Are we smart enough to know how smart horses are? A conversation with Louise Evans about her research into horse learning.

How we do research has a significant impact on the results we get. Overview: In this conversation, I had the pleasure of hosting Louise Evans on the podcast to discuss her innovative research paper titled "Whoa, No Go." As the first author, Louise provided valuable insights into her study, which explores horses" use of model-based strategies* during an inhibitory control task. We started the discussion by delving into the original aims of her research, which was to examine how horses" physiological arousal levels might predict their performance on an inhibitory control task. However, Louise highlighted an unexpected finding: rather than improving their performance over time, the horses were making more errors. This unexpected result led her team to pause and reconsider their approach.  Louise shared how they introduced a light cue that signalled when the horses should inhibit their learned response of touching a target for a food reward. Intrigued, they explored several hypotheses regarding the horses" behaviour, including the idea that they might not find the light cue salient or could have established that ignoring it did not result in any disadvantage.  To investigate further, Louise explained how they implemented a time-out penalty for errors, which revealed that the horses significantly reduced mistakes when faced with this consequence. The implications of these findings suggested that horses possess the ability to engage in model-based learning rather than just model-free associative behaviours. Throughout the conversation, we considered the broader implications of giving horses agency in their interactions. Louise emphasised the importance of curiosity in understanding equine behaviour, advocating for a shift away from merely fixing issues to exploring why certain behaviours occur.  We also discussed the high welfare standards maintained for the study"s horses, which allowed them to engage fully in the learning tasks. Louise illustrated how this positive environment likely contributed to the horses" eagerness to participate. As we moved towards the conclusion, Louise shared her excitement about future research directions, including studies on reward sensitivity and the physiological impacts of learning tasks on horses. Overall, this enlightening conversation underscored the significance of understanding equine cognition and raised important questions about how we can enhance horse-human relationships through better training practices. I left the discussion feeling inspired by the potential for further research and the new perspectives it could bring to the equestrian field. *I will add a short blog article about how a model-based theory links to direct-perception vs representation based theories.The paper we are discussing:Louise Evans, Heather Cameron-Whytock, Carrie Ijichi, Whoa, No-Go: Evidence consistent with model-based strategy use in horses during an inhibitory task, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Volume 277, 2024, 106339, ISSN 0168-1591, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106339.  Free to access - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168159124001874 About my guest:  Louise Evans. I"ve been working with and studying horses for about twelve years; what started as a hobby has developed into the beginnings of an academic career in animal and equine science. I recently passed my PhD VIVA exam at Nottingham Trent University where, with my wonderful supervisors and co-authors Dr Carrie Ijichi and Dr Heather Cameron-Whytock, I conducted the "Whoa, No Go" study. My PhD was on equine cognition, physiology and welfare and the paper we"re discussing formed part of my thesis. I"m currently working at the University of Bristol as a Research Technician in Professor Mike Mendl"s Animal Welfare and Behaviour group. I can be contacted via email at