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Overshadowing: a silver lining to a dark cloud in horse training
1Australian Equine Behaviour Centre, Broadford, Victoria, Australia. andrewmclean@aebc.com.au
Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science : JAAWS
|June 24, 2008
Summary
Overshadowing, a behavioral science phenomenon, can explain reduced responsiveness in horses exposed to dual aversive stimuli. This process also offers an efficient method for desensitizing horses to highly aversive stimuli.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Science
- Animal Behavior
- Equine Science
Background:
- Overshadowing describes how a stronger stimulus attenuates a weaker one when presented simultaneously.
- This phenomenon may explain decreased responsiveness and conflict behaviors in performance horses due to concurrent aversive stimuli.
- While potentially causing adverse effects, overshadowing offers benefits for desensitization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the beneficial applications of overshadowing in equine desensitization.
- To investigate the efficiency and retention of overshadowing as a desensitization technique for aversive stimuli.
- To present preliminary findings on the underutilized phenomenon of overshadowing in horses.
Main Methods:
- The study presents four examples illustrating the application of overshadowing.
- The methodology involves presenting two concurrent stimuli of different strengths to nonhuman animals (horses).
- Assessment of desensitization effects and their retention over subsequent days was conducted.
Main Results:
- Overshadowing can be an efficient method for desensitizing horses to stimuli like saddle pressure, clippers, aerosols, and needles.
- Desensitization using concurrent overshadowing appears rapid, especially for highly aversive stimuli.
- The effects of overshadowing desensitization are retained when assessed on subsequent days.
Conclusions:
- Overshadowing is a promising, though underutilized, phenomenon in behavioral science with practical applications in equine training.
- The technique offers an efficient and effective method for desensitizing horses to common aversive stimuli.
- Further research is warranted to fully understand and utilize the benefits of overshadowing in animal behavior modification.
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