The effects of age, rank and neophobia on social learning in horses.
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
This research tests the social learning capabilities of horses by assessing how age, social rank, and degree of fear of new things (neophobia) influence the animals’ ability to learn by observing their peers. Findings suggest that younger, socially subordinate, and more exploratory horses are likely to learn from the older horses in their group.
Objective and Methodology
The researchers aimed to examine whether horses (Equus caballus) possess social learning abilities, a subject previously unexplored due to misconceptions about the sociality of horses. They formulated an experimental set-up where 30 socially kept horses of varying ages were divided into ‘demonstrator’ horses and ‘observer’ horses.
- The ‘demonstrators’ were tasked with opening a feeding apparatus.
- ‘Observers’ were then allowed to observe the ‘demonstrators’ and learn from their actions.
Key Findings
The study revealed a variety of aspects related to social learning in horses. These findings include:
- The horses that were young, low-ranking, and more exploratory successfully learned by watching older horses from their group.
- Conversely, older horses took more time to learn new skills, potentially to avoid learning potentially harmful behaviours from their younger counterparts.
Conclusions and Further Implications
Based on the findings, the researchers suggested that social learning in horses might be an adaptation to their social environment. They emphasized that future research on social learning in horses should account for this social context. The study closed by arguing that certain misconceptions about horses’ social behavior may have hindered prior research in the field.
Cite This Article
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Biology 1, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany, Konstanze.krueger@hfwu.de.
MeSH Terms
- Age Factors
- Animals
- Feeding Behavior
- Female
- Hierarchy, Social
- Horses / psychology
- Learning
- Male
- Social Behavior
- Social Environment
Citations
This article has been cited 27 times.- Ricci-Bonot C, Brosche K, Baragli P, Nicol C. A systematic review on the effect of individual characteristics and management practices on equine cognition. Anim Cogn 2025 Nov 26;28(1):96.
- Miller R, Šlipogor V, Caspar KR, Lois-Milevicich J, Soulsbury C, Reber SA, Mettke-Hofmann C, Lambert M, Ashton BJ, Auersperg AMI, Bateson M, Belle S, Bilčík B, Biondi LM, Bonadonna F, Brucks D, Butler MW, Caro SP, Charrier M, Chatelin T, Ching J, Clayton NS, Cluver BJ, Cochran EB, Cornero F, Danby E, Danel S, Darwich M, Davies JR, de la Colina A, Fischer D, Fišer O, Foitzick F, Galluccio EC, Garcia-Co C, Garcia-Pelegrin E, George I, Gladow KP, Gómez RO, Grewer A, Grice K, Guillette LM, Hallihan DC, Harrington KJ, Heer F, Henry C, Hodova V, Hoeschele M, Houdelier C, de Aldecoa PI, Iyasere OS, Kanemitsu Y, Khodadadi M, Khong D, Kimball MG, Klappert AN, Koch LN, König von Borstel UU, Košt'ál L, Krasheninnikova A, Kubikova L, Lambert CT, Laméris DW, Lampert CG, Larousse O, Lattin CR, Li Z, Lindenmeier M, Lister DA, Mackenzie JA, Mainz S, Masri D, Massen JJM, Mohr L, Müller W, Nealen PM, Nieder A, Novac A, Cavalcante NP, Pascual K, Pascual-Guàrdia C, Patel A, Pichová K, Pilenga C, Prétôt L, Quinn JL, Račevska E, Reboreda JC, Reynolds S, Ridley AR, Rössler T, Ruiz-Raya F, Salas M, Saldanha BC, Santiago SM, Schlöglová N, Seatriz G, Serrano-Davies E, Shair Ali EG, Sirovnik J, Skalná Z, Slocombe KE, Soma M, Srdoc T, Stanescu S, Syrová M, Taylor AH, Templeton CN, Thompson K, Trigo S, Troisi CA, Urhan U, Valbert M, van Oers K, Velando A, Verbruggen F, Verkleij JW, Vernouillet A, Verspeek J, Veselý P, von Bayern AMP, Waalders E, Whittaker BA, Williamson ER, Wilson VAD, Winfield MA, Wittek N, Yeung KKL, Zanutto JA. A large-scale study across the avian clade identifies ecological drivers of neophobia. PLoS Biol 2025 Oct;23(10):e3003394.
- Krueger K, Roll A, Beyer AJ, Föll A, Bernau M, Farmer K. Learning from eavesdropping on human-human encounters changes feeding location choice in horses (Equus Caballus). Anim Cogn 2025 Mar 17;28(1):23.
- Woodman JP, Gokcekus S, Beck KB, Green JP, Nussey DH, Firth JA. The ecology of ageing in wild societies: linking age structure and social behaviour. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024 Dec 16;379(1916):20220464.
