Topic:Stereotypic Behavior

Transcriptomic signature related to poor welfare of sport horses.
Comprehensive psychoneuroendocrinology    August 17, 2023   Volume 16 100201 doi: 10.1016/j.cpnec.2023.100201
Foury A, Mach N, Ruet A, Lansade L, Moisan MP.The improvement of horse welfare through housing conditions has become a real issue in recent years and have highlighted the detrimental effect of individual housing of horses on their health and behaviour. In this new study, we analysed the blood transcriptome of 45 sport horses housed individually that were previously examined for their behaviour and gut microbiota. We performed differential and regression analyses of gene expression, followed by downstream bioinformatic analyses, to unveil the molecular pathways related to the behavioural changes associated with welfare impairment in these ...
The use of cannabidiol as a novel treatment for oral stereotypic behaviour (crib-biting) in a horse.
Veterinary and animal science    February 7, 2023   Volume 19 100289 doi: 10.1016/j.vas.2023.100289
Cunha RZ, Felisardo LL, Salamanca G, Marchioni GG, Neto OI, Chiocchetti R.Behaviour is the response of living things to their environment and external stimulation, and is one of the parameters to be observed when assessing animal welfare. Any alteration from the conditions found in nature can lead to the occurrence of some specific behaviours, called stereotypies which are characterised as repetitive, consistent patterns of behaviour usually defined as having no apparent ultimate or proximal functions. It has been reported that once stabled or subjected to stressful activities, horses have more susceptibility of developing behavioural disturbances; therefore, behavi...
Effects of Equine-Assisted Activities and Therapies for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
International journal of environmental research and public health    February 1, 2023   Volume 20, Issue 3 2630 doi: 10.3390/ijerph20032630
Xiao N, Shinwari K, Kiselev S, Huang X, Li B, Qi J.Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has become a critical public health issue that affects more than 78 million people. In many recent studies, the authors have demonstrated that equine-assisted activities and therapies (EAATs) can substantially improve the social and behavioral skills of children with ASD. However, the qualities of the studies differ, and some authors reached opposite conclusions. In this review, we systematically and objectively examined the effectiveness of EAATs for people with ASD, combining both qualitative and quantitative methods. We searched five databases (PubMed, Scopus,...
Comparison of the Current Situation of Equine Headshaking Syndrome in France and Switzerland Based on an Online Survey.
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI    May 28, 2022   Volume 12, Issue 11 1393 doi: 10.3390/ani12111393
Stange LM, Krieter J, Czycholl I.Equine headshaking syndrome (EHS) is characterised as non-physical and involuntary movement of the horse's head and neck. Although EHS is clinically simple to diagnose, its aetiopathogenesis often remains unclear. The aim of this study was to gain an overview of signalment and therapy possibilities used in France and Switzerland. To do this, an online survey was developed and distributed via newsletters. A total of 933 complete, answered surveys from France ( = 804) and Switzerland ( = 129) were evaluated. The median age in France was 12.4 years (CH = 14.3). Mostly geldings were affected (58.5...
Colombian Creole Horse: Frequency of oral and motor stereotypies.
Veterinary world    April 27, 2022   Volume 15, Issue 4 1113-1120 doi: 10.14202/vetworld.2022.1113-1120
Meju00eda JAB, Jaramillo JAN, Corrales NU.The current stable housing of Colombian Creole Horses severely restricts the animals' locomotion and natural behaviors. In addition, their feed consists of a combination of high-energy concentrates with considerably little forage which potentially leads to locomotor or oral stereotypies. This study aimed to report the frequency of locomotor and oral stereotypies in Colombian Creole Horses in Girardota (Antioquia, Colombia) and associated risk factors. Unassigned: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted from 2019 to 2020, in which 102 stabled horses aged 28 months and older participat...
Aspects of Breeding Stallion Management with Specific Focus on Animal Welfare.
Journal of equine veterinary science    September 17, 2021   Volume 107 103773 doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2021.103773
de Oliveira RA, Aurich C.Risk prevention is often counterproductive to stallions' living conditions when assessed under welfare aspects. In the wild, stallions live in social groups, but under domestic conditions, the majority of breeding stallions live in individual boxes with limited social contact. This stimulates aggressiveness and the incidence of stereotypic behavior. While racehorse stallions start their breeding career after having finished their performance career, riding horse stallions are often simultaneously used for breeding and performance. Training, performance, and the associated stress are unlikely t...
