Records |
Author |
Giles, S.L.; Nicol, C.J.; Harris, P.A.; Rands, S.A. |
Title |
Dominance rank is associated with body condition in outdoor-living domestic horses (Equus caballus) |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2015 |
Publication |
Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
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Keywords |
Equine; fatness; obesity; social behaviour; displacement |
Abstract |
Abstract The aim of our study was to explore the association between dominance rank and body condition in outdoor group-living domestic horses, Equus caballus. Social interactions were recorded using a video camera during a feeding test, applied to 203 horses in 42 herds. Dominance rank was assigned to 194 individuals. The outcome variable body condition score (BCS) was recorded using a 9-point scale. The variables age and height were recorded and considered as potential confounders or effect modifiers. Results were analysed using multivariable linear and logistic regression techniques, controlling for herd group as a random effect. More dominant (p = 0.001) individuals generally had a higher body condition score (p = 0.001) and this association was entirely independent of age and height. In addition, a greater proportion of dominant individuals fell into the obese category (BCS >= 7/9, p = 0.005). There were more displacement encounters and a greater level of interactivity in herds that had less variation in age and height, lending strength to the hypothesis that phenotypic variation may aid cohesion in group-living species. In addition there was a strong quadratic relationship between age and dominance rank (p < 0.001), where middle-aged individuals were most likely to be dominant. These results are the first to link behavioural predictors to body condition and obesity status in horses and should prompt the future consideration of behavioural and social factors when evaluating clinical disease risk in group-living animals. |
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0168-1591 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ Giles2015 |
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5864 |
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Author |
Adelman, M.; Knijnik, J. |
Title |
Gender and Equestrian Sport |
Type |
Book Whole |
Year |
2013 |
Publication |
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Keywords |
British Equestrian Sport Canadian Show Jumping Cojones and Rejones Comparative Analysis Equestrian World through a Gender Lens Equestrianism during the 20th Century Fluid Masculinities on Brazilian Dressage Gender Studies and Equestrian Sport Horseracing and Gender in the United Kingdom Juvenile Equine Fiction for Girls Men and Horse Riding Spanish Mounted Bullfight Sport and Culture Swedish Equestrian Sports Women Riding Rodeo in Southern Brazil Women in Equestrian Polo |
Abstract |
This volume brings together studies from various disciplines of the social sciences and humanities (Anthropology, Sociology, Cultural Studies, History and Literary theory) that examine the equestrian world as a historically gendered and highly dynamic field of contemporary sport and culture. From elite international dressage and jumping, polo and the turf, to the rodeo world of the Americas and popular forms of equestrian sport and culture, we are introduced to a range of issues as they unfold at local and global, national and international levels. Students and scholars of gender, culture and sport will find much of interest in this original look at contemporary issues such as “engendered” (women’s and men’s) dentities/subjectivities of equestrians, representations of girls, horses and the world of adventure in juvenile fiction; the current “feminization” of particular equestrian activities (and where boys and men stand in relation to this); how broad forms of social inequality and stratification play themselves out within gendered equestrian contexts; men and women and their relation to horses within the framework of current discussions on the relation of animals to humans (which may include not only love and care, but also exploitation and violence), among others. Singular contributions that incorporate a wide variety of classic and contemporary theoretical perspectives and empirical methodologies show how horse cultures around the globe contribute to historical and current constructions of embodied “femininities” and “masculinities”, reflecting a world that has been moving “beyond the binaries” while continuing to be enmeshed in their persistent and contradictory legacy. The final chapter makes a brave attempt at synthesizing individual chapters and moving forward from the evidences they provide, to suggest a compelling agenda for future research. |
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Springer |
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Dordrecht |
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978-94-007-6823-9 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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6389 |
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McVey, A.; Wilkinson, A.; Mills, D.S. |
Title |
Social learning in horses: the effect of using a group leader demonstrator on the performance of familiar conspecifics in a detour task |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2018 |
