• Home Icon
    Home
  • HN Watch! Icon
    HN Watch!
  • News Icon
    News
  • Sports Icon
    Sports
  • Horse Health Icon
    Health
  • Learn Icon
    Learn
  • Lifestyle Icon
    Lifestyle
  • Podcasts Icon
    Podcasts
  • Laugh
  • Search Icon
    Search
  • Facebook Icon Instagram Icon Youtube Icon Twitter Icon
Horse Network Logo
We Ride Together
Home Icon
Home
HN Watch! Icon
HN Watch!
News Icon
News
Sports Icon
Sports
Horse Health Icon
Health
Learn Icon
Learn
Lifestyle Icon
Lifestyle
Podcasts Icon
Podcasts
Podcasts Icon
Laugh
Laugh
Search Icon
Facebook Icon Instagram Icon Youtube Icon Twitter Icon

When Horses Are in Trouble They Ask Humans for Help, Finds New Study

Home > Blog > Science > When Horses Are in Trouble They Ask Humans for Help, Finds New Study
Author Icon Kobe University
Calendar Icon December 20, 2016
Calendar Icon Science

Research Fellow Monamie Ringhofer and Associate Professor Shinya Yamamoto (Kobe University Graduate School of Intercultural Studies) have proved that when horses face unsolvable problems they use visual and tactile signals to get human attention and ask for help.

The study also suggests that horses alter their communicative behavior based on humans’ knowledge of the situation. These findings were published in the online version of Animal Cognition on November 24.

Communicating with other individuals in order to get information about foraging sites and predators is a valuable survival skill. Chimpanzees, who are evolutionarily close to humans, are especially skilled at understanding others. Studies suggest that chimpanzees distinguish the attentional states of other individuals (seeing or not seeing), and they are also able to understand others’ knowledge states (knowing or not knowing).

Some domestic animals are also very good at communicating with humans—recent studies of dogs have revealed that they are excellent at understanding various human gestures and expressions. It is thought that these abilities were influenced by the domestication process.

Since they were domesticated 6000 years ago, horses have contributed to human society in various shapes and forms, from transport to companionship. Horse-riding has recently drawn attention for its positive effects on our physical and mental health. The high social cognitive skills of horses towards humans might partially explain why humans and horses have a collaborative relationship today. However, the scientific evidence for this ability is still scarce.

In this study, scientists investigated horses’ social cognitive skills with humans in a problem-solving situation where food was hidden in a place accessible only to humans. The experiment was carried out in a paddock belonging to the equestrian club at Kobe University, where eight horses from the club participated with the cooperation of their student caretakers.

For the first experiment, an assistant experimenter hid food (carrots) in a bucket that the horse could not reach. The researchers observed whether and how the horse sent signals to the caretaker when the caretaker (unaware of the situation) arrived. The horse stayed near the caretaker and looked at, touched, and pushed the caretaker. These behaviors occurred over a significantly longer period compared to cases when they carried out the experiment without hiding the food.

The results showed that when horses cannot solve problems by themselves they send signals to humans both visually (looking) and physically (touching and pushing).

Building on these results, for the second experiment they tested whether the horses’ behavior changed based on the caretakers’ knowledge of the hidden food. If the caretaker hadn’t watched the food being hidden, the horses gave more signals, demonstrating that horses can change their behavior in response to the knowledge levels of humans.

These two experiments revealed some behaviors used by horses to communicate demands to humans. They also suggest that horses possess high cognitive skills that enable them to flexibly alter their behavior towards humans according to humans’ knowledge state. This high social cognitive ability may have been acquired during the domestication process.

In order to identify the characteristic that enables horses to form close bonds with humans, in future research the team aims to compare communication between horses, as well as looking more closely at the social cognitive ability of horses in their communication with humans.

By deepening our understanding of the cognitive abilities held by species who have close relationships with humans, and making comparisons with the cognitive abilities of species such as primates who are evolutionarily close to humans, we can investigate the development of unique communication traits in domesticated animals.

