How Well Do Horses Learn?

Overview

Objectives/Goals An investigation was done to determine whether horses can learn to associate geometric shapes with a food reward. The literature reports numerous instances showing that horses can distinguish between different pairs of patterns. Here, the experimental design tested whether a horse can learn to recognize the difference between three different symbols: triangle, circle, and square. Methods/Materials Experimental subjects were 5 horses and ponies selected at a local stable, mature mares and geldings regularly used in riding lessons. Each subject was tested in 2-4 sessions: 10 or 12 challenge trials after 2 familiarization trials. The subject was released 5-6 meters from the buckets at the end of an 8x16 meter paddock. The subject was familiarized with the task by being led to a single, triangle-labeled bucket containing the feed reward, followed by a trial where they were allowed to find the bucket on their own. In the challenge trials, the subject was presented with 3 identical 12 liter buckets placed 2 meters apart; each bucket was labeled with the 12-15 cm black shape on a 8½ x11 inch white background. About 100 grams of sweet feed was placed in the bucket labeled with a triangle as a positive reinforcement. A different random assignment of the 3 different shapes to the buckets was used for each trial, with the same assignments was used for all sessions on a single day. Results In over 50% of the sessions, the correct bucket was selected more frequently than would be expected from chance. One subject chose the correct bucket 75% of the time, which would be expected only 0.1% of the time by chance. Four of the subjects had accuracies over 40%, compared to 33% expected for random selection. Conclusions/Discussion The data show that some horses can learn, but there are significant differences between horses. Qualitative differences between subjects# performance were seen, particularly in the incorrect choices. Some subjects appeared to select on the basis of physical position rather than on the symbol. Some subjects also appeared to use a systematic approach to finding the reward. Additional trials with more horses, as well as more analysis, may provide insight into the nature of learning in horses.

Awards (1)

• First Place

Competition history

• CSEF 2007 Mammalian Biology · Entry J1117

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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