FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 9000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Home / Equine Research Bank / Appl Anim Behav Sci / Horse vision and obstacle visibility in horseracing.
Applied animal behaviour science2020; 222; 104882; doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2019.104882

Horse vision and obstacle visibility in horseracing.

Abstract: Visual information is key to how many animals interact with their environment, and much research has investigated how animals respond to colour and brightness information in the natural world. Understanding the visibility of features in anthropogenic environments, and how animals respond to these, is also important, not least for the welfare and safety of animals and the humans they co-exist with, but has received comparatively less attention. One area where this is particularly pertinent is animal sports such as horseracing. Here there is a need to understand how horses see and respond to obstacles, predominantly fences and hurdles, as this has implications for horse and rider safety, however obstacle appearance is currently designed to human perception. Using models of horse colour and luminance (perceived lightness) vision, we analysed the contrast of traditional orange markers currently used on fences from 11 UK racecourses, and compared this to potential alternative colours, while also investigating the effect of light and weather conditions on contrast. We found that for horses, orange has poor visibility and contrast against most surroundings. In comparison, yellow, blue, and white are more conspicuous, with the degree of relative contrast varying with vegetation or background type. Results were mostly consistent under different weather conditions and time of day, except for comparisons with the foreground turf in shade. We then tested the jump responses of racehorses to fences with orange, fluorescent yellow, bright blue, or white takeoff boards and midrails. Fence colour influenced both the angle of the jump and the distances jumped. Bright blue produced a larger angle of takeoff, and jumps over fluorescent yellow fences had shorter landing distances compared to orange, with bright blue fences driving a similar but non-significant trend. White was the only colour that influenced takeoff distances, with horses jumping over white fences having a larger takeoff distance. Overall, our results show that current obstacle coloration does not maximise contrast for horse vision, and that alternative colours may improve visibility and alter behavioural responses, with the ultimate goal of improving safety and welfare.
© 2019 The Author(s).
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2020-02-07 PubMed ID: 32025069PubMed Central: PMC6988441DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2019.104882Google 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.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article

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 analyses horse vision to understand its impact on horse racing, particularly regarding how they see and react to racing obstacles like fences and hurdles. It reveals that current obstacle colors including orange do not maximise visibility from a horse’s perspective, and proposes alternative colors like yellow, blue, and white which show potential for better visibility and safety.

Understanding Horse Vision and Obstacle Visibility

The research delves into the pivotal role of visual information in interaction between animals and their environment. The principal focus of the study is how this concept relates to horse racing, a sport entailing navigating various physical obstacles. Understanding the visibility and response to such obstacles has direct implications on ensuring the horse and jockey’s safety. The lack of previous in-depth exploration in this area provides the premise for this research.

  • Models of horse color were used alongside luminance vision to analyse the contrast of orange markers presently used on fences in 11 UK racecourses.
  • The researchers also analyzed how alternative colors could enhance the visibility of these markers and the potential influence of different weather conditions on contrast.

Research Findings on Contrast and Visibility

The research findings suggest that from a horse’s perspective, the color orange is not optimally visible against many backgrounds. Other colors such as yellow, blue, and white are more conspicuous to the horses.

  • The contrast of these colors varies depending on the type of background or vegetation present.
  • The results remained consistent under most weather conditions and times of the day, with only a few exceptions noted for comparisons with foreground turf in shade.

Impact of Fence Colour on Jump Responses

Additional testing involved the evaluation of racehorses’ jump responses to fences of varied colors: orange, fluorescent yellow, bright blue, or white.

  • It was found that the color of the fence impacted both the angle of the jump and the distance jumped.
  • Bright blue fences led to a larger angle of takeoff whereas jumps over fluorescent yellow fences resulted in shorter landing distances compared to orange.
  • White was the only color that affected takeoff distances, with horses jumping over white fences demonstrating a larger takeoff distance.

Conclusion

In conclusion, current obstacle coloration in horse racing does not maximize visibility for horse vision, potentially endangering the safety and welfare of the horse and rider. The use of alternative colors like yellow, blue, and white may improve visibility, alter jump responses, and ultimately enhance safety conditions in the sport.

