Blanket or no blanket? Horses are being given the choice to say no. Here is why

An equestrian project dubbed HorseVoice is lending a voice to the horses, asking them whether they want to be covered with a blanket. The project “Giving the Horse a Voice – Horse Welfare and Owner Awareness" in Norway and Sweden is a way to better understand the animal's cognitive abilities. It also aims to give importance to their emotional needs in an effort to improve their well-being, according to a report by Gizmodo. The horses are taught to use symbols to tell the trainer if it wants a blanket or not. Students from Sweden’s Strömsholm National Equestrian Center and Norway’s Skjetlein Upper Secondary School have taken part in the project. “Students in equine studies train their own horses to use the symbol method, for example, after exercise, allowing the horse to choose whether it wants to wear a blanket or not,” Grete HM Jørgensen, a researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, said in a statement from the institute. The symbol method has been used in the past to let horses communicate.

Why the study matters

Now the method is being specifically used to let them answer the question of whether they wish to be covered. There have been several abuse allegations in the equestrian world in recent years, accusing riders and owners of mistreating the animals. With the project, researchers
are also trying to understand whether the students come to see the horses as beings with emotional requirements instead of just animals used for sports. When it is revealed that a former hero has treated horses poorly, it creates confusion and reflection. This project provides space for exactly those kinds of discussions,” Jørgensen said. However, it also raises an ethical question of what if the horses start using the symbols to decline being ridden.

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The HorseVoice team is creating a symbol method handbook for trainers, horse owners, and educational institutions for the purpose. Researchers believe if the project is a success, "lasting changes in both attitudes and practices across the entire equestrian sector" could happen.