The Language of Horses’ Ears

Horses’ physiques, from the top of their ears to the tips of their hooves, are designed to make them agile and quick in flight. Their hearing is a significant component of that. Understanding the language of a horse’s ears as well as the impact of what they hear on their behavior can help us gain…

New Research Could Help Breed for Less ‘Spooky’ Horses

In the wild, horses must be alert for predators that might attack them. This means that even domesticated horses are hardwired to be aware of danger and can scare easily. Unfortunately, this so-called “startle response” or “spooking” is reflexive, and horses often cannot distinguish between the danger a Florida panther might present versus a plastic bag…

Do Horses Care About the Color Of Their Feed?

University of Minnesota researchers have discovered that horses have opinions about the color of their grain. To test whether the horses had a color preference, scientists used six adult horses that had not been fed oats before. The horses were repeatedly offered white or yellow oats from identical feed tubs.

Placement of Feed, Water And Shelter Affect Grazing Behaviour

In most pasture systems, resources such as water, shelter and supplemental feed are not spread out. As a result, horses may spend more time foraging near these resources, which can contribute to nonuniform or over grazing. Researchers at Clemson University evaluated the effect of resource placement in pastures on horse grazing behavior and time spent…

Effects of Noises on Competition Horses

Sport horses are required to perform without distraction by external, irrelevant sounds. To help achieve this, noise-damping ear covers have been developed. However, their effectiveness has not been established. A study team set out investigate the responses of horses to different sounds commonly present in a competition environment and compare these responses in the presence…