Humane Horse Handling

Leading Wild Horses with a Drone Instead of Chasing with a Helicopter: A Low-stress Alternative Gather Method. 

successful preliminary proof of concept

Free-roaming horses, wherever managed, typically require population growth suppression involving periodic captures for removal or for fertility control application before return to the range. Currently the most widely used method for capturing (known as “gathering”) free-roaming horses involves helicopter chasing into traps.  Using this fear-based method, it is challenging and dangerous to capture entire groups; and recapture becomes increasingly difficult.  As preliminary proof of the concept for a low-stress alternative to helicopter chasing, in 2017 Drs. Catie Torcivia and Sue McDonnell at the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School’s Equine Behavior Program, used a consumer grade quadcopter drone to lead (rather than to chase) a herd of 123 semi-feral ponies into simulated traps.  This ethology-informed technique is based on strategically approaching and retreating a herd in a manner that induces a natural state of curious alert/mild concern for a novel stimulus/potential threat, causing the entire herd to naturally follow, “keeping an eye on,” the novel stimulus/potential threat. Their technique was successful on the first attempt as well as on 7 of 9 additional occasions with the same herd over a period of 4 weeks.  These attempts included repeated “gathers” to the same as well as to different destinations.  In all cases one or more stallions were the first to alert to the approach of the drone as well as to initiate following of the drone’s retreat. Those stallions then vocalized in a characteristic loud distant call back to the remainder of the herd which then reflexively coalesced and followed those stallions en masse. During travel behind the drone, stallions periodically called back, which maintained movement of the entire group together.  The pace of following was primarily a fast walk with occasional slow trot. Juvenile stragglers more often moved at a fast trot or occasionally cantered while catching up to their family band.  Band integrity was maintained throughout travel and when in the trap. This work demonstrated preliminary proof of concept of repeated capture of horses by leading rather than chasing. Although training in the form of positive reinforcement en route or at the destination was not necessary in this project, it may further facilitate repeat capture.

For more details, see full text article “Preliminary Proof of the Concept of Wild (Feral) Horses Following Light Aircraft into a Trap" published in Animals as part of the Special Issue Horse Welfare available online at: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/1/80/htm