Factors Associated With the Development and Prevalence of Abnormal Behaviors in Horses: Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis.
Journal of equine veterinary science    August 21, 2021   Volume 106 103750 doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2021.103750
Seabra JC, Dittrich JR, Vale MMD.Researchers believe that the development and prevalence of abnormal behaviors in horses may be caused by several environmental and biological factors, and the literature offers numerous reports that discuss the causes and effects of stereotypies in these animals. In this light, this study aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the scientific literature, summarizing the main risk factors associated with the development of abnormal behaviors in horses. The searches were conducted over the course of four years in Portuguese, Spanish, and English. The publications reviewed were ...
Heritability of Locomotor Stereotypies in Chilean Horses.
Journal of equine veterinary science    July 10, 2021   Volume 105 103702 doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2021.103702
Muu00f1oz L, Donaire C, Salazar T, Ortiz R, Cruces J, Briones M.The Chilean horse is a breed of closed registry. Stall-walking and weaving are locomotor stereotypies that affect this breed, and genetic predisposition has been suggested for both conditions. The objective of the present study was to estimate heritability of stall-walking and weaving in Chilean horses. Owners of 2,098 horses registered in the Chilean horse Stud Book, which were or had been stabled for at least 1 year, were asked to provide for identification data of the animal and presence or absence of stall-walking and/or weaving. The Chilean Horse Stud Book was accessed online, to collect ...
Evaluation of Horses’ Daytime Activity Budget in a Model of Ethological Stable: A Case Study in Italy.
Journal of applied animal welfare science : JAAWS    December 22, 2020   Volume 24, Issue 2 200-213 doi: 10.1080/10888705.2020.1857252
Marliani G, Sprocatti I, Schiavoni G, Bellodi A, Accorsi PA.The increasing interest in animal welfare and the knowledge of equine physiological and ethological needs have led to the development of different types of horses' management and housing systems. The research presented here aimed to assess the daytime activity budget of horses. Focal animal sampling was used as an observational sampling method, and the five animals were observed for a total of 9920 minutes in the paddock and inside the stall. The results showed that horses spent most of the daytime in foraging behaviors, followed by resting behaviors, and locomotion. Social behaviors (s.e. al...
EEG individual power profiles correlate with tension along spine in horses.
PloS one    December 14, 2020   Volume 15, Issue 12 e0243970 doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0243970
Assessing chronic pain is a challenge given its subjective dimension. In humans, resting state electroencephalography (EEG) is a promising tool although the results of various studies are contradictory. Spontaneous chronic pain is understudied in animals but could be of the highest interest for a comparative study. Riding horses show a very high prevalence of back disorders thought to be associated with chronic pain. Moreover, horses with known back problems show cognitive alterations, such as a lower attentional engagement. Therefore, we hypothesized that the individual EEG power profiles res...
The Influence of Stable Management and Feeding Practices on the Abnormal Behaviors Among Stabled Horses in Malaysia.
Journal of equine veterinary science    August 17, 2020   Volume 94 103230 doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2020.103230
Hanis F, Chung ELT, Kamalludin MH, Idrus Z.The present study aimed to provide preliminary data on the prevalence of oral stereotypic, locomotory stereotypic, and redirected behaviors as well as their associations with stable management and feeding practices. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 207 working horses used for leisure riding, equestrian sport, polo, endurance, and patrolling were selected from seven equine facilities. Data on the stable management and feeding practices were obtained through the stable records, interviews, and on-site monitoring visits, whereas the prevalence of abnormal behaviors in the studied populat...
Horses Could Perceive Riding Differently Depending on the Way They Express Poor Welfare in the Stable.
Journal of equine veterinary science    August 5, 2020   Volume 94 103206 doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2020.103206
Ruet A, Biau S, Arnould C, Galloux P, Destrez A, Pycik E, Boichot L, Lansade L.This study investigated the relationships between four behavioral and postural indicators of a compromised welfare state in loose boxes (stereotypies, aggressive behaviors toward humans, withdrawn posture reflecting unresponsiveness to the environment, and alert posture indicating hypervigilance) and the way horses perceived riding. This perception was inferred using a survey completed by the usual riding instructor and during a standardized riding session (assessment of behaviors and postures, qualitative behavior assessment (QBA) and characterization of the horses' locomotion using an inerti...
Genetics of Equine Behavioral Traits.
