anthrozoology | The Cognitive Horse

For a horse-human relationship based on reciprocal expression

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The horse as he is

Free-roaming horses in Italy, 2010 – Pic by José De Giorgio-Schoorl

How many people actually really know the horse as he is? This is the more important question. A lot of people think that in nature horses are reactive animals, always in an emotive inner state, searching for their leader to have guidance. False. Horses become highly reactive/emotive due to human breeding, management and activities. In nature horses are cognitive/emotional animals. They are thinking animals. Each their own balanced individual, capable of belonging to something bigger as a herd.

But what does cognition really mean? Cognition usually refers to the cognitive mechanisms involved in learning, memory, perception, decision-making and other. Cognitive ethology starts from the animal as sentient being. In the same way, the zooanthropological philosophy starts from considering animal as dialogical subject and not as passive object.

Equitation, modern or classical, more or less “natural”, using negative or positive reinforcement, has always seen the horse as a machine incapable of thinking. An object to condition and to control, this way depriving this animal of its natural cognitive abilities. This is mainly due to the early history of western philosophy that reflects a tendency to see animals as living being with lacking rationality.

Aristotle defined “human” as “the rational animal”, thus rejecting the possibility that any other species is rational (Aristotle Metaphysics). Aquinas believed that animals are irrational because they are not free (Aquinas Summa Theologica). Centuries later, Descartes defended his distinction between humans and animals based on the belief that language is a necessary condition for mind; on his view animals are soulless machines (Descartes Discourse on the Method). Locke agreed that animals cannot think, because words are necessary for comprehending universals (Locke Essay Concerning Human Understanding). Following in this tradition, Kant concluded that since they cannot think about themselves, animals are not rational agents and hence they only have instrumental value (Kant Lectures on Ethics). The question of animal rationality is related to a number of different questions about animals, including whether they engage in action, wether they have intend, or intentionality. Views about animal rationality can also have consequences for views about animal autonomy and moral status (Andrews, 2011).

Horse cognition research began collecting the first data in recent years; mixed with equine zooanthropology pushed with vigor into a new light, not only from the scientific point of view, but also from a cultural and ethical (De Giorgio, 2010; De Giorgio, Schoorl, 2012).

For example, under feral or semi-feral situation, in familiar group, horses seem to have important cognitive skills during social exploration of novel objects, expressed with specific behaviours and caratheristics. The first data analysis about our recent observations, seem to indicate a difference in permanent and non-permanent groups, during investigative processes of novel objects. The results show that group-stability, in which individuals take each other into account to avoid tension, offers a better exploratory process and thus a better cognitive experience (De Giorgio et al., 2012, sent to ASAB Winter Meeting titled “Cognition in the Wild” and to the Dutch Society of Behavioural Biology Annual Meeting).

Social cognitive abilities in horses are even more interesting when applied to the horse-human relationship. There is indeed evidence that horses detect human cues and attentional states (Krueger et al. 2011).

Only when you give to the horses the space, the context and the time to create their own experience, their own learning, their own sharing, focussing our own (human) intentions on their quality of life, only then will you see the horse as he is.

In the equine zooanthropological approach we don’t stimulate cognition, but we preserve innate cognitive abilities. We preserve the horse as he is.

As Gabriele Bono stressed in the preface of Proceedings about Italian Society of Veterinary Physiology Meeting 2012, looking at the cognitive abilities of animals should be a good occasion to face anthrozoology challenges beyond animal welfare, into animal quality of life.

Authors: Francesco De Giorgio, José De Giorgio-Schoorl

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Francesco De Giorgio

Born in 1965 in Italy, Francesco De Giorgio is a forward thinker about animal ethics as well as a biologist, ethologist and applied behavioural researcher. Francesco is member of the Ethics Commitee of ISAE (International Society of Applied Ethology), specialized in equine and canine ethology. He is also founder, developer and facilitator at the Learning Animals | International Institute for Zooanthropology, where he focuses principally on the study of animal-human interaction, ethics, animal personal growth and rehabilitation.

