Study: No Proof Horses Bond To Humans

Though many horse owners believe their horses are bonded to them, The Horse reports there's actually no scientific evidence demonstrating this.

Dr. Elke Hartmann of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences compared horse and human bonds to the bonding that occurs between dogs and humans. Dogs often consider their humans safe and will stay near them when they are afraid. Hartmann notes that horses may not express their attachment in the same ways dogs do, seeking them out in times of stress, or jumping on or playing with humans. We don't yet know what behaviors to look for demonstrating attachment from horses.

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Hartmann said evidence has shown that horses are often relaxed around humans with whom they are familiar, though this may depend on the type of training the horse receives from the human. To determine if positive reinforcement caused horses to bond with their trainers, Hartmann and a research team used 12 Standardbred school horses between five and 13 years old in a recent study. The horses had been trained for handling, riding and driving by students using negative reinforcement (meaning the release of pressure).

The horses were given tests using a familiar and an unfamiliar human, both before and after training which used different reinforcement models: negative reinforcement alone, negative reinforcement with food-based positive reinforcement, or negative reinforcement with wither-scratching positive reinforcement.

Hartmann reported that no matter the training method, all horses were calmer after the training, but in general, they showed little difference between the familiar trainer and the unfamiliar human.

Horses taking part in the obstacle course after training using wither scratching took significantly less time to complete the course when paired with the familiar trainer. The scientists believe that scratching may aid in the development of a horse-trainer bond since it's a mutual grooming technique.

Though humans who spend more time with their horses may develop attachments, Hartmann believes more work is needed to prove the phenomenon happens for the horse. Until then, Hartmann encourages humans to manage their equine relationship expectations. Horse owners shouldn't put themselves in dangerous situations because they feel the horse “loves” them and therefore won't harm them: A horse might not respond the way a bonded human would.

Read more at The Horse.

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A Stinky Situation: Horses Can Smell Human Fear

A study from Poland has shown that horses are able to smell human emotions – including fear.

Dr. Agnieszka Sabiniewicza and her research team collected body odor samples from 10 people who were either happy or fearful to see if the emotional states elicited different responses in horses exposed to them.

The researchers asked the people involved in the study to avoid smoking, smelly foods, exercise, and alcohol for multiple days. They also asked them to wash their clothes in a perfume-free detergent. The scientists then showed the people a cartoon or a horror video while they were wearing sterile pads in their armpits. The pads were collected and frozen to preserve their odor.

The team exposed 21 adult horses to the pads that the fearful or happy humans had worn; the horses were also exposed to pads that were not worn at all, which served as the control.

For the test, two people stood in different corners of the stall while each horse was shown the pads. One person was familiar to the horse and the other was unknown. Neither person interacted with the horse. A pole with four odor pads (either all fearful, all happy or all control) was shown to the horse.

The team found that the horses exposed to the fearful odor raised their heads more frequently and for longer periods of time. These horses also touched the familiar person in their stall more frequently and for longer than they did when exposed to the control or happiness odors.

The team concluded that human body odor alone can serve as an indicator of human emotion and can cause horses to behave differently.

Read more at Equine Science Update.

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