Imprint Training and Future Performance

Dr. Sue McDonnell answers a reader’s quesion about foal imprint training.
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

Q. Does foal imprint training affect future performance?

via e-mail

A. There is probably no single technique in horse management that has generated more questions for behaviorists than the method of intensive handling of neonatal foals called imprint training. And it’s always frustrating to try to provide a thoughtful professional opinion or evidence-based answer.

The premise and claims of the technique are for lifelong better interaction with humans and compliance with human imposed procedures and all things domestic. This should translate into a positive effect on performance

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Sue M. McDonnell, PhD, is a certified applied animal behaviorist and the founding head of the equine behavior program at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine. She is also the author of numerous books and articles about horse behavior and management.

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

Where do you primarily feed your horse?
284 votes · 284 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!