Consistency and flexibility in solving spatial tasks: different horses show different cognitive styles.

Area of Science:

• Animal behavior
• Cognitive ethology
• Equine science

Background:

• Individual animals exhibit behavioral and cognitive variations when facing novel situations.
• These variations suggest potential differences in cognitive abilities among individuals within a species.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate individual differences in equine problem-solving strategies.
• To determine if horses exhibit distinct cognitive styles when detouring around obstacles.
• To explore the relationship between cognitive styles, task difficulty, and physiological stress responses.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-six horses were tested on their ability to detour around symmetric and asymmetric obstacles to reach a food reward.
• Behavioral approaches (speed, accuracy, direction consistency) and heart rate variability were recorded.
• Obstacle types (symmetric vs. asymmetric) were used to assess task difficulty and its impact on performance and stress.

Main Results:

• All horses successfully navigated the obstacles, but demonstrated varied strategies.
• Some horses were slow and accurate, others fast and directionally consistent but less accurate.
• A subset of horses shifted from fast, consistent strategies on symmetric barriers to slower, more accurate ones on asymmetric barriers.
• Asymmetric barriers led to reduced heart rate variability, indicating increased task demand.

Conclusions:

• Horses display distinct cognitive styles in problem-solving, evidenced by varied approaches to detouring tasks.
• These cognitive differences may be linked to individual personality traits and warrant further investigation.
• Understanding these variations is crucial for improving equine welfare and management practices.