Publication |
Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
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Keywords |
Equine; Imitation; Leader; Social facilitation; Social learning |
Abstract |
Learning through the observation of others allows the transfer of information without the costs incurred during individual trial and error learning. Horses (Equus caballus) are a highly social species, which might be expected to be capable of learning from others, but experimental findings are inconsistent, and potentially confounded by social facilitation effects not related directly to the learning of the task. We refined the methods used in previous equine social learning studies, to examine and distinguish specific social influences on learning of a task: we used predefined group leaders rather than agonistically dominant individuals to demonstrate a detour task to familiar conspecific observers; in addition we had two control groups: a non-observer (true control) and a group with the demonstrator simply present at the goal (social facilitation control). 44 socially kept horses were allocated to one of the three test conditions and took part in five trials each. Success rate, latency and detour direction were recorded. There was no significant difference between the three groups in the likelihood of them succeeding in the task nor latency to succeed; however there was a significant difference in the route chosen by the groups, with the true control choosing the side with the entrance gate significantly more than either the observer group or social facilitation group. Both of the latter two groups chose to go in the same direction relative to themselves, regardless of which side the gate was. Seven out of nine horses in the observer group chose the same direction as their demonstrator every time. Our results show a significant role of social facilitation on detour behaviour and highlight the importance of including adequate controls for simpler cognitive influences on behaviour before claims can be made about the specific learning of motor actions or goal directed behaviour. Social cues may be important to horses if the task is sufficiently challenging and motivationally important, so future work should consider more demanding, but ecologically relevant situations, in order to maximise the potential revelation of social learning effects which do not depend on simple local or stimulus enhancement effects. |
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0168-1591 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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6395 |
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Author |
Hardy, J.L. |
Title |
The ecology of western equine encephalomyelitis virus in the Central Valley of California, 1945-1985 |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
1987 |
Publication |
The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene |
Abbreviated Journal |
Am J Trop Med Hyg |
Volume |
37 |
Issue |
3 Suppl |
Pages |
18s-32s |
Keywords |
Aedes/microbiology; Animals; Birds; California; Culex/microbiology; Encephalitis Virus, Western Equine/*physiology; Encephalomyelitis, Equine/*history/microbiology/transmission/veterinary; History, 20th Century; Horse Diseases/history/transmission; Horses; Humans; Insect Vectors/microbiology; Mammals |
Abstract |
Reeves' concept of the summer transmission cycle of western equine encephalomyelitis virus in 1945 was that the virus was amplified in a silent transmission cycle involving mosquitoes, domestic chickens, and possibly wild birds, from which it could be transmitted tangentially to and cause disease in human and equine populations. Extensive field and laboratory studies done since 1945 in the Central Valley of California have more clearly defined the specific invertebrate and vertebrate hosts involved in the basic virus transmission cycle, but the overall concept remains unchanged. The basic transmission cycle involves Culex tarsalis as the primary vector mosquito species and house finches and house sparrows as the primary amplifying hosts. Secondary amplifying hosts, upon which Cx. tarsalis frequently feeds, include other passerine species, chickens, and possibly pheasants in areas where they are abundant. Another transmission cycle that most likely is initiated from the Cx. tarsalis-wild bird cycle involves Aedes melanimon and the blacktail jackrabbit. Like humans and horses, California ground squirrels, western tree squirrels, and a few other wild mammal species become infected tangentially with the virus but do not contribute significantly to virus amplification. |
Address |
Department of Biomedical and Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley 94720 |
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English |
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0002-9637 |
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Notes |
PMID:3318522 |
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no |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2677 |
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Author |
Hartmann, E.; Søndergaard, E.; Keeling, L.J. |
Title |
Identifying potential risk situations for humans when removing horses from groups |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2012 |
