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Author Jansen, T.; Forster, P.; Levine, M.A.; Oelke, H.; Hurles, M.; Renfrew, C.; Weber, J.; Olek, K.
Title Mitochondrial DNA and the origins of the domestic horse Type Journal Article
Year 2002 Publication Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Abbreviated Journal Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.
Volume 99 Issue 16 Pages 10905-10910
Keywords Animals; Animals, Domestic/classification/*genetics; Base Sequence; DNA, Complementary; *DNA, Mitochondrial; *Evolution, Molecular; Horses/classification/*genetics; Molecular Sequence Data; Phylogeny
Abstract The place and date of the domestication of the horse has long been a matter for debate among archaeologists. To determine whether horses were domesticated from one or several ancestral horse populations, we sequenced the mitochondrial D-loop for 318 horses from 25 oriental and European breeds, including American mustangs. Adding these sequences to previously published data, the total comes to 652, the largest currently available database. From these sequences, a phylogenetic network was constructed that showed that most of the 93 different mitochondrial (mt)DNA types grouped into 17 distinct phylogenetic clusters. Several of the clusters correspond to breeds and/or geographic areas, notably cluster A2, which is specific to Przewalski's horses, cluster C1, which is distinctive for northern European ponies, and cluster D1, which is well represented in Iberian and northwest African breeds. A consideration of the horse mtDNA mutation rate together with the archaeological timeframe for domestication requires at least 77 successfully breeding mares recruited from the wild. The extensive genetic diversity of these 77 ancestral mares leads us to conclude that several distinct horse populations were involved in the domestication of the horse.
Address Biopsytec Analytik GmbH, Marie-Curie-Strasse 1, 53359 Rheinbach, Germany. jansen@biopsytec.com
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ISSN 0027-8424 ISBN (down) Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:12130666 Approved no
Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 772
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Author Bahloul, K.; Pereladova, O.B.; Soldatova, N.; Fisenko, G.; Sidorenko, E.; Sempere, A.J.
Title Social organization and dispersion of introduced kulans (Equus hemionus kulan) and Przewalski horses (Equus przewalski) in the Bukhara Reserve, Uzbekistan Type Journal Article
Year 2001 Publication Journal of Arid Environments Abbreviated Journal J. Arid. Environ.
Volume 47 Issue 3 Pages 309-323
Keywords Przewalski horses; kulans; Central Asia; home range; behaviour
Abstract Asiatic wild asses and Przewalski horses initially inhabited steppe, semi-desert and desert areas, but Przewalski horses became extinct in the wild, and kulans disappeared at the beginning of the 20th century, except for a small population in Turkmenistan. The Bukhara Breeding Centre (Uzbekistan) was created in 1976 for reintroduction and conservation of wild ungulate species. In 1977-1978, five kulans (two males and three females), from Barsa-Kelmes island on the Aral sea, were introduced into the reserve. The group increased to 25-30 animals in 1989-1990, when eight Przewalski horses from Moscow and St Petersburg zoos were introduced. We analysed the home ranges, preferred habitats and social interactions of these closely related species during 1995-1998 by seasonal and group composition. Horses and asses formed a reproductive group and a secondary non-reproductive group. The home range of the secondary group was larger than the reproductive group and seemed to be less dependent from the watering places. Przewalski horses were less adapted to semi-desert conditions (both water and vegetation needs) than kulan.
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Notes Approved no
Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 777
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Author Lehmann, K.; Kallweit, E.; Ellendorff, F.
Title Social hierarchy in exercised and untrained group-housed horses--A brief report Type Journal Article
Year 2006 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.
Volume 96 Issue 3-4 Pages 343-347
Keywords Horses; Social hierarchy; Exercise; Group-housing
Abstract Changes in social hierarchy were evaluated in a herd of 3-year-old Hanoverian geldings. One group (n = 5) was exposed to a training programme, the other (n = 5) remained untrained. After 6 months, the groups were reversed. Hierarchical positions were evaluated by field observations and/or paired-feeding tests at the beginning, the middle, the end of the first and at the end of the second training period. Both methods yielded identical results. Almost all horses changed position in only one direction: either up or down. Neither increase in aggression nor mutual injuries were recorded during the whole experiment. No statistically verified differences in dominance ranking occurred between trained and untrained groups, but apparent differences were consistent. Thus, if horses are kept in the same group for a longer period of time, exercise induced changes in hierarchy are probably of minor importance and are unlikely to increase the incidence of injuries. This may have implications for the promotion of group-housing for sport horses.
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Notes Approved no
Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 800
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Author Hall, C.A.; Cassaday, H.J.; Derrington, A.M.
Title The effect of stimulus height on visual discrimination in horses Type Journal Article
Year 2003 Publication Journal of Animal Science Abbreviated Journal J. Anim Sci.
