A journey with The Cognitive Horse

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• published: 04 May 2015
• views: 2416

Horses in this video (Pioggia, Marea, Ninfa, Onda, Topazio, Fulmine, Falò and Sparta) live in a socio-cognitive context, in a family band, and in a coexistence with human without training. Learning Animals (www.learninganimals.com). International Study Center of Ethology and Zooanthropology. ____ "Horses are socio-cognitive animals, guided by their own inner motivation to explore and understand the world around them, explore and understand relationships, with other horses and with human. We should learn to understand that. Learning about equine cognition is a study path. And you can learn how to facilitate their own exploring and understanding, also among each other. Learning about cognition is a personal growth path as well. We have so many expectations, but also misleading labels, we must learn again to not put ourselves central in the interaction and start laying the foundation for a synergy and a true coexistence. We are walking more and more in a post-human dimension. And this means that we can and we must think about a new coexistence with non-humans, with horses, without training. So there is a revolution coming, there is an evolution coming, in which the horse becomes owner of his own, of his own choice, of his own preference, of his own needs, but also of his own pleasures. So needs are important to understand, but also pleasures, are really important to understand from a post-human perspective, in which we leave behind our anthropocentric expectations and we move forward to a new kind of coexistences. That is it. Go on a Learning Animals journey, go and discover, The Cognitive Horse." ____ Who we are: Francesco De Giorgio Born in 1965 in Italy, where he is a renowned biologist, ethologist and applied behavioural researcher, Francesco De Giorgio is member of the Ethics Committee of ISAE (International Society for Applied Ethology), specialized in equine and canine ethology. He is founder, developer and facilitator at the Learning Animals, where he focuses principally on the study of animal-human interaction, ethics, animal personal growth and rehabilitation. Graduating from Parma University in 1989, Francesco began his career as an independent field researcher, supporting several universities whilst indulging his lifelong passion for horses and dogs as an Equine and Canine Learning Professional - helping owners to enhance their relationships with animals. Described by International School of Ethology (Erice, IT), Director Danilo Mainardi as “a man who works with his head and his heart and his hands”, Francesco walks the talk - integrating scientific knowledge into ethical day-to-day practice. An expert in equine and canine welfare, Francesco provides expert support for institutions occupied with animal Health and Welfare (e.g. in equine mistreatment cases), has served on a number of ethics committees, and acts as an advisor to courts, police and equine rehabilitation centres. Much sought-after as both a speaker and lecturer, Francesco speaks regularly on ‘Cognitive Ethology in the Animal-Human Relationship’. He also lectures at several universities and has presented to numerous conferences and symposia on ethology, cognition and zooanthropology and published the books "Horse- Human dictionary" (in italian) and "The Cognitive Horse" (in english). José Schoorl Francesco’s partner in both life and work, Dutch born José Schoorl personifies the bridge between equine perception and human understanding. Their shared passion for horses and keen insight in social dynamics brought them together and today they live in the Netherlands with their eight horse companions, four dogs and two cats. After many years of change adviser and personal development consultant, she is, today, a renowned proponent of the zooanthropological approach, working for the change in awareness and understanding of the Animal-Human Relationship. As consultant and teacher at the Learning Animals Institute for Zooanthropology, José strives to improve people’s understanding of cognition and relationship dynamics, and in so doing to enhance their relationship with animals. Contending that a firm grasp of equine cognition is the vital first step to understanding horses’ behavior, José is a real force for change; inspiring and promoting fresh thinking in her writing and in her lectures and creating effective personal growth trajectories for individuals through free interaction with horses. A regular guest lecturer and speaker in zooanthropology and personal growth, José has presented to conferences and symposia throughout Europe. ____ Key-words: equine cognition, equine ethology, equine zooanthropology, cognitive learning, non-humans, post-humanism, animal ethics, animal rights. ____ www.learninganimals.com info@learning-animals.org