High-Tech Equine Research
Christa Lesté-Lasserre, MA
August 16, 2018
Find out how equine researchers are using the latest gadgets and gizmos to diagnose lameness, collect data, and more.
Find out how equine researchers are using the latest gadgets and gizmos to diagnose lameness, collect data, and more.
Researchers determined that, even in a short time span, a horse can associate a place with positive or negative experiences and consequently present different emotions when he returns to that place.
Researchers found significant signs of stress reduction when horses inhaled lavender essential oil from a diffuser compared to water vapor and chamomile.
Horses don’t seem to be able to reason about object size the way we do. In other words, it might not occur to horses that their 1,200-pound frames can’t quite hide behind a 5-inch-wide tree trunk.
New evidence suggesting that horses produce more snorts in favorable situations could improve animal welfare practices, researchers say.
The “bucket test” has its place but it can give significantly different results than an all-day field test of horses at pasture. That’s especially true for lower-ranking horses, researchers said.
Understanding how individual horses think and reason could help handlers be aware of their individual needs and strengths, researchers say.
Scientists developed a portable testing system which uses infrared technology that can allow them to evaluate horses in their home stables without human intervention.
Researchers demonstrated for the first time that horses use humans’ facial expressions and vocal tones to perceive emotion.
Most equestrians would be horrified to know they’re hurting their horses. But with the equipment we use—from spurs to nosebands—we might be unintentionally causing them harm.
New study results indicate the pressure horses appear to accept from most bitless bridles is comparable to that they accept from snaffle bridles.
Our equine behavior expert offers advice for applying learning theory and treat-training horses under saddle.
More experienced riders held their eyes on a specific point more frequently than less experienced riders, who shifted their vision frequently to look at more things, researchers found.
A new wearable device allows scientists to take electroencephalogram (EEG) measurements from active, moving horses’ brains in real time, which could help us better understand how horses think and react, researchers said.
Horses have varying degrees of “distractibility,” and this can significantly affect their attention capacities and, hence, their efficiency in learning, researchers confirmed.
Horseback riding requires healthy backs–not just for horses but also humans. In fact, human back health can have direct implications on equine back health, as well as the horse’s welfare and performance.
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