When horses can’t find a solution to their problems, they use visual and tactile cues to get attention and ask for help. In addition, horses modify their behavior based on human knowledge of the situation. This is the conclusion reached by an investigation developed by the Faculty of Intercultural Studies at the University of Kobe (Japan). Additionally, the findings have been published in the journal Animal Cognition.
Study development
To carry out this study, the scientists investigated the horses’ cognitive abilities (when close to humans) in a problem-solving situation where food was hidden in a place accessible only to people. The experiment took place in a paddock belonging to the Kobe University Equestrian Club, where eight club horses participated with the collaboration of their keepers.
During the first experiment, one of the researchers hid food (carrots) in a bucket that the horse could not reach. The researchers looked at whether the horse would signal the keeper to reach for the carrots. The results showed that when horses cannot solve problems on their own, they send signals to humans both visually and physically.
Study results
Based on these results, they conducted a second experiment: they tested whether the behavior of the horses changed based on the knowledge of the keepers about the food. Thus, the horses sent more signals, showing that horses can modify their behavior depending on the level of knowledge of human beings.
This high cognitive capacity could have been acquired during the domestication process. So scientists are now focused on comparing the communication between horses and taking a closer look at the cognitive ability of these animals when they are close to humans.
By deepening our understanding of the cognitive abilities of species (which have close relationships with humans), we can analyze the development of unique communication traits. This is closely related to the influence of domestication on the cognitive capacity of animals.
In addition, it could provide valuable information to establish stronger bonds between humans and animals.
