Does the human voice have a calming effect on horses?

Merkies, Katrina; MacGregor, H. I.; Ouimette, M.; Bogart, E.; Miraglia, K.

doi:10.1016/j.jevs.2013.03.110

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…Trainers commonly scream when the animal does not respond to commands. Merkies et al (2013) reported that horses show less distress and/or calm down when the trainer is around and speaks in a pleasant voice, but they are more resentful if the voice tone is severe. In this work, the trainers did not alter the voice tone to direct and to teach certain behavior to the animal, while these, in turn, responded promptly.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance of horses of Mangalarga Marchador breed: man and animal relations

et al. 2019

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The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the trainer and the adopted daily work on the behavior and performance of horses of the Mangalarga Marchador breed on a horse farm and in racetracks in northern Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Twenty equines and nine trainers from four farms and three competition events of the breed were observed. The experiment was divided into two stages. In the first stage, the animals were observed together with their trainer on the farm, during the daily work, and the behavior reactions were recorded based on scores. The duration of training and the behavior told by the trainer of the animal were recorded in scores. The second stage happened in three competitions of the breed in agricultural fairs. The same observations were made on horse farms, including the behavior of the animal, before and after the trial, as well as the emotional state in the same period. For data analysis, multivariate statistics were used based on the principal components and factor analysis, using the statistical software R (version 3.3.2). From the data analyzed, it was verified that the variables embouchure, behavior and voice of the presenter, and reward and incentive in the competition influenced the reactivity of the animal. Variables of human behavior in training influenced the animal behavior variables in training. The behavior of the trainer and the form of the training, as well as the fact that the trainer is the presenter, interfered in the behavior of the horses on the horse farm and in the competitions, resulting in safer animals. However, the need for time adaptation and training management is necessary for the whole man × animal relation to get better rankings in the race competitions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance of horses of Mangalarga Marchador breed: man and animal relations

et al. 2019

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“…Although there are no standardized interpretations of equine behavior in EAAT, there is plenty of scientific and anecdotal evidence to suggest that changes in human behavior result in changes in equine behavior. For example, human vocalizations gets a horses' attention if a human is present and the horses show changes in behavior based on variations of vocal tone (Merkies, MacGregor, Ouimette, Bogart, & Miraglia, 2013). Furthermore, horses in pasture vary their reactions based on differences in human approach speed and behaviors (Birke et al, 2011).…”

Section: Research Of Equine Behavior In Eaatmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Importance of Comparative Psychology in Equine-Assisted Activities and Therapies

Kieson¹

2018

IJCP

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Practitioners of Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies (EAAT) use it to help individuals suffering from a wide range of physical and psychological disorders as an alternative practice in physical and psychotherapy. Although there is plenty of research to support the benefits of these therapies, there is little research in equine behavior in this context, specifically how equine behaviors can best be utilized to improve the health of the human component. Although much of EAAT uses horses in physical therapy, newer practices in EAAT focus on assisting individuals in building and improving interpersonal skills through practicing those skills with horses. To fully understand and develop this area of EAAT, researchers need to look at the behavioral patterns of horses, how they learn and adapt to changes in human emotions and behaviors, and how these behaviors correspond to bonding with regards to friendships and relationships within the context of equine-human interactions. To do this, scientists need to rely upon the principles of learning theory and behavioral sciences associated with comparative psychology. The scientific methods used in comparative psychology are critical for researching these areas of EAAT.

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“…Horses are able to recognise the vocal calls of a 'familiar' compared to 'stranger' horse (Basile et al, 2009). Additionally, horses have been shown to differentiate between a 'pleasant' soft tone of human voice compared to a 'stern' human voice, altering their behaviour accordingly (Merkies et al, 2013). This would indicate therefore that the horse can identify between different auditory stimuli and use this as a basis to guide behaviour.…”

Section: System Specificationmentioning

confidence: 99%