The mind of the horse : an introduction to equine cognition

Horses were first domesticated about 6,000 years ago on the vast Eurasian steppe, yet only in the last two decades have scientists begun to explore the mental capacities of these animals. In __The Mind of the Horse,__ Michel-Antoine Leblanc presents an encyclopedic synthesis of scientific knowledge about equine behavior and cognition, providing experts and enthusiasts alike with an up-to-date understanding of how horses perceive, think about, and adapt to their physical and social worlds. Much of what we think we know about "the intelligence of the horse" derives from fragmentary reports and anecdotal evidence. Putting this accumulated wisdom to the test, Leblanc introduces readers to rigorous experimental investigations into how horses make sense of their world under varying conditions. He describes the anatomical and neurophysiological characteristics of the horse's brain, and compares these features with those of other species, to gain an evolutionary perspective. A horseman himself, Leblanc also considers the opinions of renowned riding masters, as well as controversies surrounding the horse's extraordinary mental powers that have stirred in equestrian and scientific circles. __The Mind of the Horse__ brings together in one volume the current state of equine research and will likely stimulate surprising new discoveries. Horses were first domesticated about 6,000 years ago on the vast Eurasian steppe extending from Mongolia to the Carpathian Mountains. Yet only in the last two decades have scientists begun to explore the specific mental capacities of these animals. Responding to a surge of interest in fields from ethology to comparative psychology and evolutionary biology, Michel-Antoine Leblanc presents an encyclopedic synthesis of scientific knowledge about equine behavior and cognition. The Mind of the Horse provides experts and enthusiasts alike with an up-to-date understanding of how horses perceive, think about, and adapt to their physical and social worlds. Much of what we know--or think we know--about "the intelligence of the horse" derives from fragmentary reports and anecdotal evidence. Putting this accumulated wisdom to the test, Leblanc introduces readers to rigorous experimental investigations into how horses make sense of their world under varying conditions. He describes the anatomical and neurophysiological characteristics of the horse's brain, and offers an evolutionary perspective by comparing these features with those of other species. A horseman himself, Leblanc also considers the opinions of renowned riding masters, as well as controversies surrounding the extraordinary powers of the horse's mind that have stirred in equestrian and scientific circles. Although scientists understand more today about how horses think than at any time in our species' long acquaintance with these animals, much remains in the dark. The Mind of the Horse brings together the current state of equine research and will likely stimulate surprising new discoveries. Contents Foreword to the French Edition Foreword to the English Edition Preface 1. What We Know about the Nature of the Horse 2. Equine Intelligence 3. Animal Intelligence, Cognition, and Representation 4. The Equine Brain 5. The Nature of Equine Perception 6. The Anatomical and Physiological Basis of Equine Visual Perception 7. The Behavioral Exploration of Equine Visual Perception: Perception of Shapes and Movement 8. The Behavioral Exploration of Equine Visual Perception: The Quest for Color Perception 9. Hearing in Horses 10. Equine Chemical Perception: Odors, Pheromones, Tastes, and Flavors 11. Tactile Perception in the Horse Conclusion References Acknowledgments Index Horses were first domesticated about 6000 years ago on the vast Eurasian steppe, yet only in the last two decades have scientists begun to explore the mental capacities of these animals. In this book, Michel-Antoine Leblanc presents an encyclopedic synthesis of scientific knowledge about equine behaviour and cognition, providing experts and enthusiasts alike with an up-to-date understanding of how horses perceive, think about, and adapt to their physical and social worlds