By Claire Sandercock
Horses have preferences, which they appear motivated to communicate with us when given
the opportunity. Some horses enjoy firm brushing while others prefer limited grooming, and
handlers well-versed in equine body language can often determine what a horse is enjoying or
wanting more of. Researchers recently trained horses to use symbols to communicate their
preferences in a much less ambiguous way!
It took all 23 horses used in the trial less than 14 training days to grasp the concept of bumping
one symbol with their nose to have their blanket removed, another to have a blanket put on,
and a third to remain as they were. This rapid uptake speaks well of the chosen positive
reinforcement conditioning scheme the researchers used, and perhaps also of the horses’
motivation to make a choice for their own thermal comfort.
The researchers reported that once the horses began to understand that they could
communicate their wishes, many horses even attempted to get the trainer’s attention from the
paddock on a testing day and immediately chose blanket off. On removing it, it was found that
the horse had become sweaty under the blanket, making the reason for the choice obvious.
On warm days, with temperatures around 20ºC, horses consistently chose to have their blanket
removed if they wore one, or chose no change if they did not. On days where the weather was
cold, wet, and/or windy, all but two of the horses chose to have a blanket put on if they did not
have one, or no change if they did. This indicates that horses’ preferences are individual, with
some horses having a higher tolerance for cold temperatures than others, with blanketing
preferences to match. This was expected by the researchers, and confirms what we see in our
horses every day.
For the owner looking for a challenging training project, teaching your horse to discriminate
between symbols related to his management could take some guesswork out of the many
choices we have to make for our horses. But simply paying attention to your horse’s behaviour
during routine handling can give insight into his preferences. Encouraging this communication
by honouring it will help your horse to express himself more freely, building your relationship
and mutual understanding!
Mejdell, C; Buvik, T; Jørgensen, G; Bøe, K. (2016) Horses can learn to use symbols to
communicate their preferences. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 184 pp 66-73. Click Link Here.
