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Horses 'can communicate their preferences with humans'
Horses preferred to remain without a blanket in nice weather, but to have a blanket on in wet, windy or cold weather.
Study finds horses can indicate whether they want a blanket on or off

A new study suggests horses can learn to communicate with humans by touching different symbols to indicate whether they want a blanket on or off.

Reward based operant conditioning was used to teach a group of horses to approach and touch a board, and to understand symbols on three boards, which indicated either 'no change', 'blanket off' or 'blanket on'.

Scientists from the Norwegian Veterinary Institute found that horses preferred to remain without a blanket in nice weather, but to have a blanket on in wet, windy or cold weather.

When 22 horses were tested on one of two sunny days (20-23ºC) all 10 wearing the blanket touched the 'blanket off' board. The remaining 12 who did not have a blanket on touched the board meaning 'no change'.

The same 22 horses were tested again in colder weather (5-9ºC). In these conditions, all 10 wearing the blanket indicated 'no change' while 10 that were not wearing a blanket touched the 'blanket on' board and the remaining two without a blanket indicated 'no change'. However, the same two gave the 'blanket on' signal on two different test days when temperatures were -12ºC and 1ºC with sleet respectively.

Writing in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science, researchers summarised the findings: 'Horses chose to stay without a blanket in nice weather, and they chose to have a blanket on when the weather was wet, windy and cold. This indicates that horses both had an understanding of the consequence of their choice on their own thermal comfort, and that they successfully had learned to communicate their preference by using the symbols.'

The team believe their novel method could pave the way for further research on horse preferences regarding management and training routines.

Read the full study here: http://www.appliedanimalbehaviour.com/article/S0168-1591(16)30219-2/fulltext

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Strangles survey seeks views of horse owners

News Story 1
 With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.

The survey, which has been designed by Dechra, aims to raise awareness of Strangles and promote best practices to prevent its transmission. It includes questions about horse owners' experiences of strangles, together with preventative measures and vaccination.

Respondents to the survey will be entered into a prize draw to win two VIP tickets to Your Horse Live 2025. To access the survey, click here 

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News Shorts
Vivienne Mackinnon elected BVA Scottish Branch President

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has elected Vivienne Mackinnon as its new BVA Scottish Branch president.

Dr Mackinnon has over 30 years of experience in veterinary care, encompassing both small animal and mixed practice. She has worked in practices in Scotland, England, New Zealand and Australia, before joining APHA to work in frontline disease control.

In her speech, Dr Mackinnon reflected on the changes in Scotland's veterinary industry and highlighted her commitment to veterinary education.

Dr Mackinnon said: "I look forward to working with colleagues across the veterinary professions to improve animal health and welfare in the country and support veterinary workplaces."