Do Horses Have Autism?

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What about hoof flapping?

Hate to be harsh, but the statement that "horses are autistic" is too lame to be either serious, or to be a joke.

Horses have a strong herd instinct, and complex social lives, and are obsessed with status. The opposite of autistic.


Solitary creatures like wolverines could be said to be "autistic", or "aspie". But even that's being a bit tongue-in-cheek.

The two species most humans hang out with the most:dogs, and cats, are often spoken of as being on opposite sides of the "autism spectrum": dogs being the ultimate NTs, and cats being aspie/autistic. But even cats have rather subtle and complex social lives despite the fact that they seem to be completely nonsocial.

BOOK: All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome.
https://www.amazon.com/All-Cats-Have-As ... 1843104814

I think cats are getting friendlier and more social now because their owners are actually interacting with them instead of putting them out for the night or keeping them for the sole purpose of catching mice.

My aunt and uncle have a cat that avoids all visitors except me. She often hides up against me in the corner of the chair or couch where I'm sitting.

I agree as it applies to the entire group "horses". However, I think the question has real merit as it applies to individual horses (and other non-human animals). It's interesting and worth asking. Other animals have social groups too and it seems reasonable that their inclinations/abilities vary, and that variance could be neurobiological.

Researchers have even explored the idea with dogs. https://slate.com/technology/2017/06/can-dogs-have-autism-the-answer-could-help-humans.html

And non-human primates. https://nprcresearch.org/primate/hot-topics/autism-spectrum-disorder.php

As well as birds and mice. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_model_of_autism

^^^

Yes, if you're talking about individuals within a species the question has merit.

Have heard about scientists finding lab mice with "autistic traits" like lacking social skills, and collecting Star Trek memorabilia.

What made you think this? Most creatures don't like being stared at in the eyeball, but in terms of regular eye contact horses don't necessarily avoid it.

Horses think like horses. Cats think like cats. Dogs think like dogs and humans think like humans. Our brains may have many similarities but ultimately we are wired to think in a way that is appreciate for our individual species survival.

Equine as a whole are not Autistic. Horses certainly have some 'sensitivities' but they are also super body language readers, capable of not only learning/knowing their own body language but that of ours too. Because of the social difficulty that underlines most Autistic cases it would be INCREDIBLY detrimental for their reading ability to be lessened or removed. I would say that it's possible that there could be a horse version of Autism(Equitism?) as horses are highly emotional beings and have shown various human disorders such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD. But it generally would be a contrast to how they live


I take it she didn't bridle the horse and give you the reins then? Most horses don't appreciate their ears being grabbed. Some are more touchy than others and will entirely have a fit if you even get near them. The 'brakes' are essentially in your seat and breathing. If you have reins or a rope around the neck, that is also your brake when you pull back on them.


They can't see directly behind themselves either.


The equivalent would be pawing. Pawing the air, pawing the ground, pawing(kicking with the front leg) on a gate. I've known some horses to 'pop' their lips when bored. It's not the hoof but it sure seems like flapping if not just kinda funny.

I love horses and would never want to make fun, but this thread is making me think of this meme.

The image doesn't show on my computer. You will have to describe it.

The image shows a person and a horse at the beach. The person is wearing a white baseball cap, dark sweatshirt & blue jeans. The horse is white with a black mane. Both were wading out into the water. The person is a few feet in front of the horse, holding the reigns. The horse is captured frozen in a jump with all four feet tucked under his body. The caption reads "SOMETHING TOUCHED MY FOOT! SOMETHING TOUCHED MY FOOT!"

animals have their own set of instinctive behaviors for their particular species.

So an individual member of any particular species could, in theory, be impaired in it's behavioral instincts in a way that could be called "autistic". But its absurd to label a whole species "autistic" because most members of that species would be normal in behavior for that particular species.

Not to disagree, because you're right, but I could see why someone might wonder if an entire animal species was autistic if they were basing it on human standards. As a side note, it would also be interesting if there was an entire species for which autistic traits were the default neurotype. Though they're not autistic as a species, many animals are quite autistic-friendly since they're less demanding and easier to interact with than a lot of people are. I'm glad that's the case.

Well. I have noticed that horses do a similar thing to what I do and that is look sideways rather then directly. I do look direct but not for long. A few weeks ago I just assumed it was a shyness thing. (I know it is not easy to concentrate when looking directly but I didn't know why).

Equine have a larger range of vision than people do, and tend to have 'soft eyes' where even if they are looking directly at something they are seeing more than just that( the opposite is true too, even if they aren't looking at something directly it doesn't mean they aren't seeing it). People can do this as well but because they are prey animals they have the 'soft eyes' as a protective measure. that's not to say that they won't be looking at something and not see it the way we sometimes will look at something and not see it. Brain tricks.

Horses aren't particularly shy creatures. Like humans some are and some aren't, their instinct generally tells them to be wary of new things and people but that isn't a shyness. When there is no fear they tend to be very curious and some are very annoyingly in your face lol

I think people with ASD can potentially connect with animals because they may be able to relate to them. I've always found it easier interacting with animals than humans. Eye contact is something I still struggle with but with horses, it's the norm. Not that I would call animals Autistic, but just we can relate to them especially if animals are a special interest. They've been one of mine.

For some animals, prolonged eye contact is a sign of aggression.

Have been horseback riding since a young age and horses are great animals.