Document type : Press release from INRAE
Preview: When talking to an animal, many people instinctively speak as they would to a young child: the tone of voice is higher and the intonations exaggerated. The same is true for many riders with their horses. But do the animals respond to this way of speaking? This is the question that ethologists from INRAE and IFCE have answered. Their results, published on 18 March in Animal Cognition, show that horses are more attentive and seem to understand our intentions better when we talk to them in this way. This method should therefore be included by riders and breeders in their interactions with horses to facilitate the daily routine and improve the welfare of these animals.
Article cited in this press release: Horses are sensitive to baby talk: pet-directed speech facilitates communication with humans in a pointing task and during grooming
