Several learning processes are involved as the horse's behavioral development. This will usually be its mother, but if they are separated mistakes can occur such as approaching trees or fenceposts. Positive reinforcement from suckling, protection and social contact strengthens the bond between mother and foal and soon it learns to recognize its mother by sight, sound and smell. As the young horse grows, it habituates to its surrounding and ceases to fear familiar non threatening stimuli, develops food preferences, and makes associations between smell or colour and palatability. It learns how to navigate around it environment and how to react to a range of situations, such as danger, threat and social contact.
Horses are social animals, so there is potential for learning through interaction with other horses.
Play with horses of a similar age helps develop social and athletic skills which can be put to good use then and in later life. Introduction to unfamiliar situations, such as loading into a horse box can be difficult, without first habituation horse to the situation, for example, by loading the young horse with its mother. Punishment of awkward horses can deepen the problem for subsequent loading, as it may associate the entire process with the punishment, whilst rewarding untroubled entry will ease the process. Observational learning may be important in the development of stereotypes such as cribbing or windsucking. Confirmed cribbers are unwelcome on stable yards and may be visually isolated.