Cite This Article

APA
Paul SC, Stevens M. (2020). Horse vision and obstacle visibility in horseracing. Appl Anim Behav Sci, 222, 104882. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2019.104882

Publication

Applied animal behaviour science
ISSN: 0168-1591
NlmUniqueID: 8504276
Country: Netherlands
Language: English
Volume: 222
Pages: 104882
PII: 104882

Researcher Affiliations

Paul, Sarah Catherine
  • Centre for Ecology & Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, TR10 9FE, UK.
Stevens, Martin
  • Centre for Ecology & Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, TR10 9FE, UK.

References

This article includes 46 references
  1. Albrecht G, Raewyn G, Phil M. The Global Horseracing Industry: Social, Economic, Environmental and Ethical Perspectives. .
  2. BHA Equine Injuries and Fatalities data for 2017 [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://www.britishhorseracing.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Equine-Injuries-and-Fatalities-2017-data-.pdf (accessed 9.19.18).
  3. Bizeray D, Estevez I, Leterrier C, Faure J.M. Effects of increasing environmental complexity on the physical activity of broiler chickens. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2002;79:27–41.
  4. Bowmaker JK, Dartnall HJ. Visual pigments of rods and cones in a human retina.. J Physiol 1980 Jan;298:501-11.
    pmc: PMC1279132pubmed: 7359434doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1980.sp013097google scholar: lookup
  5. Bruce V, Green P.R, Georgeson M.A. Visual Perception. fourth edition. Psychology Press; Hove and New York: 2003.
  6. Carroll J, Murphy CJ, Neitz M, Hoeve JN, Neitz J. Photopigment basis for dichromatic color vision in the horse.. J Vis 2001;1(2):80-7.
    pubmed: 12678603doi: 10.1167/1.2.2google scholar: lookup
  7. Clayton H.M, Hobbs S.J. The role of biomechanical analysis of horse and rider in equitation science. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2017;190:123–132.
  8. Crawley M.J. The R Book. John Wiley & Sons; 2012.
  9. Cronin T.W, Johnsen S, Marshall N.J, Warrant E.J. Visual Ecology. Princeton University Press; 2014.
  10. de Godoi F.N, de Almeida F.Q, Toral F.L.B, de Miranda A.L.S, Ramos Kaipper R, Bergmann J.A.G. Repeatability of kinematics traits of free jumping in Brazilian sport horses. Livest. Sci. 2014;168:1–8.
  11. de Godoi F.N, Toral F.L.B, de Miranda A.L.S, Menzel H.J.K, de Almeida F.Q, Bergmann J.A.G. Kinematic and morphological traits and the probability of successful jumps of young Brazilian Sport Horses. Livest. Sci. 2016;185:8–16.
  12. DeMello M. Animals and Society: an Introduction to Human-animal Studies. Columbia University Press; 2012.
  13. Deuel N.R, Park J. Kinelatic analysis of jump- ing sequences of olympic show jumping horses. In: Persson S.G.B., Lindholm A., Jeffcott L.B., editors. Eds.), Equine Exercise Physiology 3. ICEEP publication; Davis, CA: 1991. pp. 158–166.
  14. Endler J.A. The color of light in forests and its implications. Ecol. Soc. Am. 1993;63:1–27.
  15. Fercher C. The biomechanics of movement of horses engaged in jumping over different obstacles in competition and training. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2017;49:69–80.
  16. Graham R, McManus P. Changing Human-Animal Relationships in Sport: An Analysis of the UK and Australian Horse Racing Whips Debates.. Animals (Basel) 2016 May 3;6(5).
    pmc: PMC4880849pubmed: 27153097doi: 10.3390/ani6050032google scholar: lookup
  17. Hadfield JD, Nutall A, Osorio D, Owens IP. Testing the phenotypic gambit: phenotypic, genetic and environmental correlations of colour.. J Evol Biol 2007 Mar;20(2):549-57.
