Landmark Issue 19 2021 SINGLE PAGES

ISSUE 19 | 2021 27 TEACHING & LEARNING Dr AndrewHemmings Associate Professor of Equine Science From a practical standpoint, why do we keep horses? Compared to livestock species they don’t produce milk, food or other commodities. This is a somewhat rhetorical question of course, as the horse racing industry in the UK alone is worth £3.7 billion towards our GDP. Moreover, those who keep any type of horse will be aware of the leisure and mental health benefits that go hand in hand with this species. Following on from this, without a trainable temperament and suitable behavioural profile horses and ponies will be of little use to us and can even be quite dangerous. Temperament and behaviour constitute the most important production trait where owners and breeders are concerned. It is on this rationale that research has been based over the past decade into developing non-invasive tests of brain function which predict a range of behavioural traits including anxiety, docility, impulsivity and compulsivity. The behavioural test that has recently shown most promise is Eye Blink Rate. Fluctuations in a key behavioural neurotransmitter (brain signalling molecule) called dopamine lead to alternations in blink frequency. Findings show that horses prone to anxiety demonstrate elevated blinking, whilst the more docile animals display lower blink rate values. This should allow pre-purchase examinations of temperament using this simple and easy to apply method. More recently, blink rate has been utilised as an indicator of the equine cognitive profile. In collaboration with Aberystwyth University and Cambridge Neuroscience, training has been developed for the world’s first fully automated system for measuring impulsivity and compulsivity, two key aspects of cognition which apply to horse management and training. Animals that fit into the high blink rate category have been shown in our studies to be significantly more impulsive and compulsive. In practical terms, an impulsive horse is more likely to react suddenly, without the riders commands. On the other hand, compulsive animals are much harder to train as they tend to be more prone to developing repetitive habits and rituals which impede advanced learning. So where does the future lie in this topic area? In the last six months a genetic screening tool, which to date has been effective in the prediction of animals with impulsive and compulsive tendencies, has been developed. Therefore, with behavioural and genetic probes combined, the RAUwill be in a position to offer breeders a much more strategic and waste-free route to horse production. Blink and you'll miss it