Graduating from Parma University in 1989, Francesco began his career as an independent field researcher, supporting several universities whilst indulging his lifelong passion for horses and dogs as an Equine and Canine Learning Professional – helping owners to enhance their relationships with animals.

Described by International School of Ethology (Erice, IT), Director Danilo Mainardi as “a man who works with his head and his heart and his hands”, Francesco walks the talk – integrating scientific knowledge into ethical day-to-day practice.

An expert in equine and canine welfare, Francesco provides expert support for institutions occupied with animal Health and Welfare (e.g. in equine mistreatment cases), has served on a number of ethics committees, and acts as an advisor to courts, police and equine rehabilitation centres, in animal abuse cases and rehabilitations post-abuse.

Much sought-after as both a speaker and lecturer, Francesco speaks regularly on ‘Cognitive Ethology in the Animal-Human Relationship’. He also lectures at several universities and has presented to numerous conferences and symposia on ethology, cognition and zooanthropology and published the books “Horse- Human dictionary” (in italian) and “The Cognitive Horse” (in english and italian).

José De Giorgio-Schoorl

Francesco’s partner in both life and work, Dutch born José Schoorl personifies the bridge between equine perception and human understanding. Their shared passion for horses and keen insight in social dynamics brought them together and today they live in the Netherlands with their eight horse companions, four dogs and two cats.

After many years of change adviser and personal development consultant, she is, today, a renowned proponent of the zooanthropological approach, working for the change in awareness and understanding of the Animal-Human Relationship.

As consultant and teacher at the Learning Animals Institute for Zooanthropology, José strives to improve people’s understanding of cognition and relationship dynamics, and in so doing to enhance their relationship with animals.

Contending that a firm grasp of equine cognition is the vital first step to understanding horses’ behaviour, José is a real force for change; inspiring and promoting fresh thinking in her writing and in her lectures and creating effective personal growth trajectories for individuals through free interaction with horses.
A regular guest lecturer and speaker in zooanthropology and personal growth, José has presented to conferences and symposia throughout Europe.

Bibliography

Andrews, K. Animal Cognition, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2011

Aquinas, S. T. Summa Theologica. Grand Rapids, Christian Classics, 1981.

Aristotle. The Metaphysics. New York, Penguin Classics, 1999.

Bono G. Looking at animal cognitive abilities allow us to face Anthrozoology challenges. Proceedings Italian Society of Veterinary Physiology Meeting (So.Fi.Vet.), 2012.

Descartes, R. A Discourse on the Method. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2006.

De Giorgio, F. Dizionario Italiano/Cavallo – Cavallo/Italiano, 2010

De Giorgio, F., Schoorl, J. Why isolate during training? Social learning and social cognition applied as training approach for young horses (Equus caballus), 2012

De Giorgio, F., School J., Saviani G., Palandri L., Tonarelli E. Equine social cognition: differences in the social exploratory process comparing free-roaming and domestic horses, 2012

Kant, I. “Duties to Animals and Spirits.” Lectures on Ethics. L. Infield. New York, Harper and Row, 1963: 239–241.

Krueger K., Flauger B., Farmer K., Maros K. Horses (Equus caballus) use hunam local enhancement cuesand adjust to human attention. Anim Cogn, 14: 187-203, 2011

Locke, J. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Pomona, Italy: Pomona Press, 2007

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Horse Memory: what have you (human) done for me lately?

Horse Memory

What have you (human) done for me lately?

Memory is an important aspect of cognition. It is involved in the collection, retention and use of information about an animal’s environment (Shettleworth 1998). Although numerous studies have focused on the importance of memory accuracy in various species (see Squire 1992, Sherry 2006 for review), relatively few and also more recently have explicitly examined the longevity of such memories.

Poecile atricapillus while storing food

A recent research published in Animal Cognition, shows first evidence that a parid species (the black-capped chickadee, Poecile atricapillus) can remember the location of a single food item for at least 6 months (Roth, 2011).

As Frans De Waal writes in his book ”The Age of Empathy”, just like human, some non-human animals seem to store favours in long-term memory.

