Towards Consensus: A Pilot Study in Enhancing Recognition of Equine Affective States with RaiSE (Recognizing...

Area of Science:

• Animal Behavior
• Equine Welfare Science
• Educational Technology

Background:

• Accurate interpretation of equine affective states is crucial for horse welfare.
• The RAiSE (Recognizing Affective States in Equine) online course aims to improve caretakers' skills in identifying horse emotions.
• Course development was informed by the Theory of Planned Behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the RAiSE online educational course.
• To assess improvements in participants' ability to interpret equine affective states.
• To identify specific course modules that were particularly impactful.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 45 participants who completed the RAiSE course.
• Pre- and post-course surveys were administered.
• Participants interpreted affective states from 20 video clips of horses before and after the course.

Main Results:

• Significant improvement in the interpretation of valence (p < 0.05).
• A significant increase in recognizing negative valence states post-course.
• Overall correct assessments improved from 61% to 69% (p < 0.05).
• Lessons on "Identifying Abnormal States" and "Horse-Human Interaction" were rated highly impactful.
• Less effectiveness was observed in improving the recognition of positive valence states.

Conclusions:

• The RAiSE course shows potential for enhancing equine welfare through education.
• The course contributes to a more informed and humane approach to horse care.
• Future research should focus on improving the assessment of positive equine affective states.