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Archives animal breeding2023; 66(1); 9-16; doi: 10.5194/aab-66-9-2023

The effect of being housed with a goat on abnormal behavior in horses.

Abstract: Horses in stalls generally remain in single-stall housing, so abnormal behavior can be observed in this management condition. Abnormal behavior can harm the horse's keeper, rider, or even the animal itself. The present study aims to examine the effect of goats on abnormal behaviors in horses. For this purpose, it placed six horses and six goats in the single-stall housing of the horses, one horse and one goat, and monitored them for 45 d. The research was divided into three observation phases during this time: in the first observation, the horses were left alone (0-15 d), in the second observation, the horses were left together with the goats (16-30 d), and in the third observation, the horses were left alone again (31-45 d). In the first of these three stages, 12 different abnormal behaviors were detected in horses. The determined hours (00:00-01:00, 06:00-07:00, 07:00-08:00, 19:00-20:00, 20:00-21:00, 23:00-24:00 LT) of the day for abnormal behaviors identified in six different single-stall houses were examined. The frequency of the total abnormal behavior occurring at these hours was evaluated with nonparametric statistical tests. At the end of the research, front feet playing ( ), crib-biting objects ( ), and box walking ( ) behaviors were significantly affected positively by the goats, while there was no statistical difference in other abnormal behaviors ( ). In conclusion, it can be said that goats positively affect some abnormal behaviors in horses but not others.
Copyright: © 2023 Fatih Yildirim et al.
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Publication Date: 2023-01-04 PubMed ID: 36687213PubMed Central: PMC9850242DOI: 10.5194/aab-66-9-2023Google 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 study examines how housing horses with goats influences certain abnormal behaviours in horses. Researchers found that the presence of goats significantly reduced behaviors like front feet playing, crib-bitting objects, and box walking, but did not statistically affect other abnormal behaviors in horses.

Objective and Methodology

  • The research aimed to investigate the impact of goats on abnormal behaviors exhibited by horses in single-stall housing. Abnormal behavior in horses is a concern as it can pose risks to the horse itself, its caretaker or rider.
  • Six horses and six goats were housed in single-stall accommodation for a period of 45 days for the purpose of the research.
  • The experiment was segmented into three distinct observational phases:
    • In the first phase (0-15 days), horses were kept alone in their stalls.
    • The second phase (16-30 days) involved housing horses with goats.
    • In the final phase (31-45 days), horses were left alone once again.
  • The researchers observed a total of 12 different abnormal behaviors during the initial phase wherein the horses were left alone.
  • The timeframes when abnormal behaviors were most prevalent (00:00-01:00, 06:00-07:00, 07:00-08:00, 19:00-20:00, 20:00-21:00, 23:00-24:00) were identified and taken into account during statistical analysis.

Findings and Conclusion

  • The frequency of the total abnormal behavior happening at these specific hours was evaluated using nonparametric statistical tests.
  • The results indicated that the presence of goats significantly improved some abnormal behaviors, namely front feet playing, crib-biting objects, and box walking. However, the presence of goats did not substantially change other abnormal behaviours in horses.
  • In summary, while the presence of goats had a noticeable positive impact on certain abnormal behaviors in horses, it did not affect all abnormal behaviors.

Cite This Article

APA
Yildirim F, Yildiz A, Cengiz MM, Temel M, Küreksiz A. (2023). The effect of being housed with a goat on abnormal behavior in horses. Arch Anim Breed, 66(1), 9-16. https://doi.org/10.5194/aab-66-9-2023

Publication

Archives animal breeding
ISSN: 2363-9822
NlmUniqueID: 101701238
Country: Germany
Language: English
Volume: 66
Issue: 1
Pages: 9-16

Researcher Affiliations

Yildirim, Fatih
  • Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Atatürk, Erzurum, 25240, Türkiye.
Yildiz, Ahmet
  • Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Atatürk, Erzurum, 25240, Türkiye.
Cengiz, Mahir Murat
  • Department of Plant and Animal Production, Vocational School of Technical Sciences, University of Atatürk, Erzurum, 25240, Türkiye.
Temel, Murat
  • Department of Plant and Animal Production, Vocational School of Technical Sciences, University of Atatürk, Erzurum, 25240, Türkiye.
Küreksiz, Ayşe
  • Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Atatürk, Erzurum, 25240, Türkiye.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The contact author has declared that none of the authors has any competing interests.

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