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PloS one2010; 5(8); e12434; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0012434

Partners with bad temper: reject or cure? A study of chronic pain and aggression in horses.

Abstract: Experiencing acute pain can affect the social behaviour of both humans and animals and can increase the risk that they exhibit aggressive or violent behaviour. However, studies have focused mainly on the impact of acute rather than chronic painful experiences. As recent results suggest that chronic pain or chronic discomfort could increase aggressiveness in humans and other mammals, we tested here the hypothesis that, in horses, aggression towards humans (a common source of accidents for professionals) could be linked to regularly reported vertebral problems of riding horses. Results: Vertebral examination and standardized behavioural tests were made independently on the same horses. Here we showed that most horses severely affected by vertebral problems were prone to react aggressively towards humans (33/43 horses, chi-square test, df=1, χ(2)=12.30, p<0.001), which was not the case for unaffected or slightly affected horses (9/16 horses, chi-square test, df=1, χ(2)=0.25, p>0.05). The more affected they were, the fewer positive reactions they exhibited (rs=-0.31, p=0.02). Conclusions: This is to our knowledge the first experimental evidence of such a link between chronic discomfort/potential pain (inferred from the presence of vertebral problems) and aggression, suggesting that chronic painful experiences may act in ways similar to those of acute experiences. Chronic discomfort or pain may often be overlooked when facing "bad tempered" individuals, whether humans or animals. This experimental study confirms the importance of including chronic discomfort or pain as a major factor in interpersonal relations and models of aggression.
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Publication Date: 2010-08-26 PubMed ID: 20865160PubMed Central: PMC2928779DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0012434Google 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.

This research article examines the link between chronic pain and aggression in horses, suggesting that horses with severe vertebral problems are more likely to react aggressively towards humans.

Study Objective and Hypothesis

The researchers wanted to explore the relationship between chronic pain and aggressive behaviors in horses. Though previous studies have indicated that acute pain or discomfort can increase aggression in humans and other mammals, the influence of chronic pain has not been as thoroughly examined. The hypothesis of this study was that aggression towards humans in horses could be associated with the chronic vertebral problems that are common in riding horses.

Methods and Results

  • The researchers conducted vertebral examinations and standardized behavioral tests independently on a group of horses.
  • The findings of the study showed that most horses with severe vertebral problems were prone to react aggressively towards humans. Specifically, 33 out of 43 horses with severe vertebral problems showed aggressive behavior, a significantly higher rate of aggression than in horses without or with only slight vertebral problems (9 out of 16 horses).
  • It was also observed that the more severely a horse was affected by vertebral problems, the fewer positive reactions it displayed towards humans.

Conclusions

This study provides the first experimental evidence of a link between chronic pain or discomfort and aggression in horses. It suggests that chronic pain acts similarly to acute pain in influencing aggressive behavior. The findings also highlight the importance of considering chronic pain when dealing with ‘bad tempered’ horses or humans, suggesting that it should be seen as a significant factor in aggression models and interpersonal relationships. The researchers recommend further studies to confirm these findings and to explore their implications for human-animal interactions and pain management in horses.

Cite This Article

APA
Fureix C, Menguy H, Hausberger M. (2010). Partners with bad temper: reject or cure? A study of chronic pain and aggression in horses. PLoS One, 5(8), e12434. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0012434

Publication

PloS one
ISSN: 1932-6203
NlmUniqueID: 101285081
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 5
Issue: 8
Pages: e12434

Researcher Affiliations

Fureix, Carole
  • Université Rennes 1, UMR CNRS 6552, laboratoire Ethologie Animale et Humaine, Rennes, France. carole.fureix@univ-rennes1.fr
Menguy, Hervé
    Hausberger, Martine

      MeSH Terms

      • Aggression
      • Animals
      • Behavior, Animal
      • Chronic Disease
      • Female
      • Horse Diseases / physiopathology
      • Horse Diseases / psychology
      • Horses
      • Humans
      • Male
      • Pain / physiopathology
      • Pain / psychology
      • Pain / veterinary
      • Spinal Diseases / physiopathology
      • Spinal Diseases / psychology
      • Spinal Diseases / veterinary
      • Temperament

      Conflict of Interest Statement

      Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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