Incorporating Behavior into Horse Management - Delaware Horse Expo March 19, 2011
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Incorporating Behavior into Horse
Management
Delaware Horse Expo
March 19, 2011
Importance of Studying Horse Behavior
• Through a better understanding of the horse’s
nature:
– We can learn how to work more safely & more effectively
with horses
• Through a more thorough understanding of how
the horse evolved
– We will have an enhanced understanding of how to
manage horses
How the Horse Evolved • Plains dweller • Prey animal • Grazing – small amounts, nearly continuously, reasonably low quality • Flight – main survival strategy
Normal Time Budget of a Feral (Free-
ranging) Horse (Przewalski’s - Budiansky, 1997)
• Feeding 45.2%
• Standing 33.3%
• Lying 8.3%
• Moving 6.7%
• Other 6.5%
Feeding
Lying Dn
Horse can sleep standing up due to
Standing
Moving stay apparatus
Other
Typical Time Budget of Stabled Horse
(weanlings - Heleski et al., 2002)
• Feeding 29.1%
• Standing 24%
• Lying down 21.2%
• Moving 4.1%
• Other 23%
Feeding
Lying Dn
Standing
Moving
Other
Brief History on Domestication of the
Horse
• Evidence of domestication in Ukraine ~ 6,000 years ago
• Probably initial domestication was for a food source
• One theory suggests that neonates may have been
caught and hand-reared by humans
• Mares may have been tethered to allow mating with
wild stallions and young were reared in captivity
Domestication, cont.
• Traits that made horses good candidates for
domestication included:
– Ability to exist on a fairly flexible diet of forage and
grains.
– Easy to breed in captivity, unlike the Giant Panda.
– Herd animals with an organized hierarchy
system. Humans can establish themselves as the “herd
leader” giving mankind the ability to train and use
horses for work and pleasure.
– fairly easy going disposition, trainable, unlike its
relative the zebra.
Feral Horses • Social organization – typically, small breeding bands called harems – mature stallion, mature mares, immature offspring • Non breeding groups of all males – bachelor bands – vary in size • Home ranges vary considerably in size
Primary Categories of
Behavior
Ingestive Behavior • Eating & drinking behaviors • Preference is to graze (or forage) a majority of the day • Given the opportunity they will ingest many different species of plants per day – Discuss Goodwin’s work on forage variety • Typically a well fed horse will not ingest toxic plants (however, not a guarantee) http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/ • In wild, horses only go to water a few times/day
Eliminative Behavior • Voiding of feces & urine • Some – indiscriminate, some – more defined • Stallions especially will defecate on other horses’ fecal piles, usually after smelling • In large enough pastures, horses will choose defecation, sometimes urination, areas & then won’t graze in those areas – Leads to need to mow pastures & harrow • Lack of ability to urinate can be consideration on trailering time length
Play Behavior • Considered important to good welfare, especially in juveniles • Believed to serve several adaptive functions (e.g. enhanced fitness, practicing survival skills, building social relationships) • Different types – object play, play fighting, sexual behavior play & locomotor play
Play Behavior – locomotor play video
Play Behavior – sexual play video
Investigative Behavior • Expression of curiosity • Means of exploring novel stimuli or novel environment • Horses vary by temperament in their interest in investigating • Giving the horse the time needed to become curious can often be important in teaching new skills; e.g. trailer loading
Vigilance Behavior • Horses are, by nature, very alert/vigilant • In juvenile groups, often at least 1 remains standing • Alert posturing by 1, quickly adopted by others
Social Facilitation
(Allelomimetic Behavior)
• Animals of a herd-
type species tend to
do the same thing at
the same time
• E.g., all horses in a
group at pasture
come up to watering
trough at about the
same timeCare-giving (Epimeletic Behavior) • Mutual fly-swatting • Mutual grooming • Mares giving care or attention to foals, also being protective of them to perceived threats
Care-seeking
(Et-Epimeletic Behavior)
• Signaling for care & attention
• E.g. young foals nickering for their dam
• E.g. older horses separated from one another &
callingvideo
Agonistic Behavior • Aggressive types of interaction • May be a threat – ears pinned back, head snaked forward & low • May be coupled with action – nip, bite, turn & kick (more common in newly mixed groups) • Horses in groups should not have hind shoes on (unfair advantage) • Stallions pose the greatest threat of agonistic behavior toward humans & should be treated always with their due respect • “Spoiled” horses also pose a significant threat
video
Development of dominance hierarchies in the social structure • Developing pecking order actually assists in minimizing aggressive interactions in the long run • If sufficient space, more is threat display than action • Hierarchy for food may not be identical for shelter, etc.
Understanding the Horse’s Body Language
– the Ears
• They move a lot…they
are like equine radar.
• Forward-relaxed
• Forward-alert/pricked To the
side-
• Back-relaxed Forward-relaxed; relaxed;
directed to camera directed
• Back-listening person toward
handler
• Pinned back-watch out!
• They can work
independently.Understanding the Horse’s Body Language
– the Eyes, Nostrils and Face
• Ears, eyes, nostrils, facial
tension & height of head/neck
need to be read together &
sometimes interpreted in
context
• Experience is best teacher, but Alert
some people have a certain but not
knack for it fearful
• Flared nostrils, pricked ears,
raised head & wide eyes
(possibly with some white
showing) indicate an
alert/ready to flee stateUnderstanding the Horse’s Body Language
– the Tail
• Natural carriage will vary by
breed
• Important for communication &
for fly avoidance
• Clamped tight tail often signifies
nervousness
• Highly flagged tail shows a
hyper-alert state
• “Wringing” of tail indicates
irritation/frustration
• Subtle, rhythmic swishes may
indicate changes in balancing
(e.g. lead changes)video
How can we accommodate the horse’s
nature in our management schemes? –
Regarding social interaction
• Try to maintain stable social groups
• Avoid sharp corners
• Avoid conflict over limited resources (spread out feed,
don’t put water source in corner, large openings to
sheds, etc.)
• Consider grouping different age groups separatelyHow can we accommodate the horse’s
nature in our management? –
Regarding feeding
• Feed frequently
• Feed based on forage first
• Barring other health concerns, allow grazing access as
much as possibleHow can we accommodate the horse’s
nature in our management? –
Regarding safe handling
• Most horses spook…fairly often!
• Most horses will panic in situations that may not seem
logical to us…1000 lbs of panic is dangerous!
• Learn to think like a horse and you can avoid over 90%
of “normal” horse accidents
• Invest time in just watching horsesUnderstanding the Horse’s Body Language – Leg Positioning & Body Posture • Learn what is normal so you can more quickly identify subtle lameness/soreness • Resting of hind legs alternately is common; resting of front legs is not
The End
Additional Resources
• Understanding Horse Behavior – Sue McDonnell, 1999,
www.bloodhorse.com
• The Welfare of Horses – Edited by Natalie Waran,
2002, Kluwer Academic Publishers
• The Nature of Horses – Stephen Budiansky
Carissa Wickens, Ph.D.
cwickens@udel.eduYou can also read