- Krueger K, Gruentjens T, Hempel E. Wolf contact in horses at permanent pasture in Germany. PLoS One 2023;18(8):e0289767.
- Janicka W, Wilk I, Próchniak T. Does social motivation mitigate fear caused by a sudden sound in horses?. Anim Cogn 2023 Sep;26(5):1649-1660.
- Beck KB, Sheldon BC, Firth JA. Social learning mechanisms shape transmission pathways through replicate local social networks of wild birds. Elife 2023 May 2;12.
- Kappel S, Ramirez Montes De Oca MA, Collins S, Herborn K, Mendl M, Fureix C. Do you see what I see? Testing horses' ability to recognise real-life objects from 2D computer projections. Anim Cogn 2023 Jul;26(4):1147-1159.
- Veit A, Weißhaupt S, Bruat A, Wondrak M, Huber L. Emulative learning of a two-step task in free-ranging domestic pigs. Anim Cogn 2023 Jun;26(3):929-942.
- Bian Z, Li C, Peng D, Wang X, Zhu G. Use of Steaming Process to Improve Biochemical Activity of Polygonatum sibiricum Polysaccharides against D-Galactose-Induced Memory Impairment in Mice. Int J Mol Sci 2022 Sep 23;23(19).
- Finkemeier MA, Krause A, Tuchscherer A, Puppe B, Langbein J. Personality traits affect learning performance in dwarf goats (Capra hircus). Front Vet Sci 2022;9:916459.
- Rørvang MV, Ničová K, Sassner H, Nawroth C. Horses' (Equus caballus) Ability to Solve Visible but Not Invisible Displacement Tasks Is Associated With Frustration Behavior and Heart Rate. Front Behav Neurosci 2021;15:792035.
- Holcomb FR, Multhaup KS, Erwin SR, Daniels SE. Spaced training enhances equine learning performance. Anim Cogn 2022 Jun;25(3):683-690.
- Hildebrandt F, Büttner K, Salau J, Krieter J, Czycholl I. Area and Resource Utilization of Group-Housed Horses in an Active Stable. Animals (Basel) 2021 Sep 23;11(10).
- Krueger K, Esch L, Byrne R. Need or opportunity? A study of innovations in equids. PLoS One 2021;16(9):e0257730.
- Luna D, González C, Byrd CJ, Palomo R, Huenul E, Figueroa J. The Effect of Demonstrator Social Rank on the Attentiveness and Motivation of Pigs to Positively Interact with Their Human Caretakers. Animals (Basel) 2021 Jul 20;11(7).
- Jastrzębska E, Sadowska J, Wnuk-Pawlak E, Różańska-Boczula M, Janczarek I. Exploratory Behaviours of Primitive Horses Based on Konik: A Preliminary Study. Animals (Basel) 2021 Mar 12;11(3).
- 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).
- Bernauer K, Kollross H, Schuetz A, Farmer K, Krueger K. How do horses (Equus caballus) learn from observing human action?. Anim Cogn 2020 Jan;23(1):1-9.
- Young JK, Touzot L, Brummer SP. Persistence and conspecific observations improve problem-solving abilities of coyotes. PLoS One 2019;14(7):e0218778.
- Krueger K, Esch L, Byrne R. Animal behaviour in a human world: A crowdsourcing study on horses that open door and gate mechanisms. PLoS One 2019;14(6):e0218954.
- Esch L, Wöhr C, Erhard M, Krüger K. Horses' (Equus Caballus) Laterality, Stress Hormones, and Task Related Behavior in Innovative Problem-Solving. Animals (Basel) 2019 May 22;9(5).
- Nawroth C, Langbein J, Coulon M, Gabor V, Oesterwind S, Benz-Schwarzburg J, von Borell E. Farm Animal Cognition-Linking Behavior, Welfare and Ethics. Front Vet Sci 2019;6:24.
- Rørvang MV, Christensen JW, Ladewig J, McLean A. Social Learning in Horses-Fact or Fiction?. Front Vet Sci 2018;5:212.
- Finkemeier MA, Langbein J, Puppe B. Personality Research in Mammalian Farm Animals: Concepts, Measures, and Relationship to Welfare. Front Vet Sci 2018;5:131.
- Burla JB, Siegwart J, Nawroth C. Human Demonstration Does Not Facilitate the Performance of Horses (Equus caballus) in a Spatial Problem-Solving Task. Animals (Basel) 2018 Jun 13;8(6).
- Briefer EF, Haque S, Baciadonna L, McElligott AG. Goats excel at learning and remembering a highly novel cognitive task. Front Zool 2014 Mar 26;11(1):20.