HKJC Funds Study To Explore How Racehorses Express Positive Emotions by Paulick Report Staff|05.24.2023|10:58am Haskell Stakes contender Ny Traffic gets a pat on the neck from Assitant Trainer Casey Patin after a morning jog at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, NJ on Wednesday morning July 15, 2020. Ny Traffic will compete in Saturday’s (7/18) $1,000,000 Grade 1 Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park. Photo By Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO. The Hong Kong Jockey Club Equine Welfare Foundation has funded a three-year study to investigate how racehorses express positive emotions when they interact with humans. Scientists at Charles Sturt University in Australia, the Eastern Institute of Technology and Te Pūkenga in New Zealand, and Hartpury University in Britain will collaborate on the case. The goal is to determine ways to improve racehorse welfare, but it's believed that the results will be applicable to the management of any horse that interacts with humans. The study will produce tools to enable those working with horses to better understand how the horse is feeling, allowing for improvements in management, which could lead to positive performance outcomes. Read more at Australian Rural & Regional News.