Garrano Horses Perceive Letters of the Alphabet on a Touchscreen System: A Pilot Study

Abstract

This study aimed to use a computer-controlled touchscreen system to examine visual discrimination in Garrano horses (Equus caballus), an endangered breed of pony belonging to the Iberian horse family. This pilot study focused on the perceptual similarity among letters of the alphabet. We tested five horses in a one-male unit (OMU) living permanently in a semi-free enclosure near their natural habitat in Serra d’Arga, northern Portugal. Horses were trained to nose-touch black circles that appeared on the screen. Then, they were tested for discrimination of five letters of the Latin alphabet in Arial font, namely O, B, V, Z, and X, using a two-choice discrimination task. The confusion matrix of letter pairs was used to show the MDS and to identify the relative contribution of shape features. The results showed perceptual similarities among letters with curvatures pitted against those of straight lines. Shape perception in horses seems to share features with that of humans and other animals living in different niches. The touchscreen system proved to be an objective and innovative way of studying cognition in the socially organized group of horses. The automated system can promote the welfare of captive horses by maximizing their freedom of movement.

Use of Augmentative Interspecies Communication devices in animal language studies: A review

“…For example, Reiss and McCowan (1993) trained captive dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) to socially request desired objects or activities from humans through buttons on an underwater keyboard, and found subjects' engagement marked by contextually appropriate, spontaneous vocal imitation of the computer‐generated whistles accompanying the symbols (Figure 1d). Similar methods are continued to be explored to examine cognition, such as engagement in visual discrimination tasks on touchscreens (e.g., in chimpanzees, Matsuzawa, 2017; in horses, Schubert et al, 2022; in rodents, Horner et al, 2013). Thus, ACI work and its overlaps with topics in welfare and cognition are effectively poised to continue themes explored in the original AIC device studies.…”

Editorial: Recent Advances in Animal Cognition and Ethology

“…These controlled experiments revealed distinctions in numerical cognition between humans and chimpanzees, underscoring the potential of touchscreen-based tasks. Similarly, a computer-controlled touchscreen system offered a novel approach to examine visual discrimination abilities in Garrano horses [ 29 ]. This technology facilitated controlled experiments without the potential bias introduced by human interactions.…”

“…This use of technology allowed researchers to collect data without causing harm or stress to the chimpanzees, aligning with ethical research practices. Similarly, the study on Garrano horses’ visual discrimination [ 29 ] utilised a computer-controlled touchscreen system, offering a non-invasive method for assessing the horses’ cognitive abilities. This approach ensures that the horses’ welfare is upheld while contributing valuable insights into their visual discrimination skills.…”