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PloS one2013; 8(6); e67000; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0067000

The Responses of Young Domestic Horses to Human-Given Cues.

Abstract: It has been suggested that the process of domestication, at least in some species, has led to an innate predisposition to be skilled at reading human communicative and attentional cues. Adult domestic horses (Equus caballus) are highly sensitive to subtle bodily cues when determining if a person is attending to them but they are less adept at using human communicative cues in object choice tasks. Here we provide the first study into the ontogeny of such skills in order to gain insights into the mechanisms underlying these abilities. Compared with adult horses, youngsters under the age of three could use body orientation but not more subtle cues such as head movement and open/closed eyes to correctly choose an attentive person to approach for food. Across two object choice experiments, the performance of young horses was comparable to that of adult horses - subjects were able to correctly choose a rewarded bucket using marker placement, pointing and touching cues but could not use body orientation, gaze, elbow pointing or tapping cues. Taken together these results do not support the theory that horses possess an innate predisposition to be particularly skilled at using human cues. Horses' ability to determine whether humans are attending to them using subtle body cues appears to require significant experience to fully develop and their perhaps less remarkable use of limited cues in object choice tasks, although present at a much earlier age, is likely to reflect a more general learning ability related to stimulus enhancement rather than a specific 'human-reading' skill.
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Publication Date: 2013-06-19 PubMed ID: 23840572PubMed Central: PMC3686775DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0067000Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Comparative Study
  • 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 investigates the ability of young domestic horses to interpret and respond to various human cues. It challenges the notion that domesticated horses inherit an innate ability to interpret human signals, suggesting instead that the skill requires significant experience to fully develop.

Study Background and Purpose

  • The research was driven by the belief that domesticated animals, like horses, naturally possess the capability to understand human cues.
  • Prior research shows that adult horses can interpret subtle body language to determine if a person is paying attention to them. However, they are less proficient at utilizing human cues in object selection tasks.
  • The main goal of this research was to explore the development of these skills in young horses to understand the underlying mechanisms.

    • Research Method and Findings

    • The young horses, all under three years of age, were observed for their ability to use different signals like body orientation, head movement, and eye status (open or closed) to correctly select an attentive person to approach for food.
    • A series of object selection experiments revealed that young horses’ performance was akin to that of their older counterparts. They could correctly select a rewarded bucket when cues involved marker placement, pointing, or touching.
    • However, they struggled to use other cues such as body orientation, gaze, elbow pointing, or tapping.

    Conclusions and Implications

    • The findings suggest that horses do not have an inherent predisposition to adeptly use human cues.
    • It appears that significant experience is required for their ability to interpret subtler body cues indicating whether a human is paying attention to them.
    • Their skill, or lack thereof, in object selection tasks, reflects a more general learning capability related to stimulus enhancement rather than a specific ‘human-reading’ skill.

    Significance of the Study

    • This research contributes to a better understanding of the learning process and capabilities of young horses.
    • It further emphasizes the need for experience and training to effectively communicate with horses using non-verbal cues.
    • Lastly, it challenges the prevailing belief regarding domesticated animals’ inherent skills to comprehend human signals, which could have wider implications in the fields of animal behaviour and training.

Cite This Article

APA
Proops L, Rayner J, Taylor AM, McComb K. (2013). The Responses of Young Domestic Horses to Human-Given Cues. PLoS One, 8(6), e67000. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0067000

Publication

PloS one
ISSN: 1932-6203
NlmUniqueID: 101285081
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 8
Issue: 6
Pages: e67000
PII: e67000

Researcher Affiliations

Proops, Leanne
  • Mammal Vocal Communication and Cognition Research, Department of Psychology, University of Sussex, Sussex, United Kingdom.
Rayner, Jenny
    Taylor, Anna M
      McComb, Karen

        MeSH Terms

        • Age Factors
        • Animals
        • Animals, Domestic / physiology
        • Behavior, Animal / physiology
        • Choice Behavior
        • Cues
        • Female
        • Horses / physiology
        • Humans
        • Male
        • Problem Solving
        • Reward

        Grant Funding

        • Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

        Conflict of Interest Statement

        The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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        Citations

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