This is connected to the influence of domestication on the cognitive ability of animals, and can potentially provide valuable information for realizing stronger bonds between humans and animals.

Photos provided by Monamie Ringhofer.

Photos provided by Monamie Ringhofer.

Figure 1. Horse making demands: The horse a) lightly pushes and b) looks at the caretaker standing outside the paddock. Food is hidden inside one of the two silver buckets behind them. When horses cannot obtain this food by themselves, they give humans visual and tactile signals.

Photo provided by Monamie Ringhofer.

Photo provided by Monamie Ringhofer.

Figure 2. Horse with caretaker at the equestrian club

Tweet
Pin101
Share7K
7K Shares

About the Author

Author Profile Photo

Read More

Follow Horse Network

Facebook Icon Instagram Icon Youtube Icon Twitter Icon

Official Media Partners

Thunderbird Show Park
Wrigley Media Group
Redtag
AHP

Fresh Feed

Out of the Danger Zone: Top Gun’s Rescue Journey

2 days ago

This Is What Daniel Coyle Came For

2 days ago

USA and Brazil in Two Horse Race to Paris

2 days ago

When the Candeles Lost Their “Unicorn,” McLain Ward Sent a Gift Horse

4 days ago

Pre-Checks for Jumping

4 days ago

How/What to Watch: Sept 28–Oct 1

4 days ago

You Can Visit Your Horse at the Barn or the Yard, But Rarely, If Ever, the Barnyard

5 days ago

Fit for a Triple Crown: Twenty Years Ago, Wando Wowed the Racing World

5 days ago

Popular Stories


When the Candeles Lost Their “Unicorn,” McLain Ward Sent a Gift Horse

What Ever Happened to “Serviceably” Sound?

Uma O’Neill’s Unbridled Victory

50 Best Horse Movies

USA and Brazil in Two Horse Race to Paris

You Can Visit Your Horse at the Barn or the Yard, But Rarely, If Ever, the Barnyard


Sports & Racing


English
September 29, 2023

This Is What Daniel Coyle Came For

Once upon a time, not so very long ago, at the farm to the north called Lothlorien, the very grand dreams of Irish show jumper Daniel Coyle began to take...
Show Jumping
September 29, 2023

USA and Brazil in Two Horse Race to Paris

Olympic qualification is on the line this week at the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Final 2023 in Barcelona, Spain and it’s down to a two-horse race between USA and...
Interviews & Profiles
September 27, 2023

When the Candeles Lost Their “Unicorn,” McLain Ward Sent a Gift Horse

There is never enough time with a truly special horse, no matter how many years you have together. For Mathilde Candele (14), daughter of Canadian Olympian Yann Candele, that special...
History
September 26, 2023

Fit for a Triple Crown: Twenty Years Ago, Wando Wowed the Racing World

When the regal-looking chestnut took his first steps onto the racetrack just over 20 years ago, the thousands who had packed the Woodbine grandstand roared in approval, hopeful that they...
Show Jumping
September 23, 2023

Uma O’Neill’s Unbridled Victory

“From our first jump in the warm-up, I could tell it was our day today,” said Uma O’Neill (NZL) of Clockwise of Greenhill Z on Saturday at Thunderbird Show Park....
Show Jumping
September 23, 2023

The Playbook of Two Ways

One horse is a big, scopey grey. The other a small and speedy bay. One has campaigned under several riders and to double digit podium finishes. The other has only...
Horse Network Footer Logo
HN WATCH! HEALTH LIFESTYLE SPORTS NEWS LEARN PODCASTS
About Write For Us! Join Our Newsletter Terms Of Service Code Of Ethics & Standards
Advertise With Us
©2023 Horse Network
Facebook Icon Instagram Icon Youtube Icon Twitter Icon
Powered By RedTag Digital
Go to mobile version