Could the Amount of Blinking Indicate Stress in Horses?
A study out of the University of Guelph asserts that there is a non-invasive method to assess stress in horses, and it involves the smallest of movements: blinking.
Six Signs of Good Quality Horse Hay
Forage makes up between 50 and 90 percent or more of a horse’s diet. Much of the forage part of the diet comes in the form of hay. Because it’s such a big part of the ration, a good quality hay can help keep a horse healthy, while a poor quality hay can be detrimental.…
An Optical Illusion Your Horse Can See
To evaluate the equine capacity to perceive the size of objects, researchers devised a study to test whether horses were susceptible to the Muller-Lyer Illusion, in which two identical lines appear to be of different lengths based on the orientation of arrowheads at their ends.
Music Helps Reduce Stress in Horses
A company focused on helping keep horses safe and “sound” when it comes to stress, released a music track, called Equine Relax Trax, specially designed to help reduce stress in horses.
Algorithm Identifies Pain in Horses Through Video Input
A computer has been successfully programmed in Brazil to automatically assess the pain level in horses based on video input. Researchers developed and evaluated a machine vision algorithm to assess pain levels in horses. The study team employed an automatic computational classifier based on the Horse Grimace Scale which was trained through a machine learning…
Therapeutic Work Affects the Way Horses View Humans
The use of horses in equine-assisted interventions appears to influence their perception of humans beyond work, researchers have found.
Horses Need To See Objects From All Sides
Understanding that horses view different sides of objects as entirely new means we can desensitize them to everyday objects from all angles for better safety and welfare.
Equine Discomfort Ethogram
The Equine Discomfort Ethogram, a detailed catalog of equine postures and behaviours, was compiled based on a review of research data and consultation records for horses treated at University of Pennsylvania’s veterinary hospital. With diagrams, photographs and videos, the researchers hope to help veterinarians and horse owners to better recognize and interpret the often-subtle signs…
How Do Horses See Themselves?
New research confirms earlier findings suggesting that horses have cognitive self-awareness, which enables them to recognize their own reflections.
Preparing the Horse to Learn
A myriad of factors under the control of the human can affect the horse’s ability to develop. A young horse that is being fed sugar-rich rations and has been socially isolated in a box stall with metered turnout time will be ill prepared to engage in a learning environment not through any fault of the…