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Home / Equine Research Bank / Front Psychol / Locomotor Inhibition in Adult Horses Faced to Stressors: A S...
Frontiers in psychology2012; 3; 442; doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00442

Locomotor Inhibition in Adult Horses Faced to Stressors: A Single Postpartum Experience May be Enough!

Abstract: Despite the number of postpartum handling that a newborn experiences, few studies focus on their long-term consequences. In rats, regular long separations from the mother, during the early life, led to modifications of the locomotor activity when the animal is confronted to a stressor. In horses, one component of the behavioral response to stressful situation is active locomotion. We wondered if the routine postpartum handling undergone by foals, would affect their level of reactivity or the way they express their stress, when older. One single prolonged bout of handling just after birth clearly affected later adult expression of stress reactivity. In social separation associated with novelty, handled, and unhandled horses produced an equal amount of whinnies, showing a similar vocal response to stress. However, both groups differed in their locomotor response to the situations. Early handled foals expressed less of the active forms of locomotion than the control group. Our findings highlight the need of further reflections on long-term effects of routine handlings procedures close to birth.
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Publication Date: 2012-10-29 PubMed ID: 23112783PubMed Central: PMC3483057DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00442Google Scholar: Lookup
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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.

The research article examines the influence of early experiences, specifically postpartum handling, on stress reactions in adult horses. The findings suggest that just a single significant handling immediately after birth can alter the adult horse’s stress response.

Research Scope and Background

  • The study looks into the long-term consequences of postpartum handling in not just new-born horses, but also extends the field study to rats for comparative understandings.
  • This research is based on the observation that daily, extended separations from the mother during early life in rats lead to changes in their locomotor activity in the face of stressors.
  • In horses, active locomotion or movement is a key part of their behavioural response to stressful situations.

Objective of the Study

  • The objective of the study was to investigate whether the routine postpartum handling of young foals would influence their response to stress in their later stages of life.

Key Findings and Observations

  • The researchers found that, in fact, just a single prolonged bout of handling immediately after birth significantly affected the adult horse’s expression of stress reactivity in the future.
  • When exposed to social separation coupled with novelty, horses that were handled just after birth and those that were not exhibited a similar stress response in terms of vocalisation (both groups produced similar amounts of whinnies).
  • However, there was a marked difference between the groups in terms of their locomotor responses to stress. Specifically, horses that were handled early after birth expressed fewer active forms of locomotion when stressed compared to those in the control group who were not handled early on.

Conclusion and Implications of the Study

  • The study concluded that a single postpartum experience could have significant long-term effects on adults’ stress responses. It indicates the necessity for further investigation and consideration of the long-term impacts of routine handling procedures in horses closely following birth.

Cite This Article

APA
(2012). Locomotor Inhibition in Adult Horses Faced to Stressors: A Single Postpartum Experience May be Enough! Front Psychol, 3, 442. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00442

Publication

Frontiers in psychology
ISSN: 1664-1078
NlmUniqueID: 101550902
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 3
Pages: 442
PII: 442

Researcher Affiliations

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Citations

This article has been cited 5 times.
  1. Rochais C, Lerch N, Gueguen L, Schmidlin M, Bonamy O, Grandgeorge M, Hausberger M. Horses' Tactile Reactivity Differs According to the Type of Work: The Example of Equine-Assisted Intervention. Vet Sci 2023 Feb 7;10(2).
    doi: 10.3390/vetsci10020130pubmed: 36851434google scholar: lookup
  2. Stomp M, Leroux M, Cellier M, Henry S, Lemasson A, Hausberger M. An unexpected acoustic indicator of positive emotions in horses. PLoS One 2018;13(7):e0197898.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197898pubmed: 29995876google scholar: lookup
  3. André V, Henry S, Lemasson A, Hausberger M, Durier V. The human newborn's umwelt: Unexplored pathways and perspectives. Psychon Bull Rev 2018 Feb;25(1):350-369.
    doi: 10.3758/s13423-017-1293-9pubmed: 28462504google scholar: lookup
  4. Durier V, Henry S, Martin E, Dollion N, Hausberger M, Sizun J. Unexpected behavioural consequences of preterm newborns' clothing. Sci Rep 2015 Mar 17;5:9177.
    doi: 10.1038/srep09177pubmed: 25776252google scholar: lookup
  5. Hall C, Kay R. Living the good life? A systematic review of behavioural signs of affective state in the domestic horse (Equus caballus) and factors relating to quality of life. Part 2: Horse-human interactions. Anim Welf 2024;33:e41.
    doi: 10.1017/awf.2024.41pubmed: 39469043google scholar: lookup
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