Characterisation of facial expressions and behaviours of horses in response to positive and negative emotional anticipation using network analysis

The welfare of an animal is closely linked to their emotional experiences, making it essential to identify reliable indicators of these emotions. This study aimed to identify behaviours and facial movements in horses experiencing contrasting emotional valence, triggered by the anticipation of a positive condition (going to pasture) or a negative condition (going alone to a novel environment). Twenty horses were daily trained to wait in a starting box before being exposed to these two conditions. After one week of positive training or negative training, we analysed horses’ behaviours, cortisol variations, and facial movements while they waited in their starting box. First, we confirmed that the two conditions induced contrasting emotional valence, as evidenced by the shorter time taken to approach in the positive condition compared to the negative, and by the higher maximal heart rate and cortisol variation in the negative condition. Then using the Equine Facial Action Coding System (EquiFACS) and network analysis (NetFACS) we revealed distinct behaviours and facial expression profiles. In positive anticipation, the horses exhibited a greater range of behaviours, including shaking their heads from side to side, stepping back, sniffing, and pawing at the ground. Additionally, two distinct facial expression profiles were identified as specific to positive and negative anticipation. In positive anticipation, the horses displayed a higher neck, accompanied by a greater frequency of half-blinks and mouth movements. Conversely, in negative anticipation, the horses exhibited a medium neck, with ears backward accompanied by more flattened ears and expressed more nostril movements. The findings highlight the importance of these indicators in characterising horses’ emotions and emphasise their significance for assessing equine welfare.