A new study has shown that horses plan ahead, think strategically, and have a higher level of cognitive reasoning than researchers previously believed.
Care for animal well-being should not be dependent upon an animal’s ability to reason. Jeremy Bentham once said, “The question is not, Can they reason?, nor Can they talk? but, Can they suffer?”
Still, researchers are hopeful that this study will have a positive impact on the well-being of horses.
Dr Carrie Ijichi, a researcher on the study and a senior lecturer in equine science at NTU, noted, “This teaches us that we shouldn’t make assumptions about animal intelligence or sentience based on whether they are ‘built’ just like us.”
The lead researcher on the study, Louise Evans, said, “Generally, when we start to think that animals may have better cognitive abilities than previously thought, their welfare does improve.” She also noted that the study shows horse training does not require aversive tools, which subject animals to pain, fear, and stress.