| Records |
| Author |
Hausberger, M.; Fureix, C. |
| Title |
On the significance of puzzling behaviours: what do yawning and adult play tell us about horse (Equus caballus) welfare? |
Type |
Conference Article |
| Year |
2012 |
Publication |
Proceedings of the 2. International Equine Science Meeting |
Abbreviated Journal |
Proc. 2. Int. Equine. Sci. Mtg |
| Volume |
in press |
Issue |
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Pages |
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| Keywords |
welfare indicators, yawning, adult play, altered welfare, horse |
| Abstract |
Some behaviours remain a mystery and their determinants are still uncertain. Here we propose a critical interpretation of two puzzling behaviours, i.e. yawning and adult play, recorded in large samples of domestic horses kept in sub-optimal conditions (e.g. time-restricted feeding practices, social isolation). Yawning is involved in behavioural state changes, especially in quiet contexts of motor relaxation, but seems also to be triggered by stress and emotional contexts. Thus, we investigated specific correlates of yawning and stereotypic behaviours in two large samples of working horses (n1 = 87, n2 = 59). A clear co-occurrences of yawning and stereotypic behaviours appeared: stereotypic horses yawned more than the non-stereotypic horses (Fisher test, p < 0.02), yawning increased at the same time periods as stereotypic behaviours did (Wilcoxon tests, p < 0.05 to 0.001) and yawning frequency was even sometimes positively correlated with stereotypic behaviour frequencies (Spearman correlations, p < 0.005). Play, more typical of young stages in healthy individuals, occurs rarely at adult stages but then more often in captive/domestic animals (which can be challenging to welfare) than in animals living in natural conditions. Thus, we tested the hypothesis that adult play may reflect altered welfare states in horses, where, as in several species, play rarely occurs at adult stages in natural conditions. We observed the behaviour (in particular social play) of 29 adult riding school horses during occasional outings in a paddock and measured several stress indicators (health-related, behavioural and physiological) when these horses were in their home individual boxes. Results revealed that the number of horses and rates of adult play appeared very high compared to field report data and that most stress indicators measured differed between “players” and “non-players”, revealing that most “playful” animals were more prone to suffer from chronic stress contrarily to “non-playful” horses (Fisher, Chi-square, Mann-Whitney and Spearman correlation tests, p < 0.05 to 0.001). Altogether, these results show that yawning and adult play can both reflect altered welfare states in horses, highlighting that these puzzling behaviours should not be considered, as currently thought, as reliable indicators of good welfare states and / or expression of positive emotions. |
| Address |
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| Corporate Author |
Hausberger, M. |
Thesis |
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| Publisher |
Xenophon Publishing |
Place of Publication |
Wald |
Editor |
Krueger, K. |
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978-3-9808134-26 |
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no |
| Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
5516 |
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| Author |
d'Ingeo, S.; Quaranta, A.; Siniscalchi, M.; Stomp, M.; Coste, C.; Bagnard, C.; Hausberger, M.; Cousillas, H. |
| Title |
Horses associate individual human voices with the valence of past interactions: a behavioural and electrophysiological study |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2019 |
Publication |
Scientific Reports |
Abbreviated Journal |
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| Volume |
9 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
11568 |
| Keywords |
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| Abstract |
Brain lateralization is a phenomenon widely reported in the animal kingdom and sensory laterality has been shown to be an indicator of the appraisal of the stimulus valence by an individual. This can prove a useful tool to investigate how animals perceive intra- or hetero-specific signals. The human-animal relationship provides an interesting framework for testing the impact of the valence of interactions on emotional memories. In the present study, we tested whether horses could associate individual human voices with past positive or negative experiences. Both behavioural and electroencephalographic measures allowed examining laterality patterns in addition to the behavioural reactions. The results show that horses reacted to voices associated with past positive experiences with increased attention/arousal (gamma oscillations in the right hemisphere) and indicators of a positive emotional state (left hemisphere activation and ears held forward), and to those associated with past negative experiences with negative affective states (right hemisphere activation and ears held backwards). The responses were further influenced by the animals' management conditions (e.g. box or pasture). Overall, these results, associating brain and behaviour analysis, clearly demonstrate that horses' representation of human voices is modulated by the valence of prior horse-human interactions. |
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| ISSN |
2045-2322 |
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no |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ d'Ingeo2019 |
Serial |
6582 |
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| Author |
