|
Hübener, E. (2007). Horse-Appropriate Aids And Their Timer.
Abstract: Harmony between man and horse, and the rider`s understanding of the function of a horse`s body and mind – these are things that knowledgeable horsemen have demanded for centuries. Constant, focussed attention enables the horse to understand barely visible signals from its herd leader or its rider (!) and to act upon them instantly. Thus it is not necessary to treat a horse as if it were either unwilling or deaf.
When the rider sits in perfect balance, his leg tends to fall “self-actively” against the horse`s trunk as it swings away when the horse`s hind leg on the same side moves forwards. This is the only moment in which a horse is able to immediately follow the signal from the rider to move forwards, sideways, or to hold back. Video footage proves what we already knew more than a hundred years ago, but which our sports organisations have somehow managed to forget. Of course we should not let our leg fall against the horse all the time, because then the horse will not register this as a signal. It is explained how to “switch on” and “switch off” the leg signals.
For the equestrian standards in this country, it is essential that young riders are familiarized with the “self-active” leg, as soon as they are halfway firm in the saddle. Youngsters learn this easily and never forget it again; it is far more difficult for adults, as the pelvic ring is no longer so flexible. As there is a definite lack of good riding lessons, an instructive video on this subject would be extremely useful. Sponsors are urgently required!
For riders who have mastered the balanced seat and can feel how their leg falls against the horse`s trunk as it swings away, riding becomes primarily a matter of self discipline.
If we do not examine these matters scientifically, we are in danger of loosing the most important elements of the equestrian art. With this thought in mind, the author uses this essay to argue once again for interdisciplinary research of equitation at universities, and for the support of these projects by high ranking organisations.
|
|
|
J. Keay-Bright, J. B. (2007). The influence of land management on soil erosion in the Sneeuberg Mountains, Central Karoo, South Africa. Land Degradation & Development, 18(4), 423–439.
Abstract: Farm practices in the Sneeuberg Mountains, Karoo, South Africa are examined to assess their contribution to the development of the observed gullies and badlands. Data from the literature is augmented by interviews with local farmers and measurements in the field. Changes in stocking rates, grazing systems and technological advances are assessed for their impact on soil erosion, vegetation cover and species composition. The possibility of natural and managed rehabilitation of badland areas is discussed, as are future prospects for farm management in the Sneeuberg. The findings suggest that high stock numbers and less benign management practices in the 19th century and the early 20th century underlie much of the degradation seen today. Copyright – 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
|
|
|
Janis, C. (2007). An Evolutionary History of Browsing and Grazing Ungulates. In The Ecology of Browsing and Grazing (pp. 21–45).
Abstract: Browsing (i.e., eating woody and non-woody dicotyledonous plants) and grazing (i.e., eating grass) are distinctively different types of feeding behaviour among ungulates today. Ungulates with different diets have different morphologies (both craniodental ones and in aspects of the digestive system) and physiologies, although some of these differences are merely related to body size, as grazers are usually larger than browsers. There is also a difference in the foraging behaviour in terms of the relationship between resource abundance and intake rate, which is linear in browsers but asymptotic in grazers. The spatial distribution of the food resource is also different for the different types of herbage, browse being more patchily distributed than grass, and thus browsers and grazers are likely to have a very different perception of food resources in any given ecosystem (see Gordon 2003, for review).
|
|
|
Janson, C., & Byrne, R. (2007). What wild primates know about resources: opening up the black box. Anim. Cogn., 10(3), 357–367.
Abstract: Abstract We present the theoretical and practical difficulties of inferring the cognitive processes involved in spatial movement decisions of primates and other animals based on studies of their foraging behavior in the wild. Because the possible cognitive processes involved in foraging are not known a priori for a given species, some observed spatial movements could be consistent with a large number of processes ranging from simple undirected search processes to strategic goal-oriented travel. Two basic approaches can help to reveal the cognitive processes: (1) experiments designed to test specific mechanisms; (2) comparison of observed movements with predicted ones based on models of hypothesized foraging modes (ideally, quantitative ones). We describe how these two approaches have been applied to evidence for spatial knowledge of resources in primates, and for various hypothesized goals of spatial decisions in primates, reviewing what is now established. We conclude with a synthesis emphasizing what kinds of spatial movement data on unmanipulated primate populations in the wild are most useful in deciphering goal-oriented processes from random processes. Basic to all of these is an estimate of the animals ability to detect resources during search. Given knowledge of the animals detection ability, there are several observable patterns of resource use incompatible with a pure search process. These patterns include increasing movement speed when approaching versus leaving a resource, increasingly directed movement toward more valuable resources, and directed travel to distant resources from many starting locations. Thus, it should be possible to assess and compare spatial cognition across a variety of primate species and thus trace its ecological and evolutionary correlates.
|
|
|
Janson, C. H. (2007). Experimental evidence for route integration and strategic planning in wild capuchin monkeys. Anim. Cogn., 10(3), 341–356.