Another interesting aspect comes up when we look at the following example of long-term memory in relationship dynamics considering the re-integration of two elephants after 23 years.

Elephants long-term memory

“Elephants presumably remember their own kind even better. Carol Buckley recounts a case where two elephants, Shirley (~53) and Jenny (~30), were reunited at the Elephant Sanctuary after 23 years apart. The exuberant greeting the two elephants exhibited when they were reunited was the first indication that they had known one another before. Then Shirley began to display unusual mothering behavior: Whenever Jenny lay down Shirley would straddle her in a protective manner, shading her body from the sun and from harm, as if she were a calf. For the rest of Jenny’s life, their relationship was like one of mother-daughter. Carol learned that Jenny and Shirley had last been together in a circus when Jenny was a calf and Shirley was about 30 years old. Their relationship at the Elephant Sanctuary indicated that they clearly remembered one another and the special adult-calf relationship they had once shared.” http://www.elephantvoices.org

Equine cognitive science has began to investigate and show evidence of the presence of long-term memory also in horses (Hanggi, 2009).

Also many stories and experiences narrated by horse people, seem to confirm that horses can recover stored information over a long-term period of latency. The difficulty in the study towards horses, is the impact human have on the life-conditions of a horse. A horse which is trained to obey, will be less capable to access instruments useful for problem-solving (e.g. mental representations and memory capacities). We could imagine therefor that research for evidence regarding memory in horses is more complicated than for example in the Poecile atricapillus above.

In a natural context, cognition of equine species (and memory with it) is a tool born from the evolution process (exactly like a leg, a stomach or a heart).

Long-term memory is an interesting topic in the horse-human relationship as well.

José Schoorl, Topazio, Sparta and Falo’: walking together

As long as a horse has not become indifferent towards it’s surroundings (and unfortunately many horse do), the things that we do in the interaction with our horse are well remembered. This is something people should be more aware of, even in daily life routine. Horses can remember for a long time if their interaction with a person was based on a positive intention or not. Of course this doesn’t mean that we should expect sign of gratitude for every positive moment we share with a horse.

Francesco De Giorgio, Cimango (a problem-horse) and Taku the dog

sharing a positive experience together

The positive memory is not translated in obeying, but in trust for a horse that he is able to express himself in the relationship with you. It’s like a “mutual latent cooperation”. A kind of communication during horse-human interaction, that could be stored in a long-term memory way.

Applied Equine Zooanthropology translates this concept in a pratical way, to really give the possibility to the horse to experience us and remember us empathically:

Giving the horse the possibility to live in a positive habitat, within a social context, in presence of familiar or familiar-like co-specifics;
Giving the horse time necessary for him, to explore all daily tools (saddle, pad, reins, halter, rope, etc.), but also new objects;
Giving the young horse the possibility to learn in a social context, without isolation from eachother during initial training;
Creating a horse-human complicity system sharing experience, without pressing demands;
Working in a calm way without expectations, with several pauses to elaborate experience and storage information;
Working in a non-schematical way, giving to the horse the possibility to express spontaneus behaviours.

Preserving the cognitive abilities in horses and creating experiences shared with a positive intention, makes it also possibile to cope together with a horse more difficult experiences. Dealing with an injury for example. It is not the action itself but the intention making the memory a significant one.

José Schoorl and Fulmine Bike Experience

Owners, but first of all scientists, trainers and vets should start to consider the cognitive capacities in horses and work in order to preserve them.

Writers: Francesco De Giorgio, José Schoorl

Photo: José Schoorl, Francesco De Giorgio, internet

Francesco De Giorgio is an Italian ethologist and applied behaviour researcher, currently living in the Netherlands and working both in Italy as in the Netherlands. He is Guest Lecturer regarding Equine Cognition in several universities and member at Dutch Society for Behavioural Biology (NVG), at Italian Society for Veterinary Physiology (SoFiVet) and at International Society for Applied Ethology (ISAE). His special field of research is applied social learning in horses. He is a scientist but also a practical man, having a band of eight horses together with his partner in life and work José Schoorl.