    pubmed: 17305821doi: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2006.01262.xgoogle scholar: lookup
  18. Harman AM, Moore S, Hoskins R, Keller P. Horse vision and an explanation for the visual behaviour originally explained by the 'ramp retina'.. Equine Vet J 1999 Sep;31(5):384-90.
    pubmed: 10505953doi: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.1999.tb03837.xgoogle scholar: lookup
  19. Hothorn T, Bretz F, Westfall P. Simultaneous inference in general parametric models.. Biom J 2008 Jun;50(3):346-63.
    pubmed: 18481363doi: 10.1002/bimj.200810425google scholar: lookup
  20. Kelber A, Osorio D. From spectral information to animal colour vision: experiments and concepts.. Proc Biol Sci 2010 Jun 7;277(1688):1617-25.
    pmc: PMC2871852pubmed: 20164101doi: 10.1098/rspb.2009.2118google scholar: lookup
  21. Kelber A, Vorobyev M, Osorio D. Animal colour vision--behavioural tests and physiological concepts.. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2003 Feb;78(1):81-118.
    pubmed: 12620062doi: 10.1017/s1464793102005985google scholar: lookup
  22. Kelber A, Vorobyev M, Osorio D. Animal colour vision--behavioural tests and physiological concepts.. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2003 Feb;78(1):81-118.
    pubmed: 12620062doi: 10.1017/s1464793102005985google scholar: lookup
  23. Lewczuk D, Ducro B. Repeatability of free jumping parameters on tests of different duration. Livest. Sci. 2012;146:22–28.
  24. Lewczuk D, Słoniewski K, Reklewski Z. Repeatability of the horse’s jumping parameters with and without the rider. Livest. Sci. 2006;99:125–130.
  25. Gawryszewski FM. Color vision models: Some simulations, a general n-dimensional model, and the colourvision R package.. Ecol Evol 2018 Aug;8(16):8159-8170.
    pmc: PMC6144980pubmed: 30250692doi: 10.1002/ece3.4288google scholar: lookup
  26. Macuda T, Timney B. Luminance and chromatic discrimination in the horse (Equus caballus).. Behav Processes 1999 Mar 1;44(3):301-7.
    pubmed: 24897231doi: 10.1016/s0376-6357(98)00039-4google scholar: lookup
  27. Markwell K, Firth T, Hing N. Blood on the race track: an analysis of ethical concerns regarding animal-based gambling. Ann. Leis. Res. 2017;20(5):594–609.
  28. Murphy J, Hall C, Arkins S. What horses and humans see: a comparative review. Int. J. Zool. 2009.
  29. Osorio D, Vorobyev M. Photoreceptor spectral sensitivities in terrestrial animals: adaptations for luminance and colour vision.. Proc Biol Sci 2005 Sep 7;272(1574):1745-52.
    pmc: PMC1559864pubmed: 16096084doi: 10.1098/rspb.2005.3156google scholar: lookup
  30. Pike T.W, Blount J.D, Metcalfe N.B, Lindström J. Dietary carotenoid availability and reproductive effort influence the age-related decline in performance. Behav. Ecol. 2010;21:1048–1053.
  31. Pinchbeck GL, Clegg PD, Proudman CJ, Morgan KL, French NP. A prospective cohort study to investigate risk factors for horse falls in UK hurdle and steeplechase racing.. Equine Vet J 2004 Nov;36(7):595-601.
    pubmed: 15581324doi: 10.2746/0425164044864552google scholar: lookup
  32. Pinchbeck GL, Clegg PD, Proudman CJ, Morgan KL, Wood JL, French NP. Risk factors and sources of variation in horse falls in steeplechase racing in the UK.. Prev Vet Med 2002 Oct 15;55(3):179-92.
    pubmed: 12383654doi: 10.1016/s0167-5877(02)00098-3google scholar: lookup
  33. Powers P.N.R, Harrison A.J. A study on the techniques used by untrained horses during loose jumping. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2000;20:845–850.
  34. Renoult JP, Kelber A, Schaefer HM. Colour spaces in ecology and evolutionary biology.. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2017 Feb;92(1):292-315.