Rochais, C.; HENRY, S.; Sankey, C.; Nassur, F.; Gorecka-Bruzda, A.; HAUSBERGER, M. |
| Title |
Visual attention, an indicator of human-animal relationships? A study of domestic horses (Equus caballus) |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2014 |
Publication |
Frontiers in Psychology |
Abbreviated Journal |
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| Volume |
5 |
Issue |
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Pages |
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| Keywords |
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| Abstract |
BACKGROUND: As visual attention is an intrinsic part of social relationships, and because relationships are built on a succession of interactions, their establishment involves learning and attention. The emotional, rewarding or punishing, content can modulate selective attention. In horses, the use of positive/negative reinforcement during training determines short and long-term human-horse relationships. In a recent study in horses, where either food or withers' grooming were used as a reward, it appeared that only the food-rewarded horses learned the task and show better relationship with humans. In the present study, we hypothesized that this differential effect of grooming/food rewards on learning performances could be due to attentional processes. Monitoring, gazes and behaviors directed towards the trainer revealed that the use of a food reward (FR) as positive reinforcement increased horses' selective attention towards their trainer. Conversely, horses trained with grooming reward (GR) expressed more inattentive responses and did not show a decrease of “agitated” behavior. However, individual plotting of attention vs. rate of learning performances revealed a complex pattern. Thus, while all FR horses showed a “window” of attention related to faster learning performances, GR horses' pattern followed an almost normal curve where the extreme animals (i.e., highest and lowest attention) had the slowest learning performances. On the other hand, learning was influenced by attention: at the end of training, the more attentive horses had also better learning performances. This study, based on horses, contributes to the general debate on the place of attentional processes at the interface of emotion and cognition and opens new lines of thought about individual sensitivities (only individuals can tell what an appropriate reward is), attentional processes and learning. |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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| ISSN |
1664-1078 |
ISBN |
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Medium |
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Conference |
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| Notes |
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Approved |
no |
| Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
5909 |
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| Author |
Lesimple, C.; Sankey, C.; Richard, M.-A.; HAUSBERGER, M. |
| Title |
Do Horses Expect Humans to Solve Their Problems? |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2012 |
Publication |
Frontiers in Psychology |
Abbreviated Journal |
Front. Psychol. |
| Volume |
3 |
Issue |
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Pages |
306 |
| Keywords |
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| Abstract |
Domestic animals are highly capable of detecting human cues, while wild relatives tend to perform less well (e.g. responding to pointing gestures). It is suggested that domestication may have led to the development of such cognitive skills. Here, we hypothesized that because domestic animals are so attentive and dependant to humans' actions for resources, the counter effect may be a decline of self sufficiency, such as individual task solving. Here we show a negative correlation between the performance in a learning task (opening a chest) and the interest shown by horses towards humans, despite high motivation expressed by investigative behaviours directed at the chest. If human-directed attention reflects the development of particular skills in domestic animals, this is to our knowledge the first study highlighting a link between human-directed behaviours and impaired individual solving task skills (ability to solve a task by themselves) in horses. |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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| ISSN |
1664-1078 |
ISBN |
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Approved |
no |
| Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
6568 |
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| Author |
Basile, M.; Boivin, S.; Boutin, A.; Blois-Heulin, C.; Hausberger, M.; Lemasson, A. |
| Title |
Socially dependent auditory laterality in domestic horses (Equus caballus) |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2009 |
Publication |
Animal Cognition |
Abbreviated Journal |
Anim. Cogn. |
| Volume |
12 |
Issue |
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Pages |
611-619 |
| Keywords |
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| Abstract |