Abstract: Abstract Both in captivity and the wild, primates are found to travel mostly to the nearest available resource, but they may skip over the closest resource and travel to more distant resources, which are often found to be more productive. This study examines the tradeoff between distance and reward in the foraging choices of one group of wild capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella nigritus) using feeding platforms in large-scale foraging experiments conducted over four years. Three feeding sites were arrayed in an oblique triangle, such that once the monkey group had chosen one site to feed, they had a choice between two remaining sites, a close one with less food and the other up to 2.3 times as far away but with more food. Sites were provisioned once per day. The capuchins generally chose the closer feeding site, even when the more distant site offered up to 12 times as much food. The distances to, rewards of, or various profitability measures applied to each alternative site individually did not explain the groups choices in ways consistent with foraging theory or principles of operant psychology. The groups site choices were predicted only by comparing efficiency measures of entire foraging pathways: (1) direct travel to the more rewarding distant site, versus (2) the longer “detour” through the closer site on the way to the more distant one. The group chose the detour more often when the reward was larger and the added detour distance shorter. They appeared to be more sensitive to the absolute increase in detour distance than to the relative increase compared to the straight route. The qualitative and quantitative results agree with a simple rule: do not use the detour unless the energy gain from extra food outweighs the energy cost of extra travel. These results suggest that members of this group integrate information on spatial location, reward, and perhaps potential food competition in their choice of multi-site foraging routes, with important implications for social foraging.
|
|
|
Jellinger, K. A. (2007). Comparative Cognition: Experimental Exploration of Animal Intelligence. European Journal of Neurology, 14, e53.
|
|
|
Jolly, A. (2007). BEHAVIOR: The Social Origin of Mind. Science, 317(5843), 1326–1327.
|
|
|
Jonart, L. M., Hill, G. E., & Badyaev, A. V. (2007). Fighting ability and motivation: determinants of dominance and contest strategies in females of a passerine bird. Anim. Behav., 74(6), 1675–1681.
Abstract: The communication of aggressive motivation or fighting ability has important fitness consequences for competing animals. Selection should favour rapid and honest communication between opponents to settle dominance relationships while avoiding prolonged and intense fighting. We investigated factors that influence fighting strategies and contest outcomes in female house finches, Carpodacus mexicanus, specifically focusing on the following questions. (1) What social contexts trigger an aggressive response? (2) Does body size and condition contribute to female fighting ability? (3) Do contextual factors, such as mate presence, nest status, nest proximity, and site experience contribute to fighting motivation? (4) Does contest intensity and duration increase as the differences in fighting ability between opponents decrease? (5) What is the relative contribution of fighting ability and aggressive motivation to the outcome of a contest? We found that aggression was triggered most frequently by female intrusions in the vicinity of nest and by extrapair female intrusions on an established pair. Female fighting and contest outcomes were strongly influenced by body condition and body size, and females were more motivated to initiate fights and won more contests when their mates were present. Females at the later breeding stages and those fighting closer to their nests were dominant and won more fights compared to females at earlier breeding stages or further from their nests. Females initiated a greater proportion of contests against opponents with similar local familiarity and breeding history. Escalated and prolonged contests, while rare, occurred exclusively between females of the most similar body size and condition. When differences in body condition between opponents are not easily perceived, contestants might escalate contests for more reliable assessments of relative fighting ability. Finally, body condition was not a strong determinant of contest outcome in the contexts with easily assessed differences in the resource value (e.g. mate presence), but without these motivational differences, body condition was the ultimate determinant of contest outcomes.
|
|
|
Jorgensen, G. H. M., & Boe, K. E. (2007). A note on the effect of daily exercise and paddock size on the behaviour of domestic horses (Equus caballus). Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., 107(1-2), 166–173.
Abstract: In a 2 x 3 factorial experiment we examined the effect of exercise (no exercise/daily exercise) and paddock size (small: 150 m2, medium: 300 m2 and large: 450 m2) on the behaviour of horses. In both these treatment periods nine (three cold blood and six warm blood) adult horses were exposed to all the three paddock size treatments for 2 h daily, for 1 week in each paddock size, and the order of paddock size treatments were rotated systematically. In between turnout in paddocks the horses were all housed in tie stalls. In the non-exercise period the horses walked significantly more, they travelled a longer distance, explored more and stood more alert, than in the period with exercise. The horses stood less passively in the large paddock compared to the medium and the small paddock, and they also travelled a longer distance in the larger paddock sizes. At days with heavy rain and wind, the horses were more restless and walked significantly more than in warmer weather. In conclusion; daily exercise significantly reduced the general activity in the paddocks. Increasing the paddock size to 450 m2, increased the time spent eating grass from under the fence and decreased the time spent standing passively.
|
|
|
King, S. R. B., & Gurnell, J. (2007). Scent-marking behaviour by stallions: an assessment of function in a reintroduced population of Przewalski horses (Equus ferus przewalskii). J Zool, 272(1), 30–36.
Abstract: Abstract Scent marking is a common form of intraspecific communication in mammal species, and using faeces or urine is a cost-effective way of signalling competitive ability and resource holding power. Marking is ritually performed by male equids, and here we assess the function of male scent-marking behaviour in a recently introduced population of Przewalski horses Equus ferus przewalskii in Mongolia. Two forms of scent marking were observed: defecation on stud piles formed from repeated dunging in the same place, and overmarking of faeces and urine of mares. Stud piles were marked with dung by the harem holder and sniffed before and after dung was deposited. They were not found specifically at the periphery of harem ranges but occurred for the most part along routes used by the horses, and were more common in the core parts of harem ranges or where harem ranges overlapped. Thus, rather than being used to defend range boundaries, stud piles were placed predominantly where they would be encountered by male intruders. Mare excreta were covered with urine by the stallion, but were only sniffed before they were marked, not after. These marks appear to advertise to the mare and other, intruding stallions that the harem holder was the mare's consort and that the interloper should not risk trying to steal the mare or sneak a mating. Thus, the two forms of marking by harem holders appear to combine as first and second lines of defence of paternity rights in male intrasexual competition.
|
|