Evidence suggests relaxed horses are better learners

A recent study revealed that horses who were less aroused were more able to perform cognitive tasks

As horse owners, we’re all aware of the impact stress and excitement can have on our horses’ behaviour, but how can arousal levels affect a horse’s performance and ability to learn?

Equine scientists at Nottingham Trent University conducted a study to try to gain a better understanding of how individual horses learn. A group of 20 horses participated in the study, which involved choosing from two targets to receive a food reward. Once the horses had learnt to select the correct target, the researchers reversed the task so the horses had to select the opposite target for the reward.

Researchers measured physiological markers of arousal, including heart rate variability and eye temperature, during rest and again during the learning task and found that horses with lower arousal at both stages performed significantly better in the cognitive challenge.

Interestingly, there was another interesting predictor of performance that will require further investigation. Horses who did best in the task showed a rise in left eye temperature, possibly due to an increase in the blood flow to the left hemisphere of the brain – the side that’s responsible for learning targeted responses to stimuli and feeding behaviour.

The research team believe their study reveals that horses can perform better when in a relaxed state and demonstrates the use of physiological markers to predict how individual horses might learn. Lead researcher Louise Evans said: “In their day-to-day lives, horses require behavioural flexibility, the ability to adapt to changing environments, such as different riders and handlers. However, we also need horses to have excellent cognitive control so that we can safely rely on them to give consistent responses to important commands such as ‘slow down’ or ‘stop’.

“This delicate balance between flexibility and control is what makes horses such good teammates. However, when things go wrong, there can be dangerous consequences, so it’s vital that we understand how horses learn and can better predict their learning performance.

“This study has really helped aid our understanding to predict how well individual horses learn – and more relaxed horses clearly learn better. It’s important for us to recognise the impact that arousal in the home or training environment can have on horses’ learning.”

For more information and to read the full article, head to sciencedirect.com