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Animals
Special Issues
Equine Cognition and Behavior in Human–Horse Interactions
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Equine Cognition and Behavior in Human–Horse Interactions

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Equids".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 November 2026 | Viewed by 1392

Editor

Dr. Emily Kieson

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Research, Equine International, Boston, MA 02120, USA
Interests: horse–human relationship; equine-assisted services; equine communication; welfare and wellbeing; agency and choice

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce a Special Issue of Animals on “Equine Cognition and Behavior in Horse–Human Interactions.” Horses live and work in close partnership with people across sport, leisure, equine-assisted services (EASs), and management settings, yet many common practices are still guided more by tradition than by evidence and research. Advances in cognitive and behavioral science, paired with assessments in well-being and welfare, offer critical tools for understanding how horses perceive, learn, communicate, and experience their environments, and how human interactions, including handling and training, shape outcomes for both horse and human.

The aim of this Special Issue is to showcase current research that improves our scientific understanding of horse–human dynamics while aligning with the journal’s scope in animal behavior, cognition, and welfare. We welcome submissions that address topics such as equine learning and memory, intra- and interspecies communication, affective state, stress physiology, welfare and well-being indicators, cognitive bias, and the impacts of training and handling practices. Original research articles, systematic or narrative reviews, and method-focused papers (e.g., ethograms, observational approaches, or applied assessment tools) are all encouraged.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Emily Kieson
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • affective state
  • welfare assessment
  • well-being indicators
  • horse–human relationship
  • equine-assisted ser-vices
  • behavioral indicators
  • equitation
  • cognitive bias
  • training and handling practices
  • ethograms

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

22 pages, 1184 KB  
Article
From Concept to Perception: Equestrian Definitions of Harmony and Visual Attention in Horse–Rider Evaluation
by Inga A. Wolframm, Madita Everding, Varvara Savulchyk, Jorinde Borssen and Debby D. M. Gudden
Animals 2026, 16(10), 1483; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16101483 - 12 May 2026
Viewed by 953
Abstract
In equestrian circles, horse–rider harmony is understood intuitively, yet clear criteria are lacking. This study examined how different equestrians conceptualized and visually assessed harmony and how this influenced scoring. Qualitative interviews were combined with eye tracking technology. Thirty equestrians assessed five videos of [...] Read more.
In equestrian circles, horse–rider harmony is understood intuitively, yet clear criteria are lacking. This study examined how different equestrians conceptualized and visually assessed harmony and how this influenced scoring. Qualitative interviews were combined with eye tracking technology. Thirty equestrians assessed five videos of horse–rider combinations performing in dressage, showjumping, eventing, working equitation and Icelandic riding, with eye movements being recorded using a mounted eye tracker. Verbal definitions were analyzed using thematic analysis, revealing three overarching themes: Horse Behavior, Horse–Rider Connection, and Rider Influence. Number of fixations and duration of fixation were reduced using principal component analysis (PCA), yielding five components each. These explained 70.9% and 64.5% of variance, respectively. Linear mixed-effects models showed significant effects for two PCA components: frequent fixation on the horse’s ears and eyes relative to the horse’s shoulder and rider leg predicted lower harmony scores (B = −0.34, SE = 0.13, z = −2.53, p < 0.05), whereas longer dwell time on the rider’s shoulder relative to the rider’s leg predicted higher scores (B = 0.25, SE = 0.12, z = 2.12, p < 0.05). Ears and eyes were also the most frequent first fixation. Harmony appears to be a shared construct at the conceptual level, but is personally enacted at the practical level. Equine facial expressions and rider posture serve as important perceptual indicators. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Equine Cognition and Behavior in Human–Horse Interactions)
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