Mutual interactions between cognition and welfare: The horse as an animal model

Abstract

 Individual characteristics such as temperament or stereotypies influence learning  Vertebral problems, depression and anemia lower attentional and sensory engagement  Type of training/reinforcement influences cognition, welfare and motivation to work  Brain lateralization and EEG are promising tools for measuring cognition and welfare  Evolution of brain functions and life conditions are influential in shaping cognition ABSTRACTResearch in cognitive psychology has repeatedly shown how much cognition and emotions are mutually related to one another. Psychological disorders are associated with cognitive (attention, memory and judgment) biases and chronic pain may affect attention, learning or memory. Laboratory studies have provided useful insights about the processes involved but observations about spontaneous animal models, living in different stress/welfare conditions may help understand further how cognition and welfare are interrelated in the « real world ».Domestic horses constitute such a model as they live in a variety of conditions that impact J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f 2 differently their welfare state. In the present review, we try and provide an overview of the scientific literature on cognition and welfare of domestic horses and their interrelationship. We address how emotions and welfare may affect cognitive processes in horses and impact the way they perceive their environment (including work). We propose new methods for assessing the relationship between welfare and cognition and open up the discussion on the evolution of the brain and the part domestication may have played.

Peer Review #1 of "EEG based assessment of stress in horses: a pilot study (v0.1)"

“…Why assess welfare in horses? The horse is both companion as well as working animal (Hausberger et al, 2019). Facial expressions associated with pain and stress are well described (for example Dalla Costa et al, 2014) and relatively easy to assess for a trained observer.…”

“…Facial expressions associated with pain and stress are well described (for example Dalla Costa et al, 2014) and relatively easy to assess for a trained observer. Horses raise several issues of animal welfare status, as, for example, regarding training methods, sports, as working animals and even as companions (boredom) (Hausberger et al, 2019). To judge about the validity and utility of EEG measurements in the context of animal welfare, horses are perfectly suited because they are used to handling procedures (which reduces the impact of the EEG application procedure itself on the subjects' behavior) and their facial expressions are well defined by the HGS, which we used as comparative value.…”

“…It has been shown that observers who are "used" to expressions of horses that are associated with pain or stereotypic behaviors tend to underestimate these signs regarding horses' welfare (Lesimple & Hausberger, 2014). In a very recent review article, the authors explicitly mention EEG as potential tool to assess cognition and welfare, which are strongly associated (Hausberger et al, 2019). Especially in horses, which are most often kept as working animals, husbandry systems as well as education and training of the animals impact the welfare state.…”

What Are They Thinking? Scientific Horsemanship and the Mind of the Horse

“…The spatial gradient also suggests that any added stress to a horse, including first separation from pair mates or pressure to perform more correctly or quickly, will shift the color gradient in our model from blue to red. It is also likely that when stressed, a horse attributes the stress to the environment and not the handler and so resistance to walls, shying at objects, and moving through the far end of an arena increase in proportion to stress [23].…”

Emotional Transfer in Human–Horse Interaction: New Perspectives on Equine Assisted Interventions

“…Eventually, Russow [49] listed some specific criteria that are necessary to outline a fully developed human-animal bond, such as reciprocity and persistence of the encounters. However, human psychological attributes, such as personality traits, empathy towards animals and people, human perception of pain in animals can also influence the interaction, consequently affecting the animal welfare and its cognitive performances [50,51]. Regarding human-animal attachment, in particular farm animals such as horses, three factors have been identified as having major impact on these animals' ability and willingness to interact with humans: (I) The nature, quality, and frequency of contact with people, (II) the time period, and (III) the social environment in which it occurs [52].…”