Owners' belief in horse emotion is linked to healthier animals, new study shows
Reported by Phys.org · October 21 at 10:35 AM · Summary by Hoofdeck
A study by the charity Brooke and the University of Portsmouth found that working horse owners who believe their horses have emotions tend to keep healthier animals with better body condition. The research involved 299 owners and their horses in towns and villages in the Senegalese regions of Diourbel, Louga and Thiès, and was published in PLOS ONE.
Background
Working horses and donkeys in low and middle-income countries often support farming, transport and household tasks, so their health affects family income directly. Welfare studies like this one are generally observational, which means they show associations between owner attitudes and animal condition rather than proving that one causes the other.
Why it matters
It shows that how an owner regards a horse's feelings may be linked to the animal's nutrition, living conditions and body condition.
What you can do
Owners can make a habit of watching their horse's body condition, weight and feed intake, and bring any sudden change to a vet's attention. Regular checks and good nutrition are practical steps regardless of the study's findings.
Written by Hoofdeck from the report by Phys.org. Background is general information, not advice about your horse; if you are worried, call your vet.