Exploring lay perceptions of the causes of crib-biting/windsucking behaviour in horses.
Abstract: Crib-biting/windsucking behaviour has important consequences for equine health and welfare. Lay perceptions of health and illness are of interest to medical sociologists, providing important information to medical practitioners, but have infrequently been applied in veterinary research. Objective: To demonstrate how lay epidemiology can be applied within veterinary research by exploring the lay perceptions regarding the causes of crib-biting/windsucking behaviour in horses. Methods: Informants were recruited from professional and amateur horse owners who had or had not owned/cared for a horse that exhibited crib-biting/windsucking behaviour. In-depth interviews were used to examine perceptions about the development of this behaviour within each group until a 'saturation' of themes emerged. Results: The main themes that emerged as causes of crib-biting/windsucking behaviour were 'boredom', 'stress' and 'habit/addiction'. In the group of owners/carers who did not have direct experience of this type of behaviour, 'copying' from other horses emerged as a strong theme and they stated that they would not wish to own a crib-biting/windsucking horse. In contrast, those who had direct experience of horses demonstrating this behaviour did not believe copying was a cause based on their own observations and would not be put off purchasing or caring for another horse displaying this behaviour. Conclusions: Perceptions about what causes crib-biting/windsucking was influenced by whether or not informants had personal experience of horses demonstrating this behaviour. The three main themes that emerged have some justification based on current research and highlight the need for further investigation into the underlying pathophysiology of crib-biting/windsucking behaviour. Conclusions: Qualitative approaches to health, disease and behaviour have an important role in the medical field and are applicable to veterinary research.
Publication Date: 2010-06-09 PubMed ID: 20525045DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2009.00025.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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This study investigates the perceptions of horse owners regarding the causes of crib-biting/windsucking behaviour in horses. The study found that the causes most frequently perceived were boredom, stress, and habit, while owners without direct experience with the habit believed that horses could learn it from others.
Objective of the Research
The research sets out to explore the perceptions of horse caretakers/owners concerning the origin of crib-biting/windsucking behaviour in horses. The researchers used a qualitative approach, interviewing both professional and amateur horse caretakers to construct a comprehensive perspective of the causes of this behaviour.
Methods of the Research
The researchers recruited a mixture of professional and amateur horse owners for this study. Some of these individuals had experienced direct interaction with a horse that exhibited crib-biting/windsucking behaviour, while others had not.
- The form of data collected was through in-depth interviews to investigate the informants’ perceptions about the development of crib-biting/windsucking behaviour in horses.
- The interviews continued until a saturation of themes — that is, until no new themes were emerging from the interviews — was reached.
Results of the Research
The research identified several themes deemed as the causes of crib-biting/windsucking behaviour:
- ‘Boredom’, ‘Stress’, and ‘Habit/Addiction’ were the main themes identified by respondents.
- Owners who had not experienced this behaviour with their horses believed ‘Copying’ from other horses was a possible cause. Additionally, they expressed that they would not consider owning a horse that displayed crib-biting/windsucking behaviour.
- Contrarily, those with direct experience with horses demonstrating this behaviour did not perceive ‘Copying’ as a cause. Their perceptions were developed based on their observations, and they would not be dissuaded from purchasing or caring for another horse displaying the behaviour.
Conclusions of the Research
The study concluded that the perceptions about the causes of crib-biting/windsucking behaviour in horses were influenced by whether the caretakers/owners had had previous personal experience with horses demonstrating the behaviour.
- The three main themes identified align with existing research, indicating the need for further investigation into the underlying causes of crib-biting/windsucking behaviour in horses.
- The study’s conclusions emphasize the importance of qualitative approaches to understanding health, disease, and behaviour in veterinary research.
Cite This Article
APA
Litva A, Robinson CS, Archer DC.
(2010).
Exploring lay perceptions of the causes of crib-biting/windsucking behaviour in horses.
Equine Vet J, 42(4), 288-293.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.2009.00025.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- School of Population, Community and Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3GB.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Behavior, Animal / physiology
- Horses
- Qualitative Research
- Stereotyped Behavior / physiology
- Veterinary Medicine / methods
Citations
This article has been cited 3 times.- Lomas HR, Robinson PA. A Pilot Qualitative Investigation of Stakeholders' Experiences and Opinions of Equine Insect Bite Hypersensitivity in England. Vet Sci 2018 Jan 9;5(1).
- Whay HR, Dikshit AK, Hockenhull J, Parker RM, Banerjee A, Hughes SI, Pritchard JC, Reix CE. Evaluation of changes in equine care and limb-related abnormalities in working horses in Jaipur, India, as part of a two year participatory intervention study. PLoS One 2015;10(5):e0126160.
- Scantlebury CE, Perkins E, Pinchbeck GL, Archer DC, Christley RM. Could it be colic? Horse-owner decision making and practices in response to equine colic. BMC Vet Res 2014;10 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S1.
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