RAiSE (recognizing affective state in equine) and the assessment of equine affective state: Accuracy and application

Accurate interpretation of affective state (AS) of animals is critical to assessment of their wellbeing. Although horse owners may appreciate the importance of this skill, many lack the ability to interpret AS accurately.

To test if the online course Recognizing Affective States in Equine (RAiSE) improves participants' assessment of AS in horses and increases use of AS in management.

Participants completed pre (PRE), post (POST), and 90 day post (90POST) course surveys to assess accuracy in identifying AS in 20 videos, as well as use of AS in their horse interactions. Pre/post surveys were compared for improvement in Overall Accuracy (OA), and accuracy for Valence (V) and Arousal (A) in identifying AS in the 20 videos.

Respondents (n=73) were 53.2 ± 15.1 years of age, and were primarily female (86.8%, n=74). Mean OA increased (P=.002) from 12.8 ± 3.5 on the PRE to 14.4 ± 2.5 on the POST with a score of 20 representing complete accuracy. Mean A accuracy showed little change from 15.8 ± 3.9 on the PRE to 16.5 ± 2.4 on the POST. Mean V accuracy increased (P=.001) from 15.4 ± 3.5 on the PRE to 17.1 ± 2.3 on the POST. On 90POST, 87.5% of respondents indicated they wanted to implement assessment of AS with their horses, and 74.1% of participants indicated they had already done so.

The online course RAiSE can be an effective tool to increase users' ability to recognize AS in horses, and to create human behavior change to improve equine welfare.