Publication |
Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
Abbreviated Journal |
Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. |
Volume |
136 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
37-43 |
Keywords |
Equine; Group; Human; Handling; Injury |
Abstract |
Removing a horse from its social group may be considered risky, both for the handler and the horse, because other horses can interfere in the catching process. The main aim of this study was to identify where and when these risk situations occur while removing a horse from its group. A potential risk situation was defined by the closeness of loose horses in the group or by any physical contact with them. Whether the number of horses following would be influenced by the social rank of the horse being led out, and whether more horses would follow to the gate when a larger proportion of the group was removed compared to when a single horse was taken out were also investigated. Thirty-two mares (1–2 years) were kept in groups of four. All horses were taken out of their home paddock twice alone (64 tests) and twice with a companion (32 tests). One handler (or two handlers when two horses were removed) was asked to approach (phase 1) and catch the target horse (phase 2), walk it to the centre of the paddock and remain stationary at a post for 30 s (phase 3), walk to the paddock entrance (phase 4) and through the gate (phase 5). The number of horses following, and the number of loose horses in proximity (<2 m, 2–5 m) to the target horse and handler was estimated, and horse–horse and horse–human interactions were recorded continuously for the five scoring phases. Significantly more loose horses were within 2 m of a single target horse during the phases approach (mean ± SD: 1.5 ± 0.8), catch (1.6 ± 0.9) and post (1.7 ± 0.7) than during walk (1.0 ± 0.5) and gate (1.1 ± 0.6). Rank did not influence the number of horses following to the gate (high rank: 2.4 ± 0.7; lower rank: 2.0 ± 1.0; P = 0.396) and interactions between horses were rare. A greater proportion of the loose horses followed when two horses (0.9 ± 0.2) were removed compared to when a single horse (0.7 ± 0.3) was taken out (P = 0.011). In conclusion, maintaining a distance to other horses in the group by reducing the time being relatively stationary, so giving loose horses fewer chances to approach, is likely to contribute to improved handler's safety. Removing a small proportion of the group may also decrease the probability of the other horses following. |
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0168-1591 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
5491 |
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Author |
Hartmann, E.; Keeling, L.J.; Rundgren, M. |
Title |
Comparison of 3 methods for mixing unfamiliar horses (Equus caballus) |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2011 |
Publication |
Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research |
Abbreviated Journal |
J Vet Behav Clin Appl Res |
Volume |
6 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
39-49 |
Keywords |
equine; behaviors; welfare; mixing; aggression; injury |
Abstract |
Horses are likely to exhibit aggression when meeting for the first time. Therefore, this study compared 3 methods for mixing horses to evaluate their effectiveness in reducing aggressive interactions: (1) mixing pairs of horses in a paddock (P, 10 minutes, 15 tests), (2) introducing 1 unfamiliar horse to a pair of familiar, resident horses in a paddock (PP, 10 minutes, 15 tests), (3) allowing limited physical contact between pairs of horses for a short period of pre-exposure in neighboring boxes (B, 5 minutes, 16 tests) before mixing them in a paddock (BP, 10 minutes 16 tests). A total of 16 Swedish Standardbred mares, aged 6-18 years (mean age ± SD: 11 ± 4.4), were included in the study. Half of the horses were familiar with each other (resident horses, n = 8), whereas the other half were bought in from a variety of sources (unfamiliar horses, n = 8). Social interactions, consisting of behaviors from the sender, the receiver, and the subsequent sender's response, were recorded continuously as frequencies. There were no differences in the frequencies of aggressive behaviors between the 3 mixing methods, including those aggressive behaviors in which physical contact had been attempted (kick, strike). Although resident horses were overall more aggressive (median number of aggressive behaviors per horse, 62; Q1, 36; Q3, 68.5) than unfamiliar horses (median per horse, 4; Q1, 2; Q3, 12.5) during all tests (U = 97, P = 0.003), none of the 62 tests needed to be terminated. Unfamiliar horses did not receive more aggression from resident horses in PP (mean per test ± SD: 5.1 ± 3.1) than in P (mean per test ± SD: 6.4 ± 4.9) (t = 0.63, P = 0.544). However, the behavior “attack” was more frequent in PP (median per test, 2; Q1, 0; Q3, 5) than in P (median per test, 0; Q1, 0; Q3, 1) (U = 282, P = 0.042), and “flee” was more frequent in PP (median per test, 6; Q1, 4; Q3, 8) than in P (median per test, 1; Q1, 0; Q3, 6) (U = 290, P = 0.018). Pre-exposure in boxes did not reduce aggression in BP (median per test, 7; Q1, 4.3; Q3, 11.8) as compared with P (median per test, 6; Q1, 2; Q3, 16) (U = 264, P = 0.767), but during pre-exposure in B tests, horses exchanged more nonaggressive (median per test, 2; Q1, 0.3; Q3, 4) than aggressive (median frequency of aggressive behavior, 0; Q1, 0; Q3, 1) (W = 71, P = 0.013) and mixed interactions (median per test, 0; Q1, 0; Q3, 1) (W = 92, P = 0.016) through the opening. Results suggest mixing an unfamiliar horse with 2 resident horses at the same time instead of one by one may be preferable. In this way, the total aggression received by the unfamiliar horse will potentially be less, even though aggressive interactions may be more intense. |
