Document type: article published in The Northwest Horse Source
Authors: Michael Hipp, Victoria Doulgerakis
Certain Colors in a Horse's Environment Can Affect Behavior
How horses see color has been a much-studied topic in recent years. Not only does it matter what colors horses see, it matters how they see them.
How Horses See Color
The retina is the major factor in vision, and the horse's rectangular pupil extends their area of visual perception beyond a human's. Color is perceived in the retina by cones. While humans have three types of cones, which sense blue, red, and yellow-green light, horses only have two types of cones, which sense blue and green, and variations of these two colors, but they do not sense red or shades of red. However, it is not just what colors horses see, but how they interact with those colors which determine behavior.
Horses Prefer Colors in Their Spectrums
Researchers determined that horses prefer colors that are within their spectrum and avoid those that they cannot see. This was verified by one study using different color water buckets, where horses tended to prefer blue colored buckets over red ones, and light-colored buckets over darker colors.
For many decades in horse jumping, how horses perceive the colors of the poles was never considered. More recently science has helped show designers construct jumps with different colored poles for improved visibility and performance. In one study, the color of the poles determined take off angles, length of jumps, and landing distances.
Because horses are prey animals and always desire to feel safe, we are learning that most of the time they prefer colors in the spectrums they see to provide a safe environment.
Choosing The Right Colors Can Help Behavior
A client expressed concern when her mare would not leave her stall at night to relieve herself. Every morning the stall was filled with urine and manure requiring new bedding every day. She asked why the horses in the barn stalls stayed inside at night and were messier than the horses in the pasture stalls that regularly left their stalls at night and kept cleaner bedding. It was explained that the reason was the lighting.
In the barn a white light was being left on so the client could see in an emergency. However, this white light was also taking away the night vision from the horses in the barn. As a result, they were staying inside where it was safe from predators they couldn't perceive in the dark. It was suggested that a red light be used instead of white because horses cannot see red and thus the red light would help them preserve their night vision. After making the change the horses felt safe to roam freely and the stalls were easier to clean each day.
Choosing the right colors can also change the behavior of more than just horses. On another visit it was suggested to a client to paint the ceiling a certain shade of blue. This shade has been shown in architectural history to confuse both bees (or wasps) and birds that sometimes plague areas inside our barns by making them think they are outside instead of safely in a barn, so they do not build nests inside.