The Veterinary clinics of North America. Equine practice    June 10, 2020   Volume 36, Issue 2 411-424 doi: 10.1016/j.cveq.2020.03.014
Wickens C, Brooks SA.Behavior is a valuable quantitative trait in the horse because of its impact on performance, work, recreation, and prerequisite close interactions with humans. This article reviews what is known about the genetics of behavior in horses with an emphasis on the genetic basis for temperament traits, neuroendocrine function, and stereotypic behavior. The importance of using modern molecular genetic techniques to the study of equine behavior and recommendations for future research are also discussed. Ultimately, these studies enhance the understanding of the biology of behavior in the horse, improv...
Indicators of Horse Welfare: State-of-the-Art.
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI    February 13, 2020   Volume 10, Issue 2 294 doi: 10.3390/ani10020294
Lesimple C.Animal welfare is defined as a chronic state reflecting an individual's subjective perception of its situation. Because it is possible to be in a good welfare state and nevertheless experience acute fear or pain, and conversely, short-term positive emotions can be experienced during impaired welfare states, welfare as a chronic state has to be clearly distinguished from temporary states related to emotions, pain or stress. The evaluation of non-verbal individuals' welfare state, particularly in interspecific situations, is a real challenge that necessarily implies animal-based measures and req...
Symptoms and management of temporohyoid osteoarthropathy and its association with crib-biting behavior in 11 Japanese Thoroughbreds.
Journal of equine science    December 18, 2019   Volume 30, Issue 4 81-85 doi: 10.1294/jes.30.81
Saito Y, Amaya T.There have been few reports about temporohyoid osteoarthropathy in Japanese horses. The aim of this study was to describe the symptoms and management of temporohyoid osteoarthropathy and to investigate its association with crib-biting behavior, which is commonly observed in Japanese horses. The data concerning case details, signs, diagnosis procedures, treatment, and outcomes were collected retrospectively from the medical records of 11 Thoroughbreds with temporohyoid osteoarthropathy. The trainers and owners were asked whether the horses had displayed crib-biting behavior. Nine of the horses ...
Perceptions of Whether Stereotypic Off-the-Track Thoroughbreds are Harder to Rehome Than Nonstereotypic OTTBs-A Pilot Survey Study.
Journal of equine veterinary science    September 9, 2019   Volume 81 102794 doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2019.102794
Wickens C, Arias Esquivel AM, Hendricks C, Heleski C.Several studies have indicated higher incidence of stereotypic behaviors (STBs) in Thoroughbreds. The aftercare of Off-the-Track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs) has received increased attention in the last decade; however, research on the impact of STBs on placement of OTTBs after their racing career is limited. Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) accredits centers throughout North America that work to rehome OTTBs in a safe, welfare-friendly manner. Although the authors have suspected that having an STB would make OTTBs more challenging to rehome, this hypothesis remains to be empirically tested. The...
Housing Horses in Individual Boxes Is a Challenge with Regard to Welfare.
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI    August 28, 2019   Volume 9, Issue 9 621 doi: 10.3390/ani9090621
Ruet A, Lemarchand J, Parias C, Mach N, Moisan MP, Foury A, Briant C, Lansade L.Horses are mainly housed in individual boxes. This housing system is reported to be highly detrimental with regard to welfare and could trigger the expression of four behavioural indicators of a compromised welfare state: stereotypies, aggressiveness toward humans, unresponsiveness to the environment, and stress-related behaviours. The aim of this study was to identify housing and management factors that could alleviate the detrimental effects of individual boxes on welfare. A total of 187 horses were observed over 50 days by scan sampling. The impact of 12 factors was investigated on the expr...
Elevated Sensitivity to Tactile Stimuli in Stereotypic Horses.
Frontiers in veterinary science    May 31, 2019   Volume 6 162 doi: 10.3389/fvets.2019.00162
Briefer Freymond S, Bardou D, Beuret S, Bachmann I, Zuberbu00fchler K, Briefer EF.Although stereotypic behaviors are a common problem in captive animals, why certain individuals are more prone to develop them remains elusive. In horses, individuals show considerable differences in how they perceive and react to external events, suggesting that this may partially account for the emergence of stereotypies in this species. In this study, we focused on crib-biting, the most common stereotypy displayed by horses. We compared how established crib-biters ("CB" = 19) and normal controls ("C" = 18) differed in response to a standard "personality" assessment test battery, i.e., react...
Could posture reflect welfare state? A study using geometric morphometrics in riding school horses.
