study aimed to examine how horses utilize their memory for obstacle navigation, specifically for their hind limbs. The researchers looked into how horses respond to obstacles, especially in situations where there was significant pause between their forelimbs and hind limbs stepping over the obstacle.
Methodology
- Horses were ridden over various obstacles and stopped mid-obstacle during tests investigating the relationship between forelimb and hind limb stepping.
- Several scenarios were applied, such as visual occlusion with blinders or blindfold, removing the obstacle during the pause, and introducing trials without an obstacle.
Main Findings
- Firstly, the research found that horses demonstrated an ability to remember an obstacle for as long as 15 minutes as shown by their hind limbs lifting over the obstacle. This response did not depend on their ability to see the obstacle.
- Secondly, previous experience of stepping over an obstacle led to a conditioned hind limb lifting response at the object’s prior location even in instances where no preceding forelimb lifting was necessary.
- Lastly, the study discovered that while a horse would lift its hind limbs to clear two obstacles presented successively, placing another obstacle in front of the horse after the forelimbs had cleared resulted in preventing subsequent hind limb lifting where the previous obstacle was.
Conclusions
- The study concluded that horses’ hind limb obstacle clearance is guided by place-object memory, which becomes dominant over working memory from front leg stepping during navigation, even in complex scenarios.
- The findings give insights into the differential sensory and mnemonic control of forelimb and hind limb stepping, suggesting that place-object memory can guide hind leg stepping.
Cite This Article
APA
Whishaw IQ, Sacrey LA, Gorny B.
(2008).
Hind limb stepping over obstacles in the horse guided by place-object memory.
Behav Brain Res, 198(2), 372-379.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2008.11.023 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive W., Lethbridge, Alberta, T1K 3M4 Canada. Whishaw@uleth.ca
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Forelimb / physiology
- Hindlimb / physiology
- Horses
- Memory / physiology
- Orientation / physiology
- Space Perception / physiology
- Spatial Behavior / physiology
- Time Factors
- Walking / physiology
Citations
This article has been cited 11 times.- Lu SH, Kuan YC, Wu KW, Lu HY, Tsai YL, Chen HH, Lu TW. Kinematic strategies for obstacle-crossing in older adults with mild cognitive impairment. Front Aging Neurosci 2022;14:950411.
- Chu NCW, Sturnieks DL, Lord SR, Menant JC. Visuospatial working memory and obstacle crossing in young and older people. Exp Brain Res 2022 Nov;240(11):2871-2883.
- Charalambous D, Strasser T, Tichy A, Bockstahler B. Ground Reaction Forces and Center of Pressure within the Paws When Stepping over Obstacles in Dogs. Animals (Basel) 2022 Jun 30;12(13).
- Heijnen MJH, Rietdyk S. Failures in adaptive locomotion: trial-and-error exploration to determine adequate foot elevation over obstacles. Exp Brain Res 2018 Jan;236(1):187-194.
- Wong C, Pearson KG, Lomber SG. Contributions of Parietal Cortex to the Working Memory of an Obstacle Acquired Visually or Tactilely in the Locomoting Cat. Cereb Cortex 2018 Sep 1;28(9):3143-3158.
- Setogawa S, Yamaura H, Arasaki T, Endo S, Yanagihara D. Deficits in memory-guided limb movements impair obstacle avoidance locomotion in Alzheimer's disease mouse model. Sci Rep 2014 Nov 27;4:7220.
- Heijnen MJ, Romine NL, Stumpf DM, Rietdyk S. Memory-guided obstacle crossing: more failures were observed for the trail limb versus lead limb. Exp Brain Res 2014 Jul;232(7):2131-42.
- Kucinski A, Paolone G, Bradshaw M, Albin RL, Sarter M. Modeling fall propensity in Parkinson's disease: deficits in the attentional control of complex movements in rats with cortical-cholinergic and striatal-dopaminergic deafferentation. J Neurosci 2013 Oct 16;33(42):16522-39.
- Shinya M, Popescu A, Marchak C, Maraj B, Pearson K. Enhancing memory of stair height by the motor experience of stepping. Exp Brain Res 2012 Nov;223(3):405-14.
- Lu TW, Lu SH, Yu CH, Wu KW, Kuan YC. A multi-objective optimal control approach to motor strategy changes in older people with mild cognitive impairment during obstacle crossing. J Neuroeng Rehabil 2024 Nov 6;21(1):200.
- Shafiee M, Bellegarda G, Ijspeert A. Viability leads to the emergence of gait transitions in learning agile quadrupedal locomotion on challenging terrains. Nat Commun 2024 Apr 9;15(1):3073.
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