Laterality is now known to be an ubiquitous phenomenon among the vertebrates. Particularly, laterality of auditory processing has been demonstrated in a variety of species, especially songbirds and primates. Such a hemispheric specialization has been shown to depend on factors such as sound structure, species specificity and types of stimuli. Much less is known on the possible influence of social familiarity although a few studies suggest such an influence. Here we tested the influence of the degree of familiarity on the laterality of the auditory response in the domestic horse. This species is known for its social system and shows visible reactions to sounds, with one or two ears moving towards a sound source. By comparing such responses to the playback of different conspecific whinnies (group member, neighbor and stranger), we could demonstrate a clear left hemisphere (LH) preference for familiar neighbor calls while no preference was found for group member and stranger calls. Yet, we found an opposite pattern of ear side preference for neighbor versus stranger calls. These results are, to our knowledge, the first to demonstrate auditory laterality in an ungulate species. They open further lines of thought on the influence of the social “value” of calls and the listener's arousal on auditory processing and laterality. |
| Address |
Universite de Rennes I, EthoS, Ethologie animale et humaine-UMR 6552-CNRS Station Biologique de Paimpont, 35380, Paimpont, France, basilemuriel@hotmail.com |
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Place of Publication |
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Editor |
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| Language |
English |
Summary Language |
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Original Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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| ISSN |
1435-9456 |
ISBN |
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Medium |
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Expedition |
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Conference |
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| Notes |
PMID:19283416 |
Approved |
no |
| Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
4761 |
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| Author |
Sankey, C.; Richard-Yris, M.-A.; Henry, S.; Fureix, C.; Nassur, F.; Hausberger, M. |
| Title |
Reinforcement as a mediator of the perception of humans by horses (Equus caballus) |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2010 |
Publication |
Animal Cognition |
Abbreviated Journal |
Anim. Cogn. |
| Volume |
13 |
Issue |
5 |
Pages |
753-764-764 |
| Keywords |
Perception of humans – Human/animal relationship – Positive reinforcement – Negative reinforcement – Equus caballus |
| Abstract |
A central question in the interspecific human/animal relationship is how domestic animals perceive humans as a significant element of their environment. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the use of positive or negative reinforcement in horse training may have consequences on the animals’ perception of humans, as a positive, negative or neutral element. Two groups of ponies were trained to walk backwards in response to a vocal order using either positive or negative reinforcement. Heart rate monitors and behavioural observations were used to assess the animals’ perception of humans on the short (just after training) and long (5 months later) terms. The results showed that the type of reinforcement had a major effect on the subsequent animals’ perception of familiar and unfamiliar humans. Negative reinforcement was rapidly associated with an increased emotional state, as revealed by heart rate measurements and behavioural observations (head movements and ears laid back position). Its use led the ponies to seek less contact with humans. On the contrary, ponies trained with positive reinforcement showed an increased interest in humans and sought contact after training. This is especially remarkable as it was reached in a maximum of 5 sessions of 1 to 3 min (i.e. 5 to 15 min) and had lasting effects (visible after 5 months). Even learning was positively influenced by positive reinforcement. Overall, horses seem capable of associating humans to particular experiences and display extended long-term memory abilities. |
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Thesis |
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| Publisher |
Springer Berlin / Heidelberg |
Place of Publication |
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Summary Language |
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Original Title |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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| ISSN |
1435-9448 |
ISBN |
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Medium |
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Expedition |
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Conference |
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| Notes |
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Approved |
no |
| Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
5175 |
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| Author |
Henry, S.; Fureix, C.; Rowberry, R.; Bateson, M.; Hausberger, M. |
| Title |
Do horses with poor welfare show 'pessimistic' cognitive biases? |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2017 |
Publication |
The Science of Nature |
Abbreviated Journal |
Sci. Nat. |
| Volume |
104 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
8 |
| Keywords |
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| Abstract |
