Social Referencing in the Domestic Horse.
Authors: Schrimpf Anne, Single Marie-Sophie, Nawroth Christian
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Social Referencing in the Domestic Horse Horses demonstrate a capacity for social referencing—using human emotional cues to interpret unfamiliar situations—comparable to that observed in dogs and cats, though this ability had not been systematically investigated in equines until this 2020 study. Researchers exposed 46 horses to a novel object whilst an experimenter positioned centrally displayed either positive or negative emotional expressions (including directed gaze and vocal tone), then quantified approach behaviour, gazing patterns, and physical interactions. Horses receiving positive emotional cues spent significantly more time in the space between experimenter and object, suggesting reduced avoidance, whilst those in the negative condition showed heightened vigilance through increased gazing at the object itself. Notably, breed differences emerged: thoroughbreds exhibited notably less human-directed behaviour than warmbloods and ponies, potentially reflecting selective breeding for independent temperament. These findings have direct implications for handling, training and habituation protocols—practitioners can leverage emotional signalling to modulate equine responses to novel situations, though individual breed predispositions should inform expectations of how receptive horses will be to this form of communication.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Your emotional expression and body language when introducing horses to novel situations (new equipment, environments, scary objects) directly influences their response and willingness to engage—maintain calm, positive demeanor to encourage exploration rather than avoidance
- •Breed type may affect how readily horses respond to your emotional cues; thoroughbreds may require more explicit reassurance than warmbloods or ponies when facing unfamiliar situations
- •Horses actively monitor your facial expressions and vocal tone as behavioral guides, making your consistent, positive presence a practical training tool for desensitization work
Key Findings
- •Horses in positive emotional condition spent more time between experimenter and novel object compared to negative condition, indicating reduced avoidance behavior
- •Horses in negative emotional condition gazed more frequently at the object than positive condition, indicating increased vigilance
- •Thoroughbreds displayed less human-directed behavior than warmbloods and ponies, suggesting breed-dependent differences in social referencing ability
- •Horses use human emotional cues (gaze and voice) to guide behavioral responses to novel objects, demonstrating social referencing capacity