Discipline: Ethology

Cognition and learning in horses (Equus caballus): What we know and why we should ask more

moreLauren Brubaker∗, Monique A.R. Udell

Published in 2016

Horses (Equus caballus) have a rich history of relationships with humans. Across different cultures and eras, they have been used for work, entertainment, cultural rituals, food, therapy and companionship and they continue to fulfil many of these roles today. As horses are one of the most commonly trained domestic animals, understanding how they learn and how their relationship with humans and other horses impacts their ability to learn can influence their welfare, training, breeding and management. Since, unlike dogs and cats, domesticated horses evolved from prey animals, the horse-human relationship raises interesting and unique scientific theoretical questions. There is still much to learn about the cognition and behaviour of horses from a scientific perspective. This review explores current research in three related areas of horse cognition: human-horse interactions, social learning, and independent learning in horses. Research on these topics is summarised and suggestions for future research are provided.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords: Learning, training, Cognitive processes, Human-animal relationships

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Motivate your horse. Clicker training and rewards

Hélène Roche

Published in 2013

How do you motivate your horse? What role can rewards play? Can you do without them once your horse has learned the exercise? What to do when the horse becomes too demanding? Are caresses and use of the voice rewards? These are all questions raised by positive reinforcement, which the clicker training technique can create. This book offers basic exercises as well as exercises to solve classical equestrian problems. It is based on numerous scientific reference works as well as a multitude of practical cases.

Document Types: Technical work

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords : Learning, training, Human-animal relationships

Bien dans son corps, bien dans sa tête : qu’est ce que le bien-être du cheval?

IFCE group

Published in 2017

Whether you are a rider, breeder, teacher or horse owner, you will find everything on horse welfare in this "go-to" text from the French Horse and Riding Institute. Nowadays, there is a real awareness of welfare issues for animals, and the horse is no exception to this. What is currently considered to be good or bad practice? What scientific evidence is there? What might future developments look like and what are the regulations? In order to answer these questions, this book offers the reader information that is informed by science and presented in a form that can be understood and used by both professionals and amateurs. With a context-setting preface and introduction written by Axel Kahn and Sylvie Brunel, the wealth of bibliographical research carried out by Christine Briant and her team makes it possible to grasp the concept of equine welfare (including that of donkeys and ponies), and to apply it to feeding, housing, health and behaviour.

Document Types: Scientific work

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords: Animal-based measurements, Anxiety, Learning, Training, Livestock buildings, Pain, Enrichment, Welfare indicators, Housing, Restraint equipment, Memory, Living environment, Fear, Cognitive processes, Human-animal relationships, Stress, Livestock farming system, Transport, Vocalisation

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Travailler son cheval selon les principes de l’apprentissage

IFCE group

Published in 2015

Whether you handle horses as a rider or driver and whatever style you do it in, this practical guide will help you to optimise your horse's training and working habits. The three chapters of this book, based on recent research in ethology, deal with the main types of learning in an accessible and concrete way. The different approaches are first defined and then analysed, with supporting examples and scenarios. The complexities of habituation and awareness, and of operating and Pavlovian conditioning are demystified with a view to their application in everyday life. The step-by-step tutoring through each process and provision of problem-solving tips will provide readers with genuine avenues to improve their relationship with horses. Fully illustrated with colour photos and drawings, this book is an essential tool for anyone wishing to apply training principles in their handling of riding and carriage horses. 

Document Types: Technical work

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords: Anxiety, Learning, Training, Fear, Cognitive processes, Human-animal relationships, Stress

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Qu’est-ce que le bien-être des équidés?

IFCE group, INRA, Agroscope Swiss National Stud (HNS) consortium

Published in 2019

This 12-page leaflet summarises the main principles to follow in order to improve the welfare of horses.

Document Types: Good practice guide

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords: Animal-based measurements, Anxiety, Learning, Training, Housing, Living environment, Fear, Human-animal relationships, Stress

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Ethologie animale. Une approche biologique du comportement

Anne-Sophie Darmaillacq, Frédéric Lévy

Published in 2015

What is ethology, the ideas behind it and its methods? How does an animal inhabit its space, make use of available food resources and build its social world? What are the cognitive processes at work in this? How can personality explain behaviour? Written by specialists from different fields but in an intentionally accessible and explanatory way with the help of numerous illustrations, this book offers an overview of ethology grounded in analysis of cutting-edge research in ethology.

Document Types: Scientific work

Keywords: Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Learning, Training, Consciousness, Memory, Living environment, Fear, Cognitive processes, Evolutionary processes, Human-animal relationships

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The clinical companion of the donkey

Donkey Sanctuary charity group

Published in 2018

This book provides up-to-date and comprehensive information on donkeys, with the aim of improving their health and welfare. It focuses in particular on the characteristics of the species compared with other members of the equidae family. It includes a chapter on behaviour which is fundamental to the understanding of this unique animal and key to  the clinical signs and requirements for handling, feeding and treatment.

Document Types: Technical work

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords: Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Anxiety, Pain, Welfare indicators, Fear, Human-animal relationships

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Recommendations to limit the risk of severe pecking in laying hens

Amandine Mika, Maryse Guinebretière, Anaëlle Laravoire, Christine Leterrier and F.Serrurier

Published in 2019

Now that animal welfarek trimming has been called into question in the European Union, farmers must plan for a shift in the medium term to egg production from untrimmed hens. This guide sets out the different actions that can be carried out as part of a whole-animal approach to farming in order to limit the risk of severe pecking in pullets and laying hens.

Document Types: Good practice guide

Animal categories: Poultry

Keywords: Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Enrichment

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The Impact of the current housing and husbandry systems on the health and welfare of farmed domestic rabbits

EFSA

Published in 2005

Preview:  “In this Opinion, based on the scientific data as well as the experience of the Working Group’s Report we draw some conclusions and make recommendations as well as giving pointers for future research. Overall there is a serious lack of information and scientific studies on the farming of this species compared with other farmed species, particularly on welfare. While there are few data on the types of rabbit farming systems it can be generally considered to be intensive with rabbits being reared in cages rather than being kept in large areas equivalent to a free-range style as with some other farmed species. The Panel recommends that such data be collected.”

Document Types: Opinions

Keywords: Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Adaptation of the environment to the animal, Animal-based measurements, Livestock buildings, Enrichment, Welfare indicators, Housing, Livestock farming system

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