J. Anim Sci.
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J. Anim Sci. 1981. 53:1204-1209.
© 1981 American Society of Animal Science
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Effects of Early Experience on the Learning Ability of Yearling Horses1

J. C. Heird2, A. M. Lennon3 and R. W. Bell4

Texas Tech University, Lubbock 79409

Abstract

Twenty-four yearling Quarter Horse fillies were divided into three groups (I) very limited handling, (II) intermediate handling and (III) extensive handling. At about 14 months of age, each horse was preconditioned for 2 weeks and then run in a simple place-learning T-maze test in which it had to locate its feed. Thirty trials were run daily for 20 days, with the location of the feed changed each day. To retire from the maze, a horse had to meet the criterion: 11 correct responses in 12 tries, with the last eight being consecutive. Horses in Group II required the fewest trials to reach criterion. These horses also learned more and had the highest percentage of correct responses (P<.05). Mean trainability tended to predict learning ability; however, trainability and trials to criterion were not significantly correlated. Mean emotionality scores indicated a tendency for horses in the intermediately handled group to be less emotional than those in Group I or III. Results indicated that horses with an intermediate amount of handling scored higher on an intermediate test of learning. All handled horses scored higher on learning tests than those not handled.

Footnotes

1 Supported in part by funds appropriated by the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and the Institute of Agriculture, Texas Tech Univ.

2 Dept. of Anim. Sci.

3 Present Address: College of Agriculture, Univ. of Missouri, Columbia

4 Dept. of Psychol.






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Copyright © 1981 by the American Society of Animal Science.