PloS one    February 5, 2019   Volume 14, Issue 2 e0211852 doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0211852
Su00e9nu00e8que E, Lesimple C, Morisset S, Hausberger M.Despite the fact that animal posture is known to reflect emotional state, the presence of chronic postures associated with poor welfare has not been investigated with an objective tool for measuring, quantifying and comparing postures. The use of morphometric geometrics (GM) to describe horse posture (profile of the dorsum) has shown to be an effective method of distinguishing populations that are known to differ in terms of welfare states. Here we investigated photographs of 85 riding school horses differing in terms of welfare state, in order to determine if a specific posture (modelled by G...
Stereotypic horses (Equus caballus) are not cognitively impaired.
Animal cognition    October 17, 2018   Volume 22, Issue 1 17-33 doi: 10.1007/s10071-018-1217-8
Briefer Freymond S, Ruet A, Grivaz M, Fuentes C, Zuberbu00fchler K, Bachmann I, Briefer EF.Stereotypies in animals are thought to arise from an interaction between genetic predisposition and sub-optimal housing conditions. In domestic horses, a well-studied stereotypy is crib-biting, an abnormal behaviour that appears to help individuals to cope with stressful situations. One prominent hypothesis states that animals affected by stereotypies are cognitively less flexible compared to healthy controls, due to sensitization of a specific brain area, the basal ganglia. The aim of this study was to test this hypothesis in crib-biting and healthy controls, using a cognitive task, reversa...
Causal and functional interpretation of mu- and delta-opioid receptor profiles in mesoaccumbens and nigrostriatal pathways of an oral stereotypy phenotype.
Behavioural brain research    June 28, 2018   Volume 353 108-113 doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.06.031
Hemmings A, Parker MO, Hale C, McBride SD.Spontaneous stereotypic behaviours are repetitive, compulsive, topographically invariant response patterns commonly observed in captive or domestic animals, which have been linked to dysfunction of basal ganglia input/output pathways. There is evidence that endogenous opioids play a key regulatory role in basal ganglia direct and indirect pathways, but their precise role, both causally and functionally, in spontaneous stereotypic behaviour is unclear. Here we examined the profile of mu- and delta-opioid receptors (density [Bmax] and affinity [Kd]) of basal ganglia structures in stereotypy (nâ€...
[Selenium Deficiency as a Potential Cause of Cribbing (Koppen)].
Tierarztliche Praxis. Ausgabe G, Grosstiere/Nutztiere    March 23, 2018   Volume 46, Issue 1 67 doi: 10.1055/s-0038-1638224
No abstract available
A comparative study of oculomotor, trochlear and abducens nerves in Arabian foals.
Biotechnic & histochemistry : official publication of the Biological Stain Commission    March 1, 2017   Volume 92, Issue 2 149-156 doi: 10.1080/10520295.2017.1288926
Bolat D, Yu0131ldu0131z D, Bahar S, Yu00fcru00fcker S, Kaymaz F, Ilgu0131n C, Bozkurt Eu00dc, Karahan S, Sabancu0131 SS.We investigated the microscopic structure of transverse sections of the oculomotor, trochlear and abducens nerves of Arabian foals using stereological methods. Bilateral nerve pairs from 2-month-old female Arabian foals were analyzed. The tissues were embedded in plastic blocks, then 1 µm thick sections were cut and stained with osmium tetroxide and methylene blue-azure II. Stereology was performed using light microscopy. Morphometry showed that the right and left pairs of nerves were similar. The transverse sectional areas of the oculomotor, trochlear and abducens nerves were 1.93 ± 0.19 mm...
Efficacy of a Feed Dispenser for Horses in Decreasing Cribbing Behaviour.
Veterinary medicine international    October 13, 2016   Volume 2016 4698602 doi: 10.1155/2016/4698602
Mazzola S, Palestrini C, Cannas S, Fu00e8 E, Bagnato GL, Vigo D, Frank D, Minero M.Cribbing is an oral stereotypy, tends to develop in captive animals as a means to cope with stress, and may be indicative of reduced welfare. Highly energetic diets ingested in a short time are one of the most relevant risk factors for the development of cribbing. The aim of this study was to verify whether feeding cribbing horses through a dispenser that delivers small quantities of concentrate when activated by the animal decreases cribbing behaviour, modifies feeding behaviour, or induces frustration. Ten horses (mean age 14 y), balanced for sex, breed, and size (mean height 162 cm), we...
Colic in a working horse population in Egypt: Prevalence and risk factors.