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1558-7878 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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5294 |
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Author |
Nagy, K.; Bodó, G.; Bárdos, G.; Bánszky, N.; Kabai, P. |
Title |
Differences in temperament traits between crib-biting and control horses |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2010 |
Publication |
Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
Abbreviated Journal |
Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. |
Volume |
122 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
41-47 |
Keywords |
Crib-biting; Stereotypic behaviour; Equine temperament; Trainability; Coping strategies |
Abstract |
Recent studies have suggested that crib-biting in horses is associated with diminished capacity of learning or coping with stress. Such findings raise the question whether trainability, which is fundamentally important in practice, could also be affected by stereotypic behaviour. Trainability of a horse is difficult to assess in simple tests, however, it is reliably estimated by experienced riders. To assess trainability and other characteristics related to that, a questionnaire survey was conducted with the owners of 50 crib-biting and 50 control horses. Where possible, control horses were selected from the same establishment as crib-biters. Groups did not differ significantly regarding age, breed, gender, training level or usage. Principal component analysis revealed three main factors which can be labelled as [`]Anxiety', [`]Affability' and [`]Trainability'. The [`]Anxiety' factor consisted of the items [`]Nervousness', [`]Excitability', [`]Panic', [`]Inconsistent emotionality', [`]Vigilance', [`]Skittishness', and [`]Timidity'. [`]Affability' consisted of [`]Friendliness toward people', [`]Cooperation', [`]Docility' and [`]Friendliness toward horses'. [`]Trainability' involved [`]Concentration', [`]Trainability', [`]Memory', and [`]Perseverance'. Temperament traits were not affected by age, gender, breed or training level, but the usage of the horse and the presence of crib-biting behaviour had significant effects. Competition horses had lower level of [`]Anxiety' (p = 0.032) and higher level of [`]Trainability' (p = 0.068) than leisure horses. Crib-biting horses had significantly lower level of [`]Anxiety' than control horses (p < 0.001), while [`]Trainability' and [`]Affability' did not differ between groups (p = 0.823 and p = 0.543, respectively). Competition horses are more often exposed to novel environment and to frightening stimuli (e.g. colourful obstacles) than leisure horses and therefore might have also become more habituated to these types of stimuli. Coping with novel situation may be enhanced by defusing nervous behaviour by the more experienced riders of competition. Previous studies indicated crib-biting horses to be less reactive when challenged as compared to control horses. We suggest that the virtual calmness and lower nervousness of the crib-biting horses might be due to the passive coping style of these animals. [`]Affability' of horses might be more related to housing and management conditions than to crib-biting. Contrary to expectations, scores on [`]Trainability' had not coincided with the impaired learning of crib-biting horses reported in laboratory tests. However, previous behavioural tests on equine learning rarely had a direct relevance to the training abilities of the horses. Our results do not support crib-biting stereotypy to affect performance in training, which is a complex learning process involving cooperation and docility in the social environment. |
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0168-1591 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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5078 |
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Author |
Ben-Shlomo, G.; Plummer, C.; Barrie, K.; Brooks, D. |
Title |
Characterization of the normal dark adaptation curve of the horse |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2012 |
Publication |
Veterinary Ophthalmology |
Abbreviated Journal |
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Volume |
15 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
42-45 |
Keywords |
adaptation; curve; dark; electroretinography; equine; scotopic |
Abstract |
