Behavior

It’s a situation that many equestrians know well – it’s a beautiful day and you’ve decided to take your horse on a hack, just the two of you. But the peace and serenity doesn’t last long as your horse begins...

Spookiness refers to a sudden and frequently exaggerated reaction to a perceived threat. Spooky behavior can manifest in several different ways, including bolting, spinning, jumping, or freezing in place. Spooking is a natural behavior that has its roots in the...

Around the world, there's a growing demand for a shift in the equine industry towards prioritising the health and well-being of domestic horses, a movement that has reached a pivotal moment. Stakeholders within the industry, including horse owners, professionals, regulators...

Keeping stallions happy, healthy, and appropriately managed requires an understanding of their unique behavior compared to mares and geldings. Stallions often exhibit instinctive behaviors shaped by evolutionary pressures and social dynamics in the wild. Contrary to their natural environment with...

Horses evolved as a social prey species who were able to survive in a variety of environments due to their adaptability and ability to roam long distances in search of food and water. [ref n="1"] The adaptable nature of horses...

The Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram (RHPE) is a list of 24 behaviours associated with musculoskeletal pain in the ridden horse. Dr. Sue Dyson et al. developed this ethogram as a means of identifying low-grade lameness and horses experiencing discomfort during...

Wood chewing is one of several types of stereotypic behaviors or habits that horses can develop. Stereotypic behaviors, often referred to as stereotypies, are repetitive behavior patterns with no apparent function. They may develop out of boredom or they may...

Modern domestic horses have very different lifestyles than their wild ancestors. While keeping horses in stalls is convenient for humans, confinement can be detrimental for animals who evolved to graze and walk throughout the day. Turning horses out to pasture...

Box walking, stall circling and weaving are examples of locomotor stereotypic behaviours in horses. They are believed to be caused by a lack of freedom to express natural equine behaviours. Over time, stall walking and weaving can have negative physical consequences such as...

Weaving is a locomotive stereotypic behaviour typically seen in stabled horses. It is estimated that between 3 to 10% of horses kept in stables weave. The expression of this behaviour involves repetitive shifting of body weight from one front leg...

Has your horse started eating or licking the soil? The ingestion of soil in animals is referred to as geophagia. The reason some horses eat dirt is not fully understood. But the behavior is thought to serve a nutritional purpose...

Windsucking is an oral stereotypic behavior performed by horses. It is closely related to cribbing, but they are distinct behaviors. Horses windsuck by arching their necks and using their mouth to suck air into the cranial esophagus. The horse will...

Is your horse showing signs of girthiness? Also known as girth aversion or cinch sensitivity, horses that are girthy express signs of discomfort when they are being saddled. A girthy horse may respond to having a girth tightened by expressing...

The internet is full of criticism and judgment about what we do wrong with our horses. We’re often told that we aren’t good enough because we don’t jump high enough, don’t ride well enough, or can’t afford the most expensive...

Do you struggle with your horse’s stress levels? Horses are creatures of habit and are uneasy when in new environments, changing social groups, or when their routine is disrupted. Stress and anxiety can also be caused by boredom or a...

Cribbing, also known as crib-biting, is the most common oral stereotypic behaviour seen in horses. Cribbing involves the horse repeatedly and compulsively grasping an object between its teeth and sucking in air. Horses may crib bite for many hours per...

Riding and working with horses poses some inherent risk of danger, but the risk is greater when working with an aggressive or moody horse. For this reason, horse owners often look to calming supplements to help make their horse more...

Equine stereotypic behaviours are repetitive behaviours involving a constant sequence of movements that have no obvious or apparent function. Examples of common stereotypies include cribbing, wind-sucking, weaving, stall walking and head shaking.

Looking for ways to prevent boredom in your horse? Enrichment activities for your horse don't need to cost a lot and can be easy to set up. Many horse owners are aware of the basic components of animal welfare. You...