José Schoorl is a Dutch trainer in horse-human relationship, teaching and training people in the Netherlands, in Italy and in the UK, how to understand, how to live and how to improve the relationship with a horse from their own and from the horse’s point of view. For José understanding Equine Cognition is the first step in order to improve understanding of the horse’s behaviour and motivation.

Francesco and José work every day with passion and determination to give the horse a voice as sentient being.

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If a horse could open up the black-box of Skinner

Often, when I read or think about the old skinnerian concepts of conditioning, I seem to hear Descartes, a philosopher that several centuries before Skinner, emphasized nonhuman animals simply as machines. Skinner, but before him also Watson and other behaviourists went even beyond Descartes and gave the human animals the same machines-label: With the possibility to be conditioned in every behaviourial aspect of their life, so to arrive to the unhealthy concept of the “perfect society”.

Regarding horses (and all other animals), my personal opinion is that it is absurd that nowadays there are still many scientists, veterinaries, animal trainers and animal owners that take in good consideration the skinnerian idea about animal minds, applying the behavioristic learning theory which is focused on operant conditioning. By doing so, following the skinnerian idea of animal minds, they actually not consider the mind-activity at all, nor the animal’s perception or ‘less’ observable emotions. Most people are probably not aware of these consequences, as most animals do not tend to yell “you’re not listening to me”.

Also many training and education institutions still take these concepts as important principles in order to learn how to build the “perfect horse” which brings me back to the same unhealthy feeling of the perfect society.

Instead of trying to build a horses that precisely meets our anthropocentric desires in a skinnerian way, in order to respond on the requests of the various equestrian disciplines, we should try to really understand the animal (mind, emotions and needs) and improve horse welfare starting from understanding the animal and his cognitive way of learning and living.

Behaviourism through operant conditioning is widely used to manipulate animal minds (also human minds), during learning and relationship processes. For the horse this often means a stimulated fear for the human, so to better control him, training him ”positive” or “natural” or with soft ”leadership”, but always in a conditioning way where the horse is seen as a stimulus-response machine.

Fortunately there is a world-wide search for better understanding the horse (from the horse’s point of view) and attempts to interact from an ethical perspective. A difficult one, as the standards for “good horsemanship” are almost worldwide alike and based on controlling capacities, causing that those who have a different understanding and a higher sensibility for the horse-human relationship do find a lot of walls around them. But a slow but steady change is occurring.

In this real ethical change about human’s way to look at the horse and the horse-human relationship, cognitive ethology and the zooanthropologic approach are important reference points:

– Cognitive ethology is based on scientific research and also on a philosophical, ethical and cultural approach, which is necessary to accept a new way of thinking. Applied equine cognitive ethology is based on how the horse elaborates information and the meaning for the horse of free exploration, where experience and information is shared in a social equine context;

– In equine zooanthropology the human animal takes a decentralized position in the relationship with the horse and considers the nonhuman animal as sentient living being, with his own individuality, subjectivity and otherness. In this field of activity, during the development of a horse-human relationship, co-training, co-evolution and co-experience are important terms and activities. Human and nonhuman animal, at the same time, each from their different point of view, live the same experience, share intentions and learn together.

Yes, I think that if a horse could open up the black-box of Skinner and would whisper something in it, there would be an echo coming back.

Writer: Francesco De Giorgio, equine cognitive ethologist and trainer

Francesco De Giorgio is an italian ethologist and applied behaviour researcher, currently living in the Netherlands and working both in Italy as in the Netherlands. He is Guest Lecturer regarding Equine Cognition in several universities and his special field of research is applied social learning in horses. He is a scientist but also a practical man, having a band of eight horses together with his partner in life and work José Maria Schoorl.

The Cognitive Horse

For a horse-human relationship based on reciprocal expression

Posts tagged ‘anthrozoology’

The horse as he is

Horse Memory: what have you (human) done for me lately?

If a horse could open up the black-box of Skinner

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