Objective The goal of this work is to study the dark adaptation curve of the normal horse electroretinogram (ERG). Procedures The electroretinographic responses were recorded from six healthy female ponies using a contact lens electrode and a mini-Ganzfeld electroretinographic unit. The horses were sedated intravenously with detomidine, an auriculopalpebral nerve block was then performed, and the pupil was fully dilated. The ERG was recorded in response to a low intensity light stimulus (30 mcd.s/m2) that was given at times (T) T = 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, and 60 min of dark adaptation. Off-line analysis of the ERG was then performed. Results Mean b-wave amplitude of the full-field ERG increased continuously from 5 to 25 min of dark adaptation. The b-wave amplitude peaked at T = 25, however, there was no statistical significance between T = 20 and T = 25. The b-wave amplitude then remained elevated with no significant changes until the end of the study at T = 60 (P > 0.49). The b-wave implicit time increased continuously between T = 5 and T = 20, then gradually decreased until T = 60. No distinct a-wave was observed during the testing time. Conclusions Evaluation of horse rod function or combined rod/cone function by means of full-field ERG should be performed after a minimum 20 min of dark adaptation. |
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Blackwell Publishing Ltd |
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1463-5224 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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5626 |
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Author |
Mitchell, C.J.; Darsie, R.F.J.; Monath, T.P.; Sabattini, M.S.; Daffner, J. |
Title |
The use of an animal-baited net trap for collecting mosquitoes during western equine encephalitis investigations in Argentina |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
1985 |
Publication |
Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association |
Abbreviated Journal |
J Am Mosq Control Assoc |
Volume |
1 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
43-47 |
Keywords |
Animals; Argentina; *Culicidae/classification; Disease Outbreaks/veterinary; Encephalitis Virus, Western Equine; Encephalomyelitis, Equine/transmission/*veterinary; Entomology/*instrumentation; Equipment Design; Horse Diseases/*transmission; Horses; *Insect Vectors; Population Surveillance |
Abstract |
A large net trap was used to sample mosquito populations attracted to horses at three sites each in Santa Fe and Rio Negro Provinces, Argentina, during the austral summer of 1984. These provinces, as well as others in Argentina, were affected by a severe epizootic of western equine encephalitis (WEE) during 1982-83. Totals of 2,752 and 6,929 mosquitoes were collected in Santa Fe and Rio Negro Provinces during five and three trap nights, respectively. Culex mosquitoes of the subgenus Culex were predominant (45.8% of total) in the Santa Fe collections, although Aedes albifasciatus also was prevalent (21.7%). The latter species was predominant (95.7% of total) in the Rio Negro collections. The mosquito fauna was less complex (minimum of 6 species) in Rio Negro Province as compared to Santa Fe Province (minimum of 18 species). The advantages of the net trap indicate that this trap can become a useful tool in arbovirus ecology studies in other areas. |
Address |
Division of Vector-Borne Viral Diseases, Centers for Disease Control, Fort Collins, CO 80522-2087 |
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English |
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8756-971X |
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PMID:2906656 |
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no |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2686 |
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Author |
Hanggi, E.B.; Ingersoll, J.F. |
Title |
Stimulus discrimination by horses under scotopic conditions |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2009 |
Publication |
Behavioural Processes |
Abbreviated Journal |
Behav. Process. |
Volume |
82 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
45-50 |
Keywords |
Discrimination learning; Equine; Horse; Night vision; Scotopic vision |
Abstract |
Scotopic vision in horses (Equus caballus) was investigated using behavioral measurements for the first time. Four horses were tested for the ability to make simple visual discriminations of geometric figures (circles and triangles) under various brightness levels within an enclosed building. Measurements of brightness ranging from 10.37 to 24.12 magnitudes per square arcsecond (mag/arcsec2; in candelas per square meter--7.70 to 2.43E-05 cd/m2) were taken using a Sky Quality Meter. These values approximated outdoor conditions ranging from twilight in open country to a dark moonless night in dense forest. The horses were able to solve the discrimination problems in all brightness settings up to 23.77 mag/arcsec2 (3.35E-05 cd/m2). Moreover, they easily navigated their way around obstacles located within the testing area in extremely dim light (>23.50 mag/arcsec2; 4.30E-05 cd/m2), which were in conditions too dark for the human experimenters to see. These findings support physiological data that reveal a rod-dominated visual system as well as observations of equine activity at night. |
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0376-6357 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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5051 |
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