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Home / Equine Research Bank / PLoS One / The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach: what ...
PloS one2010; 5(11); e15446; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0015446

The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach: what about horses?

Abstract: How do we bond to one another? While in some species, like humans, physical contact plays a role in the process of attachment, it has been suggested that tactile contact's value may greatly differ according to the species considered. Nevertheless, grooming is often considered as a pleasurable experience for domestic animals, even though scientific data is lacking. On another hand, food seems to be involved in the creation of most relationships in a variety of species. Results: In this study, we used the horse training context to test the effects of food versus grooming during repeated human-horse interactions. The results reveal that food certainly holds a key role in the attachment process, while tactile contact was here clearly insufficient for bonding to occur. Conclusions: This study raises important questions on the way tactile contact is perceived, and shows that large inter-species differences are to be expected.
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Publication Date: 2010-11-15 PubMed ID: 21085576PubMed Central: PMC2981555DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0015446Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
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  • 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.

The research explores the impact of food and grooming on human-horse interactions, and determines that food plays a larger role in creating a bond, whereas tactile contact is inadequate for this purpose.

Objective of the Research

  • This research aimed to investigate the relative importance of food and grooming in human-horse bonding processes. The researchers noted that while touch contact can play a role in some species’ interactions, it might vary based on the species. Despite this, grooming is widely perceived as a pleasant experience for domestic animals even though there is insufficient scientific evidence to back this up. Conversely, food is seen as universally significant in building relationships across different species.

Research Methodology

  • The research was conducted in a horse training context to effectively compare the impacts of food and grooming on repeated human-horse interactions. The goal was to understand which factor contributes more towards relationship building between humans and horses.

Research Findings

  • The results from this investigation showed that food plays a crucial role in the bonding process. It emerged as a more influential factor in the creation of bonds during human-horse interactions.
  • Contrastingly, tactile contact, in the form of grooming, proved inadequate for creating a bond. This finding refutes the common belief that grooming is a strong bonding agent between humans and horses.

Implications and Conclusion

  • The study asserts that large inter-species differences should be expected in terms of interaction and bonding methods. Not all bonding strategies will have the same results across different species.
  • The perception and importance of tactile contact are called into question by this study, and it suggests that more empirical research is required in this area.
  • Ultimately, this research offers valuable insights into human-horse interactions, which could prove useful in enhancing the effectiveness of horse training and other related field practices.

Cite This Article

APA
Sankey C, Henry S, Górecka-Bruzda A, Richard-Yris MA, Hausberger M. (2010). The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach: what about horses? PLoS One, 5(11), e15446. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0015446

Publication

PloS one
ISSN: 1932-6203
NlmUniqueID: 101285081
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 5
Issue: 11
Pages: e15446
PII: e15446

Researcher Affiliations

Sankey, Carol
  • Ethologie Animale et Humaine, Université Rennes1/UMR-CNRS6552, Station Biologique, Paimpont, France.
Henry, Séverine
    Górecka-Bruzda, Aleksandra
      Richard-Yris, Marie-Annick
        Hausberger, Martine

          MeSH Terms

          • Animals
          • Behavior, Animal / physiology
          • Food
          • Horses / psychology
          • Humans
          • Learning / physiology
          • Object Attachment
          • Reward

          Conflict of Interest Statement

          The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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          Citations

          This article has been cited 9 times.
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