Horse Brain, Human Brain

The neuroscience of horsemanship.

Why Do Some People Behave Violently Toward Animals?

Commentary: A rider punched the horse that won the Kentucky Derby in the face this weekend—making the case that automatic habits can lead to needless violence.

How Horse Racing Must Change

The sport of horse racing needs to represent the tenets of ethics and morality, sport psychology, and quality care for the animals it uses.

What Can Be Done to Protect Racehorses?

Why is racing so dangerous for horses? Before we can consider viable solutions, we must first understand the problems.

New Ways of Using Food to Train Horses

Food is the most popular reinforcer in standard positive reinforcement training. But brain science suggests it's not always the best.

Positive Reinforcement: A New Look at an Old Concept

Ready for a little technical chat about positive reinforcement training? Increase your power by using more than just reward!

The author and her horse, considering the laptop.

Smart Toys Now Include Audio and Video Calls Between Species

Curious how often your animal thinks of you when you're away? Get her a phone and find out.

Horses: By Nature or Instruction?

When watching horses perform in an event, most people assume that their behavior is largely natural. It's easy to underestimate just how much a horse has to learn.

Horses receive better care now than ever before

Trouble in Pentathlon Show Jumping

Last week, a horse named Saint Boy refused to jump for an unfamiliar rider and an abusive trainer. Now PETA wants to ban all Olympic horse sports.

Sumo Wrestler Walks Into a Bar—er, Horse Show?

Everybody's been talking about the Olympic show jumping course, starring a statue that scared the horses. How do equine brains process experiences like this?

Cross-Species Communication in Olympic Dressage

What are you seeing when horses and riders compete in the Olympics? Some very impressive communication between the brain of a prey animal and the brain of a predator.

Why Do Horses and Humans Need to Communicate?

Ever watch a horse and rider leap over a jump, spin a hole in the sand, or turn a cow away from its herd? You saw a detailed exchange between prey and predator brains.

How We Communicate with Horses

Most people assume dogs or cats are involved in our clearest cross-species communication. But our interactions with horses are stronger and more direct.