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Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2021; 11(9); 2694; doi: 10.3390/ani11092694

Behavioural and Physiological Changes in a Herd of Arabian Mares after the Separation of Individuals Differently Ranked within the Dominance Hierarchy.

Abstract: Horses in a herd develop and maintain a dominance hierarchy between all individuals. There are many situations in riding facilities and studs in which horses have to be separated out of a group. The aim of the study was to determine the rate of behaviours, level of locomotor activity and cardiac activity variables in a herd of horses during a short social separation of individuals differently ranked in the dominance hierarchy. Twelve adult Arabian mares were involved. A behavioural test had been performed before the main experiment to determine the rank order of the mares in this social herd. Three tests were performed when a dominant, mixed and submissive three-member group of mares was separated for 10 min. The response of the remaining herd was determined by a rate of behaviours, time of locomotor activity and cardiac parameters. The results of the experiment reveal evident changes towards emotional arousal in the social herd elicited by a short separation of some conspecifics. The herd created by humans preserves the sensitivity to a temporary loss of its members. The response of the remaining herd does not depend strictly on the composition of the separated mares regarding their rank in the dominance hierarchy.
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Publication Date: 2021-09-14 PubMed ID: 34573660PubMed Central: PMC8465873DOI: 10.3390/ani11092694Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research investigates how short term separation of horses from their herd, based on their dominance status, affects the behavior, movement, and heart activity of the horses left behind in the herd. The results show that temporary separation leads to emotional stress in the herd, regardless of the dominance rank of the separated horses.

Research Context

  • The study takes into consideration the social structure of horse herds, in particular the dominance hierarchy that exists among horse members.
  • It seeks to understand the impact of the departure of certain horses from the herd regardless of their ranking within the hierarchy, an occurrence that frequently happens when horses are separated in riding facilities and stud farms.

Research Methodology

  • The study uses a sample of twelve adult Arabian mares.
  • Initially, a behavioural test was performed to determine the rank order of these mares in their herd.
  • Then, an experimental separation was carried out three times, where a group of three horses at a time, either dominant, mixed, or submissive in their rank, were separated from the herd for 10 minutes.

Measurement of Impact

  • The impact of the separation on the remaining horses in the herd was quantified by monitoring three factors: the rate of behaviors, the length of locomotor activity, and the cardiac parameters.

Research Findings

  • The trials showed that brief separation from other horses incites emotional arousal and stress, as indicated by changes in behavior, movement, and heart activity in the remaining herd.
  • The study finds that the horses’ response to separation does not seem to depend on the dominance ranking of the separated individuals. This suggests the sensitivity of the social structure of horse herds to any form of disruption.

Cite This Article

APA
Stachurska A, Wiśniewska A, Kędzierski W, Różańska-Boczula M, Janczarek I. (2021). Behavioural and Physiological Changes in a Herd of Arabian Mares after the Separation of Individuals Differently Ranked within the Dominance Hierarchy. Animals (Basel), 11(9), 2694. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11092694

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 11
Issue: 9
PII: 2694

Researcher Affiliations

Stachurska, Anna
  • Department of Horse Breeding and Use, Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
Wiśniewska, Anna
  • Department of Horse Breeding and Use, Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
Kędzierski, Witold
  • Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
Różańska-Boczula, Monika
  • Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Faculty of Production Engineering, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
Janczarek, Iwona
  • Department of Horse Breeding and Use, Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 3 times.
  1. Janicka W, Wilk I, Próchniak T. Does social motivation mitigate fear caused by a sudden sound in horses?. Anim Cogn 2023 Sep;26(5):1649-1660.
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  2. Kranenburg LC, van der Poel SH, Warmelink TS, van Doorn DA, van den Boom R. Changes in Management Lead to Improvement and Healing of Equine Squamous Gastric Disease. Animals (Basel) 2023 Apr 28;13(9).
    doi: 10.3390/ani13091498pubmed: 37174535google scholar: lookup
  3. Stachurska A, Kędzierski W, Kaczmarek B, Wiśniewska A, Żylińska B, Janczarek I. Variation of Physiological and Behavioural Parameters during the Oestrous Cycle in Mares. Animals (Basel) 2023 Jan 6;13(2).
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