Enhanced Understanding of Horse–Human Interactions to Optimize Welfare

Abstract

Horses (Equus caballus) have been domesticated for millennia and are regularly utilized for work, sport, and companionship. Enhanced understanding of human–horse interactions can create avenues to optimize their welfare. This review explores the current research surrounding many aspects of human–horse interactions by first highlighting the horse’s sensory capabilities and how they pertain to human interactions. Evidence exists that suggests that horses can read humans in various ways through our body odours, posture, facial expressions, and attentiveness. The literature also suggests that horses are capable of remembering previous experiences when working with humans. The interrelatedness of equine cognition and affective states within the horse’s umwelt is then explored. From there, equine personality and the current literature regarding emotional transfer between humans and horses is examined. Even though horses may be capable of recognizing emotional states in humans, there remains a gap in the literature of whether horses are capable of empathizing with human emotion. The objective of this literature review is to explore aspects of the relationship between humans and horses to better understand the horse’s umwelt and thereby shed new light on potential positive approaches to enhance equine welfare with humans.

The Effect of Human–Horse Interactions on Equine Behaviour, Physiology, and Welfare: A Scoping Review

“…Therefore, more robust evaluations of welfare, including measurements of the horse's affective state during human horse interactions, are warranted. This was also the recommendation in reviews by Hall et al [6] and Merkies [17]. A more comprehensive evaluation will likely require the combined use of current methods along with addition of new methods; for example, through the continued use of physiological and behavioural measures of stress along with measures that assess a broader aspect of horse affective states.…”

“…While assessment of many aspects of animal welfare can be straightforward, assessment of an animal's mental state is more challenging. Because horses have been domesticated and can be readily trained and habituated to withstand aversive stimuli presented during HHIs [17], behaviour alone may not be an appropriate measure of mental state. Physiological measures obtained during HHIs can help to ascertain a horse's mental state.…”

Improving Equine Welfare through Human Habit Formation

“…To promote and sustainably improve equine welfare, caregivers must ensure that they meet the welfare needs of the animals they are responsible for [3]. The human role and responsibility of caregiver in the human-equine relationship is increasingly recognised [1,2], with many countries around the world aiming to maintain and safeguard this by developing policies such as Duty of Care, Codes of Practice, guidelines linked to Animal Welfare legislation and frameworks such as One Welfare, which recognise the link between human and animal regarding wellbeing [4]. The conception of the Five Freedoms [5] or Five Needs (Animal Welfare Act, 2006) and, more recently, the development of the Five Domains [3] has provided frameworks to assess and measure welfare, while at the same time informing caregivers of the needs of the animals in their care [6].…”

“…With the majority of the world’s horses, ponies, donkeys and their hybrids being domesticated animals utilised for work, sport, leisure and production, the human–equine relationship is central to equine welfare [ 1 , 2 ]. To promote and sustainably improve equine welfare, caregivers must ensure that they meet the welfare needs of the animals they are responsible for [ 3 ].…”

“…Scratching an equine is posited to be viewed by participants as a positive behaviour; it is hypothesised that it may act as an emotional reward for the human, who perceives they are doing something positive for the horse or donkey. It is also potentially positive for the equine, who benefits from the interaction [ 2 ]. Once preliminary research is undertaken to understand the application of habit theory in an equine welfare context, more challenging habitual behaviours could be examined in relation to habit formation, maintenance and change.…”