Research into horse cognition has revealed sophisticated emotional and social intelligence that has important implications for how horses are trained, managed, and kept.
The depth of horse emotional and social intelligence revealed by recent research strengthens the welfare case for management practices that respect these capacities. Horses that are isolated, prevented from social contact, and managed through fear-based training methods experience psychological suffering that goes beyond physical deprivation. The memory of negative experiences means that aversive training has long-lasting welfare consequences that persist across years. Positive welfare approaches that work with horse emotional needs — herd social contact, choice, positive reinforcement — produce horses with better welfare outcomes and often better performance.