Nay to Prey: Challenging the View of Horses as a "Prey" Species.

ABSTRACT: This paper challenges the prevalent characterization of domesticated horses as prey species that inherently view humans as predators. Drawing on evolutionary, ethological, and cognitive evidence, we propose the "mutualistic coevolution hypothesis", which posits that horses and humans have evolved a partnership marked by cooperation rather than fear. We critically assess the "prey hypothesis", emphasizing a predator-prey model, which dominates equine training and the literature, and we argue that it inadequately explains horses' morphology, behaviors, and cognitive capacities. Comparative studies on horses' socio-cognitive skills suggest that domestication has fostered emotional, behavioral, and cognitive adaptations supporting a human-horse bond. This review examines evidence from archaeol

SUBMITTER: Steklis NG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11898186 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature