Topic:Behavior
Equine behavior encompasses the study of horses' actions, reactions, and interactions within their environment and with other living beings. It includes the examination of innate behaviors, such as grazing and herd dynamics, as well as learned behaviors influenced by training and human interaction. Understanding equine behavior is essential for improving horse welfare, training methods, and management practices. This topic covers a range of behaviors, from social structures and communication to stress responses and problem behaviors. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the various aspects of equine behavior, including factors that influence it and its implications for horse management and welfare.
Stability of equine hierarchies and the prevention of dominance related aggression. The dominance hierarchy of a herd of 10 Thoroughbred mares was determined twice, at an interval of 18 months, using paired feeding tests. Each mare's rank was correlated significantly between the 2 tests. This indicated that the hierarchy within the herd was stable. The offspring of dominant and subordinate mares were also tested for dominance in their own age groups. The offspring of dominant mares tended to be near the top of the hierarchy while those of middle and low ranking mares were not consistently found in the middle or bottom of their own hierarchies. Paired feeding tests were carrie...
Treatment of fear-induced aggression in a horse. Desensitization (gradually exposing an animal to a fear-inducing stimulus without evoking the fear response) and counter-conditioning (rewarding the animal for behavior incompatible with the fear response) are highly successful ways of eliminating or reducing fear responses and corresponding aggression.
[Motor goals of therapeutic horseback riding for cerebral palsied children (author’s transl)]. The article reviews in a critical survey the current opinions on the possibilities of improving the motor functions of cerebral palsied children with the help of riding therapy. Furthermore, the essential motor difficulties with spasm, athetosis and ataxia are described. It is demonstrated that only a small number of these typical difficulties can be tackled by means of riding therapy and that some key problems, particularly encountered by the spastics, cannot be solved. If, despite these facts, the favourable effects of riding on the cerebral palsied cannot be denied, then this must be attrib...
The control of oestrous behaviour in the mare. Using a range of positive and negative sexual behaviour components, proceptivity of cycling, non-lactating mares and postpartum, lactating Pony mares was quantified around ovulation. Behavioural observations were compared to plasms concentrations of progesterone, total oestrogens and androstenedione. In addition, in cycling mares, comparison with plasma testosterone concentrations was carried out. Overall rejection behaviour by the mare was apparent both during dioestrus and during periods of basal plasma progesterone concentrations. Within cycling, non-lactating mares, and between postpartum ...
Response of horses to sweet, salty, sour and bitter solutions. The two-choice preference test was used to
characterize the test reactions of five immature
horses to sweet, salty, sour and bitter tasting
solutions. Sucrose was preferred ('>60% of total
fluid as test solution) to tap water by the foals at
concentrations ranging from 1.25 to 10 g/100 ml.
Concentrations above and below this range result-
ed in indifference (40 to 60% of fluid consumed as
test solution). The horses were indifferent to NaCI
until a concentration of.63 g/100 ml was reached.
At this level the mean response changed to
rejection (<40% of total fluid as test solution).
F...
A case of spermatic arteriovenous anastomosis in the horse. A large anastomosis of the spermatic artery and vein is described. This was found while surgically removing an abdominal testis. Before surgery the animal wanted to rear after exercise and could not stand on 3 legs for any length of time while being shod. This unusual behaviour disappeared after removal of the mass. The performance and conformation of the horse has also greatly improved.
A study of the hearing ability of horses. The ability of 10 horses to hear frequencies between 14 and 25 Kc/s was tested. The horses appeared to perceive ultrasounds by showing either fright reactions or Pryer reflexes to all of the 12 frequencies. The highest frequencies were heard less by older animals, and elicited more reactions in geldings than in mares.
On the watering of horses: a review. The literature published over the last 150 years provides confusing and often conflicting advice on the ideal way to water horses. Many of the problems associated with watering appear to be caused by either mismanagement or ignorance. An obvious way to prevent trouble is to provide adequate water at all times when a horse is at rest and to allow sufficient opportunity to drink while working.
Arrhenoblastoma in a mare. An ovarian neoplasm measuring 10 by 8 by 6 cm was surgically removed from a 14-year-old Appaloosa mare. For 2 years prior to surgery, the mare had manifested marked behavioral changes, becoming aggressive toward other broodmares. Histologically, the tumor was found to be an arrhenoblastoma. Preoperative endocrinologic findings (high serum testosterone and low serum estradiol concentrations) supported the diagnosis.
Effect of diet on cecal pH and feeding behavior of horses. Three cecal-fistulated horses were used in a 3 × 3 latin square experiment to determine the influence of diet and of cecal infusions of Na2C03 on cecal fermentation and feeding behavior. The three treatments were hay, concentrate and concentrate plus hourly infusions of Na2CO3. Cecal fluid samples and cecal pH readings were taken at zero through 11 hr following feeding at the end of each experimental period, and animal activity was measured by the use of a movie camera set to take 5 sec of film every 5 minutes. Cecal pH was significantly lower at 4, 5 and 6 hr following feeding for the horses...
Coprophagia as seen in thoroughbred foals. Four Thoroughbred foals were seen to quickly eat part of the faeces deposited by their own dams on some 40 per cent of the mare-defaecating occasions observed between the second and fifth week after birth. They did not do it before or after this period. This behaviour was thought to be a feeding pattern which formed a normal part of the foal's development.
A review of the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and behavioral effects of procaine in thoroughbred horses. Since procaine has both local anaesthetic and central stimulant actions its presence in the blood or urine of racing horses is forbidden. After rapid intravenous injection of procaine HC1 (2.5 mg/Kg) in thoroughbred mares plasma levels of this drug fell rapidly (t 1/2 alpha = 5 min) and then more slowly (t 1/2 beta = 50.2 min). These kinetics were well fitted by a two compartment open model (Model I). This model gave an apparent Vdbeta for procaine in the horse of about 3,500 litres. Since procaine was about 45% bound to equine plasma protein this gives a true Vdbeta for procaine of about 6,50...
Behavior patterns and communication in feral horses. The social behavior of feral horses was studied in the western United States. Stable harem groups with a dominant stallion and bachelor hermaphrodite hermaphrodite groups occupied overlapping home ranges. Groups spacing, but not territoriality, was expressed. Harem group, stability resulted from strong dominance by dominant stallions, and fidelity of group members. Eliminations of group members were usually marked by urine of the dominant stallion. Hermaphrodite-hermaphrodite aggression involved spacing between harems and dominance in bachelor groups. Marking with feces was important in hermap...
Ranks and relationships in Highland ponies and Highland Cows. Recent studies of primates have questioned the importance of dominance hierarchies in groups living under natural conditions. In a herd of Highland ponies and one of Highland cattle grazing under free-range conditions on the Isle of Rhum (Inner Hebrides) well defined hierarchies were present. The provision of food produced a marked increase in the frequency of agonistic interactions but had no effect on the rank systems of the two herds. While rank was clearly important in affecting the distribution of agonistic interactions, it was poorly related to behaviour in non-agonistic situations.
Male pseudohermaphroditism of the testicular feminizing type in a horse. Features characteristic of the hereditary syndrome of testicular feminization (tfm) were observed in a 7-year-old Quarter Horse. The horse had female body habitus and male psychosexual behaviour. Gonads located in the abdomen were testes and the uterus and cervix were absent. The vagina was normal in depth but ended as a blind pocket. The sex chromosome composition of testicular fibroblast and leucocyte cultures was XY. Construction of a family pedigree revealed a pattern of hereditary transmission similar to that reported for tfm in other mammalian species.
Animal behavior as a subject for veterinary students. Knowledge of animal behavior is an important asset for the veterinarian; therefore a course in veterinary animal behavior is offered at the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine as an elective. The course emphasizes the behavior of those species of most interest to the practicing veterinarian: cats, dogs, horses, cows, pigs and sheep. Dominance heirarchies, animal communication, aggressive behavior, sexual behavior and maternal behavior are discussed. Play, learning, diurnal cycles of activity and sleep, and controls of ingestive behavior are also considered. Exotic and zoo animal beha...