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Animal cognition2009; 13(2); 229-238; doi: 10.1007/s10071-009-0260-x

Visual laterality in the domestic horse (Equus caballus) interacting with humans.

Abstract: Most horses have a side on which they are easier to handle and a direction they favour when working on a circle, and recent studies have suggested a correlation between emotion and visual laterality when horses observe inanimate objects. As such lateralisation could provide important clues regarding the horse's cognitive processes, we investigated whether horses also show laterality in association with people. We gave horses the choice of entering a chute to left or right, with and without the passive, non-interactive presence of a person unknown to them. The left eye was preferred for scanning under both conditions, but significantly more so when a person was present. Traditionally, riders handle horses only from the left, so we repeated the experiment with horses specifically trained on both sides. Again, there was a consistent preference for left eye scanning in the presence of a person, whether known to the horses or not. We also examined horses interacting with a person, using both traditionally and bilaterally trained horses. Both groups showed left eye preference for viewing the person, regardless of training and test procedure. For those horses tested under both passive and interactive conditions, the left eye was preferred significantly more during interaction. We suggest that most horses prefer to use their left eye for assessment and evaluation, and that there is an emotional aspect to the choice which may be positive or negative, depending on the circumstances. We believe these results have important practical implications and that emotional laterality should be taken into account in training methods.
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Publication Date: 2009-07-17 PubMed ID: 19618222DOI: 10.1007/s10071-009-0260-xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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  • 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.

The research article discusses a study conducted on domestic horses (Equus caballus) to investigate their preference for using the left eye while assessing and evaluating their environment, particularly when humans are present. This phenomenon, known as visual laterality, suggests an emotional aspect to horses’ cognitive processes and significantly influences their behaviour during training.

Objective and Methodology

  • The main aim of this study was to explore the visual laterality in horses when they are in association with humans.
  • The researchers created two scenarios – one where the horse had a choice to enter a chute to the left or right without a human present, and one where a person was present.
  • The study was repeated with horses that were specifically trained on both sides, as traditionally, riders handle horses only from the left side.
  • The research also examined horses interacting with known and unknown humans, using traditionally and bilaterally trained horses.

Findings and Interpretations

  • The findings showed that regardless of the scenario or training received, horses showed a consistent preference for using their left eye when a human was present.
  • When given a choice to go left or right, horses preferred to use their left eye to scan the environment, whether or not a person was present – though the preference was significantly stronger when a human was present.
  • When interacting with a human, whether known or unknown, horses were more likely to use their left eye than the right.
  • The researchers suggest that there might be an emotional aspect to this choice – it could be positive or negative, depending on the circumstances.

Implications and Recommendations

  • The results from this study provide insights into the cognitive processes of horses in relation to visual laterality. This could be a crucial aspect to consider in the training methods for horses.
  • The finding that horses predominantly prefer the left eye for assessment and evaluation implies that this preference should be considered during interaction and training sessions.
  • The study recommends that further research is needed to understand the emotional factors contributing to this visual laterality and how it can be used to enhance horse training methodologies.

Cite This Article

APA
Farmer K, Krueger K, Byrne RW. (2009). Visual laterality in the domestic horse (Equus caballus) interacting with humans. Anim Cogn, 13(2), 229-238. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-009-0260-x

Publication

Animal cognition
ISSN: 1435-9456
NlmUniqueID: 9814573
Country: Germany
Language: English
Volume: 13
Issue: 2
Pages: 229-238

Researcher Affiliations

Farmer, Kate
  • Centre for Social Learning and Cognitive Evolution, School of Psychology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, UK.
Krueger, Konstanze
    Byrne, Richard W

      MeSH Terms

      • Animal Communication
      • Animals
      • Eye Movements
      • Female
      • Functional Laterality
      • Horses / psychology
      • Humans
      • Learning
      • Male
      • Visual Fields
      • Visual Perception

      Citations

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