Equine veterinary journal    May 2, 2016   Volume 49, Issue 2 201-206 doi: 10.1111/evj.12573
Salem SE, Scantlebury CE, Ezzat E, Abdelaal AM, Archer DC.Colic is an important health problem in managed horse populations. Currently, there is limited information about colic prevalence and risk factors for colic in working horse populations. Objective: To determine the prevalence of, and risk factors for, colic in a working horse population in Egypt and to describe management practices in this working horse population. Methods: Cross-sectional survey. Methods: Owners of 350 working horses were interviewed. Data about their horses, management and colic episodes in the preceding 12 months were collected. Dental examination was conducted on 342 horse...
Efficacy and effects of various anti-crib devices on behaviour and physiology of crib-biting horses.
Equine veterinary journal    December 11, 2015   Volume 48, Issue 6 727-731 doi: 10.1111/evj.12534
Albright JD, Witte TH, Rohrbach BW, Reed A, Houpt KA.Crib-biting is a common oral stereotypy. Although most treatments involve prevention, the efficacy of various anti-crib devices, including surgically implanted gingival rings, has thus far not been empirically tested. Objective: Demonstrate the effect that 2 anti-crib collars, muzzle and gingival rings have on crib-biting, other maintenance behaviours, and cortisol levels in established crib-biting horses. Methods: Randomised, crossover clinical trial. Methods: In Experiment I, 2 anti-crib collars and a muzzle were used on 8 established crib-biting horses; horses wore each of 3 devices for 7 d...
The physiological consequences of crib-biting in horses in response to an ACTH challenge test.
Physiology & behavior    July 14, 2015   Volume 151 121-128 doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.07.015
Briefer Freymond S, Bardou D, Briefer EF, Bruckmaier R, Fouchu00e9 N, Fleury J, Maigrot AL, Ramseyer A, Zuberbu00fchler K, Bachmann I.Stereotypies are repetitive and relatively invariant patterns of behavior, which are observed in a wide range of species in captivity. Stereotypic behavior occurs when environmental demands produce a physiological response that, if sustained for an extended period, exceeds the natural physiological regulatory capacity of the organism, particularly in situations that include unpredictability and uncontrollability. One hypothesis is that stereotypic behavior functions to cope with stressful environments, but the existing evidence is contradictory. To address the coping hypothesis of stereotypies...
Rapid animal welfare assessment: an archaeological approach.
Biology letters    September 12, 2014   Volume 10, Issue 9 20140390 doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2014.0390
Schork IG, Young RJ.The welfare of an individual depends on its capacity to overcome suboptimal conditions in its environment; otherwise, its physical and psychological health becomes compromised. A situation that clearly indicates lack of control of the environment is the expression of abnormal behaviours, such as stereotypies. This study aimed to verify the well-being of police horses using a new rapid form of welfare assessment: an archaeological approach. To this end, we sampled and quantified marks found on the stables, deposited as a result of abnormal behaviour. We cross-referenced these physical marks wit...
How accurate are we at assessing others’ well-being? The example of welfare assessment in horses.
Frontiers in psychology    January 24, 2014   Volume 5 21 doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00021
Lesimple C, Hausberger M.Healthcare practitioners such as physicians or nurses often underestimate patients' well-being impairment (e.g., pain, anxiety) which may lead to undesirable consequences on treatment decisions. Lack of recognition/identification of signals and over-exposure are two reasons invoked, but a combination of factors may be involved. Studying human decoding of animals' expressions of emotions showed that "identification" to the subject was necessary to decode the other's internal state. In the present study we wanted to compare caretakers' reports on the prevalence of stereotypic or abnormal repetit...
Exploration of known stereotypic behaviour-related candidate genes in equine crib-biting.
Animal : an international journal of animal bioscience    January 6, 2014   Volume 8, Issue 3 347-353 doi: 10.1017/S1751731113002346
Hemmann K, Ahonen S, Raekallio M, Vainio O, Lohi H.Crib-biting in horses is a stereotypic oral behaviour. Genetic susceptibility has been suggested on a causal basis, together with environmental factors such as stress, gastric discomfort and frustration caused by stall restrictions. This study aimed to test the associations of known or suspected stereotypic genes with equine crib-biting, including Ghrelin, Ghrelin receptor, Leptin, Dopamine receptor, μ-opioid receptor, N-cadherin, Serotonin receptor and Semaphorin. We conducted a candidate gene study with a case-control design, including 98 crib-biting and 135 control horses of two breeds, Fi...
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