Interest in Humans: Comparisons between Riding School Lesson Equids and Assisted-Intervention Equids
Noémie Lerch,
Francesca Cirulli,
Céline Rochais,
Clémence Lesimple,
Estelle Guilbaud,
Laura Contalbrigo,
Marta Borgi,
Marine Grandgeorge,
Martine Hausberger
Affiliations
Noémie Lerch
University Rennes, Normandie University, CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine)–UMR 6552, F-35380 Paimpont, France
Francesca Cirulli
Center for Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, I-00161 Rome, Italy
Céline Rochais
University Rennes, Normandie University, CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine)–UMR 6552, F-35380 Paimpont, France
Clémence Lesimple
University Rennes, Normandie University, CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine)–UMR 6552, F-35380 Paimpont, France
Estelle Guilbaud
University Rennes, Normandie University, CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine)–UMR 6552, F-35380 Paimpont, France
Laura Contalbrigo
Italian National Reference Centre for Animal Assisted Interventions, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Viale Dell’Università 10, 35020 Legnaro (Padua), Italy
Marta Borgi
Center for Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, I-00161 Rome, Italy
Marine Grandgeorge
University Rennes, Normandie University, CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine)–UMR 6552, F-35380 Paimpont, France
Martine Hausberger
University Rennes, Normandie University, CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine)–UMR 6552, F-35380 Paimpont, France
Little is known about the impact of equine-assisted interventions (EAI) on equids’ perception of humans. In this study 172 equids, living in 12 riding centres, were submitted to a standardised human–horse relationship test: the motionless person test. Age, sex, type (horse/pony), housing, and feeding conditions of subjects were recorded. Overall, 17 equids worked in EAI, 95 in riding school lessons (RS), and 60 in both (EAI-RS). There were high inter-individual variations in the number of interactive behaviours directed towards the experimenter: negative binomial general linear models showed that activity was the most important factor: RS equids performed more interactive behaviours than EAI (p = 0.039) and EAI-RS (p p = 0.013). Individual characteristics were also important as horses interacted more than ponies (p = 0.009), geldings more than mares (p = 0.032), and 3–15-year-old equids more than equids over 15 years (p = 0.032). However, there was no interaction between factors. The lower number of interactive behaviours of EAI equids leads to different hypotheses—namely, selection on temperament, specific training, or compromised welfare (apathy). In any case, our results raised new lines of questions on EAI.
