31/05/2026
Animal Behaviour and Trauma Recovery Service UK Thanks
Jessie Sams Thank You
𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘀
A study was conducted by researchers in Italy investigating directional coupling in Horse/ human interactions across a range of contexts. They sought to understand the physiological mechanisms that regulate interactions between Horses and humans. They endeavoured to explore the role of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), given its established involvement in synchronisation and bidirectional coupling, such as cardiac and respiratory coupling. and how they modulate interactions between and potentially across species. To elucidate their findings, they used time-frequency Granger causality analysis. Granger causality is used to examine causal links between random variables (Granger, 1969). This was used when analysing horse-human dynamics through heart rate variability (HRV) (changes of time intervals between adjacent heartbeats, McCraty & Schaffer, 2015) and behaviour measures. The authors found bidirectional synchrony between horse and human HRV. Using this measure allowed the researchers to gain a more comprehensive understanding of how one organism, in this case, from two different species, can affect another's physiological states across a range of contexts and under both familiar and unfamiliar conditions.
Physiological synchrony has been correlated with particular social bonding behaviours in humans, which are adaptive and have been associated with stronger connections between the members of a social group or dead, therefore, it is probable to assume that this may occur with other social Animals (Totterdell et al,1998, Scopa et al,2020). The researchers utilised behavioural observations via an ethogram, including
Frequency of frustration behaviours
Frequency of exploratory behaviours directed towards the human
Frequency of exploratory behaviours directed towards the environment
Frequency of attentive behaviours directed towards the environment
Duration of attentive behaviours directed towards the environment
Frequency of attentive behaviours directed towards the human
Duration of attentive behaviours directed towards the human
In this study, bidirectional coupling between Horses and humans was found to be impacted by familiarity and behaviour. During the equine-led exploration phase of the study, bidirectionality was evident. This was especially evident if the human was familiar with the Horse. On the other hand, if the interaction was human-led, for example, during grooming, the direction of connectivity varied much more widely and was dependent on familiarity. The methodology allowed for a more detailed study of the Autonomic and Parasympathetic Nervous systems and how they may impact the human -horse relationship. This has implications not just for Equine Assisted Interactions but for all horse-human interactions, including in sport. The paper further highlighted the importance of giving Horses agency and choice in their interactions, and of taking the time to allow Horses to become familiar with us before we start interacting with them.
Reference
Callara, A. L., Scopa, C., Contalbrigo, L., Lanatà, A., Scilingo, E. P., Baragli, P., & Greco, A. (2024). Unveiling directional physiological coupling in human-horse interactions. Iscience, 27(9).
🐴Supporting Horses who are fearful, overwhelmed traumatised or who struggle to cope in the human world. Helping you to help them. Full APBC member & ABTC registered Clinical Animal Behaviourist 📍South East WhatsApp 07763317464