Volume 81 Issue 7 Pages 1715-1720
Keywords Animals; *Discrimination Learning/physiology; Female; Horses/physiology/*psychology; Male; Orientation; *Photic Stimulation; Vision/*physiology
Abstract This study investigated the effect of stimulus height on the ability of horses to learn a simple visual discrimination task. Eight horses were trained to perform a two-choice, black/white discrimination with stimuli presented at one of two heights: ground level or at a height of 70 cm from the ground. The height at which the stimuli were presented was alternated from one session to the next. All trials within a single session were presented at the same height. The criterion for learning was four consecutive sessions of 70% correct responses. Performance was found to be better when stimuli were presented at ground level with respect to the number of trials taken to reach the criterion (P < 0.05), percentage of correct first choices (P < 0.01), and repeated errors made (P < 0.01). Thus, training horses to carry out tasks of visual discrimination could be enhanced by placing the stimuli on the ground. In addition, the results of the present study suggest that the visual appearance of ground surfaces is an important factor in both horse management and training.
Address School of Land-based Studies, Nottingham Trent University, Brackenhurst College Campus, Southwell, Nottinghamshire, England NG25 0QF. carol.hall@ntu.ac.uk
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Language English Summary Language Original Title
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Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0021-8812 ISBN (down) Medium
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Notes PMID:12854807 Approved no
Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 835
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Author Harman, A.M.; Moore, S.; Hoskins, R.; Keller, P.
Title Horse vision and an explanation for the visual behaviour originally explained by the 'ramp retina' Type Journal Article
Year 1999 Publication Equine veterinary journal Abbreviated Journal Equine Vet J
Volume 31 Issue 5 Pages 384-390
Keywords Animals; Behavior, Animal; Cell Count; Eye/*anatomy & histology; Ganglia, Sensory/cytology; Horses/*physiology; Refractive Errors/veterinary; Retina/cytology/*physiology; Vision/*physiology; Visual Acuity; Visual Fields
Abstract Here we provide confirmation that the 'ramp retina' of the horse, once thought to result in head rotating visual behaviour, does not exist. We found a 9% variation in axial length of the eye between the streak region and the dorsal periphery. However, the difference was in the opposite direction to that proposed for the 'ramp retina'. Furthermore, acuity in the narrow, intense visual streak in the inferior retina is 16.5 cycles per degree compared with 2.7 cycles per degree in the periphery. Therefore, it is improbable that the horse rotates its head to focus onto the peripheral retina. Rather, the horse rotates the nose up high to observe distant objects because binocular overlap is oriented down the nose, with a blind area directly in front of the forehead.
Address Department of Psychology, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Australia
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ISSN 0425-1644 ISBN (down) Medium
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Notes PMID:10505953 Approved no
Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 836
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Author Cooper, J.J.
Title Comparative learning theory and its application in the training of horses Type Journal Article
Year 1998 Publication Equine veterinary journal. Supplement Abbreviated Journal Equine Vet J Suppl
Volume Issue 27 Pages 39-43
Keywords Animals; *Behavior, Animal; Conditioning (Psychology); Horses/*psychology; *Learning; Reinforcement (Psychology)
Abstract Training can best be explained as a process that occurs through stimulus-response-reinforcement chains, whereby animals are conditioned to associate cues in their environment, with specific behavioural responses and their rewarding consequences. Research into learning in horses has concentrated on their powers of discrimination and on primary positive reinforcement schedules, where the correct response is paired with a desirable consequence such as food. In contrast, a number of other learning processes that are used in training have been widely studied in other species, but have received little scientific investigation in the horse. These include: negative reinforcement, where performance of the correct response is followed by removal of, or decrease in, intensity of a unpleasant stimulus; punishment, where an incorrect response is paired with an undesirable consequence, but without consistent prior warning; secondary conditioning, where a natural primary reinforcer such as food is closely associated with an arbitrary secondary reinforcer such as vocal praise; and variable or partial conditioning, where once the correct response has been learnt, reinforcement is presented according to an intermittent schedule to increase resistance to extinction outside of training.
Address Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, UK
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Notes PMID:10485003 Approved no
Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 846
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Author Smith, S.; Goldman, L.
Title Color discrimination in horses Type Journal Article
Year 1999 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.
Volume 62 Issue 1 Pages 13-25
Keywords Horses; Vision; Color; Discrimination; Behavior
Abstract Four Arabian horses and one Thoroughbred were presented with a series of two-choice color vs. gray discrimination problems. Testing was done in a stall containing a wall with two translucent panels that were illuminated from behind by light projected through color or gray filters to provide the discriminative stimuli. Horses first learned to push one of the panels in order to receive the food reward behind the positive stimulus in an achromatic light-dark discrimination task, and were then tested on their ability to discriminate between gray and four individual colors: red (617 nm), yellow (581 nm), green (538 nm), and blue (470 nm). The criterion for learning was set at 85% correct responses, and final testing for all color vs. gray discriminations involved grays of varying intensities, making brightness an irrelevant cue. Three subjects were tested with all four colors. Two of those subjects successfully reached the criterion for learning on all four color vs. gray discriminations, while the third reached criterion with red and blue, but performed at chance levels for yellow and green. A fourth horse was only tested with green and yellow, and a fifth only with blue, and both of those horses successfully reached criterion on the discriminations they attempted. With the exception of the one subject's poor performance with yellow and green, there was no significant difference between horses on any of the discrimination tasks, and no significant difference in their performance with different colors. The results suggest that horses have color vision that is at least dichromatic, although partial color-blindness may occur in some individuals.