    pubmed: 26468059doi: 10.1111/brv.12230google scholar: lookup
  35. Roth LS, Balkenius A, Kelber A. The absolute threshold of colour vision in the horse.. PLoS One 2008;3(11):e3711.
    pmc: PMC2577923pubmed: 19002261doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0003711google scholar: lookup
  36. Roth LS, Balkenius A, Kelber A. Colour perception in a dichromat.. J Exp Biol 2007 Aug;210(Pt 16):2795-800.
    pubmed: 17690226doi: 10.1242/jeb.007377google scholar: lookup
  37. Smith S, Goldman L. Color discrimination in horses. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 1999;62:13–25.
  38. Stachurska A, Piȩta M, Nesteruk E. Which obstacles are most problematic for jumping horses?. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2002;77:197–207.
  39. Stachurska A, Pieta M, Ussing A.P, Kaproń A, Kwiecińska N. Difficulty of cross-country obstacles for horses competing in three Day Events. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2010;123:101–107.
  40. Stevens M. Evolutionary ecology: knowing how to hide your eggs.. Curr Biol 2013 Feb 4;23(3):R106-8.
    pubmed: 23391382doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2012.12.009google scholar: lookup
  41. Stevens M, Cuthill IC. Disruptive coloration, crypsis and edge detection in early visual processing.. Proc Biol Sci 2006 Sep 7;273(1598):2141-7.
    pmc: PMC1635512pubmed: 16901833doi: 10.1098/rspb.2006.3556google scholar: lookup
  42. Stevens M, Párraga C.A, Cuthill I.C, Partridge J.C, Troscianko T.S. Using digital photography to study animal coloration. Biol. J. Linn. Soc. Lond. 2007;90:211–237.
  43. Timney B, Keil K. Visual acuity in the horse.. Vision Res 1992 Dec;32(12):2289-93.
    pubmed: 1288005doi: 10.1016/0042-6989(92)90092-wgoogle scholar: lookup
  44. Troscianko J, Stevens M. Image calibration and analysis toolbox - a free software suite for objectively measuring reflectance, colour and pattern.. Methods Ecol Evol 2015 Nov;6(11):1320-1331.
    pmc: PMC4791150pubmed: 27076902doi: 10.1111/2041-210x.12439google scholar: lookup
  45. Wejer J, Lendo I, Lewczuk D. The effect of training on the jumping parameters of inexperienced warmblood horses in free jumping. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2013;33:483–486.
  46. Williams RB, Harkins LS, Hammond CJ, Wood JL. Racehorse injuries, clinical problems and fatalities recorded on British racecourses from flat racing and National Hunt racing during 1996, 1997 and 1998.. Equine Vet J 2001 Sep;33(5):478-86.
    pubmed: 11558743doi: 10.2746/042516401776254808google scholar: lookup

Citations

This article has been cited 4 times.
  1. Olczak K, Penar W, Nowicki J, Magiera A, Klocek C. The Role of Sound in Livestock Farming-Selected Aspects. Animals (Basel) 2023 Jul 14;13(14).
    doi: 10.3390/ani13142307pubmed: 37508083google scholar: lookup
  2. Merkies K, Franzin O. Enhanced Understanding of Horse-Human Interactions to Optimize Welfare. Animals (Basel) 2021 May 9;11(5).
    doi: 10.3390/ani11051347pubmed: 34065156google scholar: lookup
  3. Rørvang MV, Nielsen BL, McLean AN. Sensory Abilities of Horses and Their Importance for Equitation Science. Front Vet Sci 2020;7:633.
    doi: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00633pubmed: 33033724google scholar: lookup
  4. Roth LSV, McGreevy P. Horse vision through two lenses: Tinbergen's Four Questions and the Five Domains. Front Vet Sci 2025;12:1647911.
    doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1647911pubmed: 40895790google scholar: lookup
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,344 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.