Learning Ability of Orphan Foals, of Normal Foals and of Their Mothers

Abstract

The maze learning ability of six pony foals that had been weaned at birth was compared to that of six foals reared normally. The foals' learning ability was also compared to their mothers' learning ability at the same task; the correct turn in a single choice point maze. The maze learning test was conducted when the foals were 6 to 8 mo old and after the mothered foals had been weaned. There was no significant difference between the ability of orphaned (weaned at birth) and mothered foals in their ability to learn to turn left (6 +/- .7 and 5.1 +/- .1 trials, respectively) or to learn the reversal, to turn right (6.7 +/- .6 and 6.2 +/- .6 trials, respectively). The orphan foals spent significantly more time in the maze in their first exposure to it than the mothered foals (184 +/- 42 vs 55 +/- 15 s. Mann Whitney U = 7, P less than .05). The mothers of the foals (n = 11) learned to turn left as rapidly as the foals (5.9 +/- .7 trials), but they were slower to learn to turn right (9.8 +/- 1.4 vs 6.4 +/- .4 trials, Mann Whitney U = 33, P less than .05), indicating that the younger horses learned more rapidly. There was no correlation between the trials to criteria of the mare and those of her foal, but there was a significant negative correlation between rank in trials to criteria and age (r = -65, P less than .05) when data from the mare and foal trials were combined. The dominance hierarchy of the mares was determined using a paired feeding test in which two horses competed for one bucket of feed. Although there was no correlation between rank in the hierarchy and maze learning ability, there was a correlation between body weight and rank in the hierarchy (r = .7, P less than .05). This may indicate either that heavier horses are likely to be dominant or that horses high in dominance gain more weight. Maternal deprivation did not appear to seriously retard learning of a simple maze by foals, although the orphans moved more slowly initially. The lack of maternal influence on learning is also reflected in the lack of correlation between the mare's learning ability and that of her foal. Young horses appear to learn more rapidly than older horses.

Age-Related Changes in the Behaviour of Domestic Horses as Reported by Owners

“…At its simplest level, relevant familiarisation begins in neonates with introductions to novel stimuli and is enhanced by foals' predisposition to play [8]. In horses, such experiences help shape social and performance skills [35,36]. For example, it has been demonstrated that foals under one year of age exhibit fewer fear responses and more interest in novel stimuli (notably when exposed to a regular feed-box and a feed-box covered with a black cloth) than horses aged between 2 and 15 years [37].…”

“…Hand-reared orphan foals are less emotional when placed in a novel environment than naturally reared foals. These same foals often show virtually no fear of humans and may be difficult to handle as adult horses [35,39]. Henry et al [40] reported that simply allowing foals to observe their dams being handled agreeably can have a calming effect on them in later life.…”