Konstanze KruegerView profile
Professor
Prof. Dr. Konstanze Krueger is a Professor of Horse Husbandry and animal welfare officer at the Nürtingen-Geislingen University of Applied Sciences (HfWU) in Germany. She heads the NiL (Non-invasive Lab) and has established herself as a leading researcher in equine science, with particular expertise in horse cognition, social behavior, and welfare assessment. Her educational background includes: Completion of veterinary medicine studies at LMU Munich (1994) Doctoral thesis at the Institute of Animal Anatomy and Histology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich (1995) Habilitation in Zoology at the University of Regensburg (2012) Prof. Krueger's research primarily focuses on equine cognition and behavior, with special emphasis on social learning, laterality, and stress assessment in horses. Her work bridges the gap between theoretical animal cognition research and practical applications in horse husbandry and welfare. She has pioneered non-invasive methods for assessing stress and welfare in horses, making significant contributions to the field of animal welfare science. Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on how horses learn from humans and other horses, the implications of laterality (handedness) in horse behavior and training, and innovative approaches to measuring stress responses without causing additional distress to the animals. Her work spans cognitive science, animal behavior, and welfare assessment, with practical applications for improving horse management practices, training methods, and overall welfare standards in the equine industry. Prof. Krueger has received recognition for her work through invitations to organize the International Equine Science Meetings (IESM), which she hosted in 2008, 2012, and 2015. She has also contributed to equine therapy programs, including work with refugee children. As head of the NiL laboratory, she supervises student research and provides services for non-invasive stress evaluation in horses. Her work has significant implications for both scientific understanding of equine cognition and practical applications in horse management and welfare assessment.








