Horses Never Forget Human Friends: A Study on Equine Memory and Loyalty

Human friends may come and go, but a horse could be one of your most loyal, long-term buddies if you treat it right, suggests a new study. Horses not only understand words better than expected but also possess excellent memories, allowing them to recall human friends after periods of separation and remember complex problem-solving strategies for ten years or more.

Equine Memory and Human Interaction

According to research, the bond with humans is likely an extension of horse behavior in the wild. Horses value their own relatives and friends and are open to new, non-threatening acquaintances. "Horses maintain long-term bonds with several members of their family group, but they also interact temporarily with members of other groups when forming herds," explained Carol Sankey, who led the research.

"Equid social relationships are long-lasting and, in some cases, lifelong," added the scientists, whose paper has been accepted for publication in the journal Animal Behavior.

The Study on Horse Memory

Ethologist Sankey of the University of Rennes and her colleagues studied 20 Anglo-Arabian and three French Saddlebred horses stabled in Chamberet, France. They tested how well the horses remembered a female trainer and her instructions after being separated for up to eight months.

The training program consisted of 41 steps associated with basic grooming and medical care. For example, the horses had to remain immobile in response to the verbal command "reste!" which is French for "stay." When a horse followed instructions, the trainer rewarded it with food pellets.

With tasty rewards, the horses displayed more positive behaviors toward the experimenter, such as sniffing and licking. Horses do this as a sign of affiliation, not just for food.

"Horses trained without reinforcement expressed four to six times more negative behaviors, such as biting, kicking, and falling down on the experimenter," the scientists noted.

Long-Term Memory and Positive Reinforcement

After eight months of separation, horses trained with food rewards gravitated towards the same experimenter and accepted new people more readily, indicating a positive memory of humans.

"From our results, it appears that horses are no different than humans in terms of positive reinforcement teachings," according to the researchers. "They behave, learn, and memorize better when learning is associated with a positive situation."

While people often train dogs using verbal commands, Sankey and her team point out that most horse-riding training is based on tactile sensations. However, since horses can learn and memorize human words and hear the human voice better than dogs, trainers could succeed by incorporating more vocal commands.

Insights from Lifesavers Wild Horse Rescue

Jill Starr, president and founder of Lifesavers Wild Horse Rescue, a non-profit providing refuge, training, and adoption for wild mustangs and domestic horses, observed horses responding well to verbal commands. However, she believes horses and people get along better if the person doesn't chatter, as this increases awareness of body language, which is more familiar to horses.

Starr agrees that horses are loyal, intelligent, and have long-lasting memories of both good and bad experiences. "Horses can be very forgiving, but they never forget," she said.

Originally Posted By NBC News