A new online course and research paper are helping horse owners recognize and interpret equine emotions. The research was led by Kris Hiney, PhD, of Oklahoma State University. Her colleagues were Drs. Kathy Anderson and Colleen Brady.

The researchers had created an online educational course to help horse owners accurately interpret equine affective states (equine emotions).

They found that the online course RAiSE (recognizing affective states in equine) can be an effective tool to increase users’ ability to recognize behaviors in horses, “and to create human behavior change to improve equine welfare.”

(Editor’s note: The content of this podcast is the expert’s approach to the topic. Please consult with your practitioner if you have questions.)

Why Study Equine Emotions?

The researchers and course developers noted that, “An essential aspect of equine welfare is the owner’s ability to assess their horse’s well-being and make informed adjustments to their care and management to enhance overall welfare.”

Equine well-being has long been associated with physical care. The educators wanted to create something that would help owners and managers better understand and interpret a horse’s behavior and mental state.

“We recognize that people have gotten a lot better at understanding physiologically if your horse is healthy or not,” said Hiney. She added that equine emotion/behavior is a fundamental piece to understanding the horse’s mental health.

Equine Behavior Online Education

Hiney and the other researchers have created many online courses related to horses over the years.

She said they borrowed from some work in other species on educational intervention. Online education must empower and engage users, and the user has to be satisfied.

There are five modules in the overall course, explained Hiney. The science-based course takes about five hours to complete.

“There are recordings, a podcast, videos to watch, and questions to answer,” said Hiney. “There are a lot of links to open access [free to anyone] research articles.”

The research paper noted that participants rated the lessons “Identifying Abnormal States” and “Horse-Human Interaction” as particularly impactful. In the podcast, she describes those two lessons. The first “zeroed in” on body language and stereotypies, and the second delved into how horses learn.

Where Are the Courses Available?

Anyone can access the first lesson for free from www.raiseequine.com, noted Hiney.

“We went ahead and put the first module out there for free, just so people could actually get a taste of how it’s designed and see how interactive it is and all the bells and whistles we put into this course,” she described.

“If they’re still intrigued, they can actually purchase the entire course,” Hiney continued. The researchers and educators also have provided discounts for groups that want to purchase access to the entire course (see links below).

Final Words

Hiney said creating the course and doing the research was a passion project for her and her colleagues. She said the feedback from those who have taken the course has been very positive.

“[Our horses] are picking up on everything we’re sending, and now it’s our turn to do the same in return,” said Hiney.

Resources

RAiSE (recognizing affective state in equine) and the assessment of equine affective state: Accuracy and application. Kristina Hiney, Kathy Anderson, Colleen Brady. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science. 2026.

To visit the course:

Note: The research was funded by Morris Animal Foundation.

Related Content

Sign up for My Senior Horse’s FREE newsletter to get the latest information about equids 15 years and older delivered straight to your inbox!   

  • Kimberly S. Brown and Jewell

    Kimberly S. Brown is an award-winning writer and publisher. She founded My Senior Horse for Equine Network and Linda Mars in her retirement, and now she is an editor of the brand. Brown previously had spent 10 years at Equine Network. Prior to that she worked for three years in equine nutrition after she retired from nearly 30 years working at The Blood-Horse. Brown spent the last 15 years of her time at that organization creating and developing the award-winning The Horse and TheHorse.com.

    View all posts