The Behavioral Cost of Care: Changes in Maintenance Behavior during Equine-Assisted Interventions

Area of Science:

• Animal behavior and welfare science
• Human-animal interaction studies
• Equine-assisted interventions

Background:

• The increasing use of animals in therapy, education, and recreation necessitates evaluating animal welfare.
• Multispecies engagement welfare can be analyzed through the lens of symbiosis.
• Understanding the cost-benefit balance for animals in human-animal interventions is vital.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine human-animal symbiosis in equine-assisted interventions.
• To investigate the welfare of animals, specifically horses, during these interactions.
• To analyze equine maintenance behaviors and equid-human interactive behavior.

Main Methods:

• Ethological methods were adapted to observe horses and humans in an equine-assisted learning setting.
• Equine maintenance behaviors (alertness, eating, ambulation) were recorded before, during, and after sessions.
• Equid-human approach-response interactions were documented, totaling 267 sequences.

Main Results:

• Equine alertness, eating, and ambulation showed significant variations across session phases.
• Human-animal interactions were predominantly initiated by humans towards equids.
• Equids most frequently responded with no reaction or avoidance to human approach, while humans reciprocated equid approach.

Conclusions:

• Interruptions in typical equine behavior during interventions are key indicators of welfare.
• The study highlights an imbalance in interaction initiation and response within the human-equid symbiotic relationship.
• Findings contribute to understanding symbiosis and animal welfare in human-animal interventions.