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Notes Approved no
Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 850
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Author Ishida, N.; Hirano, T.; Mukoyama, H.
Title Detection of aberrant alleles in the D-loop region of equine mitochondrial DNA by single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis Type Journal Article
Year 1994 Publication Animal Genetics Abbreviated Journal Anim Genet
Volume 25 Issue 4 Pages 287
Keywords *Alleles; Animals; Base Sequence; *DNA, Mitochondrial; DNA, Single-Stranded/genetics; Female; Gene Frequency; Genomic Imprinting; Horses/*genetics; Male; Molecular Sequence Data; Pedigree; *Polymorphism, Genetic
Abstract
Address Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Japan Racing Association, Tokyo
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ISSN 0268-9146 ISBN (down) Medium
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Notes PMID:7985852 Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2213
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Author Dougherty, D.M.; Lewis, P.
Title Stimulus generalization, discrimination learning, and peak shift in horses Type Journal Article
Year 1991 Publication Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior Abbreviated Journal J Exp Anal Behav
Volume 56 Issue 1 Pages 97-104
Keywords Animals; *Appetitive Behavior; Attention; *Conditioning, Operant; *Discrimination Learning; Female; *Generalization, Stimulus; Horses/*psychology; Male; *Pattern Recognition, Visual; Size Perception
Abstract Using horses, we investigated three aspects of the stimulus control of lever-pressing behavior: stimulus generalization, discrimination learning, and peak shift. Nine solid black circles, ranging in size from 0.5 in. to 4.5 in. (1.3 cm to 11.4 cm) served as stimuli. Each horse was shaped, using successive approximations, to press a rat lever with its lip in the presence of a positive stimulus, the 2.5-in. (6.4-cm) circle. Shaping proceeded quickly and was comparable to that of other laboratory organisms. After responding was maintained on a variable-interval 30-s schedule, stimulus generalization gradients were collected from 2 horses prior to discrimination training. During discrimination training, grain followed lever presses in the presence of a positive stimulus (a 2.5-in circle) and never followed lever presses in the presence of a negative stimulus (a 1.5-in. [3.8-cm] circle). Three horses met a criterion of zero responses to the negative stimulus in fewer than 15 sessions. Horses given stimulus generalization testing prior to discrimination training produced symmetrical gradients; horses given discrimination training prior to generalization testing produced asymmetrical gradients. The peak of these gradients shifted away from the negative stimulus. These results are consistent with discrimination, stimulus generalization, and peak-shift phenomena observed in other organisms.
Address Department of Psychology, Ohio University, Athens 45701
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ISSN 0022-5002 ISBN (down) Medium
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Notes PMID:1940765 Approved no
Call Number Serial 1764
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Author Rapin, V.; Poncet, P.A.; Burger, D.; Mermod, C.; Richard, M.A.
Title [Measurement of the attention time in the horse] Type Journal Article
Year 2007 Publication Schweizer Archiv fur Tierheilkunde Abbreviated Journal Schweiz Arch Tierheilkd
Volume 149 Issue 2 Pages 77-83
Keywords Age Factors; Animals; *Attention/physiology; Conditioning, Operant; Cross-Over Studies; Female; Horses/*physiology; Learning/*physiology; Male; Memory/*physiology; Time Factors
Abstract A study carried out on 49 horses showed that it is possible to measure the attention time by operant conditioning. After teaching horses an instrumental task using a signal, we were then able to test their attention time by asking them to prolong it increasingly while setting success and failure criteria. Two tests were performed 3 weeks apart. The 2nd test was feasible without relearning, a proof of memory, and was repeatable, a proof of consistency in the attention time. A significant difference was observed between the 3 age groups. Young horses often performed very well during the 1st test but their attention dropped in the 2nd test while older horses were more stable with respect to attention and even increased it slightly. The study shows that there are individual differences but it was not possible to prove a significant influence of breed, gender and paternal influence. Consequently, learning appears to be one of the most interesting approaches for evaluating the attention of horses and for observing their behaviour.
Address Laboratoire d'Ecoethologie, Universite de Neuchatel, Suisse. veronique.rapin@unine.ch
Corporate Author Thesis
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Language French Summary Language Original Title Mesure de la duree d'attention chez le cheval
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
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ISSN 0036-7281 ISBN (down) Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes PMID:17343134 Approved no
Call Number Serial 1770
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