This field study tested the hypothesis that domestic horses living under putatively challenging-to-welfare conditions (for example involving social, spatial, feeding constraints) would present signs of poor welfare and co-occurring pessimistic judgement biases. Our subjects were 34 horses who had been housed for over 3 years in either restricted riding school situations (e.g. kept in single boxes, with limited roughage, ridden by inexperienced riders; N = 25) or under more naturalistic conditions (e.g. access to free-range, kept in stable social groups, leisure riding; N = 9). The horses' welfare was assessed by recording health-related, behavioural and postural indicators. Additionally, after learning a location task to discriminate a bucket containing either edible food ('positive' location) or unpalatable food ('negative' location), the horses were presented with a bucket located near the positive position, near the negative position and halfway between the positive and negative positions to assess their judgement biases. The riding school horses displayed the highest levels of behavioural and health-related problems and a pessimistic judgment bias, whereas the horses living under more naturalistic conditions displayed indications of good welfare and an optimistic bias. Moreover, pessimistic bias data strongly correlated with poor welfare data. This suggests that a lowered mood impacts a non-human species' perception of its environment and highlights cognitive biases as an appropriate tool to assess the impact of chronic living conditions on horse welfare. |
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Place of Publication |
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Summary Language |
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Original Title |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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| ISSN |
1432-1904 |
ISBN |
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Approved |
no |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ Henry2017 |
Serial |
6665 |
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| Author |
Larose, C.; Richard-Yris, M.-A.; Hausberger, M.; Rogers, L.J. |
| Title |
Laterality of horses associated with emotionality in novel situations |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2006 |
Publication |
Laterality |
Abbreviated Journal |
Laterality |
| Volume |
11 |
Issue |
4 |
Pages |
355-367 |
| Keywords |
Affect/*physiology; Animals; Brain/*physiology; Female; Functional Laterality/*physiology; Horses; Male; *Social Behavior; *Social Environment |
| Abstract |
We have established that lateral biases are characteristic of visual behaviour in 65 horses. Two breeds, Trotters and French Saddlebreds aged 2 to 3, were tested on a novel object test. The main finding was a significant correlation between emotionality index and the eye preferred to view the novel stimulus: the higher the emotionality, the more likely that the horse looked with its left eye. The less emotive French Saddlebreds, however, tended to glance at the object using the right eye, a tendency that was not found in the Trotters, although the emotive index was the same for both breeds. The youngest French Saddlebreds did not show this trend. These results are discussed in relation to the different training practices for the breeds and broader findings on lateralisation in different species. |
| Address |
Universite de Rennes 1, France |
| Corporate Author |
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Thesis |
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Place of Publication |
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Editor |
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| Language |
English |
Summary Language |
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Original Title |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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| ISSN |
1357-650X |
ISBN |
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| Notes |
PMID:16754236 |
Approved |
no |
| Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ room B 3.029 |
Serial |
1826 |
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| Author |
Hausberger, M.; Bruderer, C.; Le Scolan, N.; Pierre, J.-S. |
| Title |
Interplay between environmental and genetic factors in temperament/personality traits in horses (Equus caballus) |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2004 |
Publication |
Journal of Comparative Psychology |
Abbreviated Journal |
J Comp Psychol |
| Volume |
118 |
Issue |
4 |
Pages |
434-446 |
| Keywords |
*Affect; Animals; Behavior, Animal/*physiology; *Environment; Female; Horses/*psychology; Learning; Male; Memory/physiology |
| Abstract |
The aim of the present study was to broach the question of the relative influence of different genetic and environmental factors on different temperament/personality traits of horses (Equus caballus). The researchers submitted 702 horses to standardized experimental tests and investigated 9 factors, either genetic or environmental. Genetic factors, such as sire or breed, seemed to influence more neophobic reactions, whereas environmental factors, such as the type of work, seemed to play a more dominant role in reactions to social separation or learning abilities. Additive effects were evident, showing how environmental factors may modulate behavioral traits. This study constitutes a first step toward understanding the relative weights of genetic factors and how the environment may intervene in determining individual behavioral characteristics. |
| Address |
Ethologie-Evolution-Ecologie, Universite de Rennes 1, Rennes, France. Martine.Hausberger@univ-rennes1.fr |
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Place of Publication |
Washington, D.C. : 1983 |
Editor |
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English |
Summary Language |
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Edition |
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| ISSN |
0735-7036 |
ISBN |
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| Notes |
PMID:15584780 |
Approved |
no |
| Call Number |
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Serial |
1897 |
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| Author |
Wolff, A.; Hausberger, M.; Le Scolan, N. |
| Title |
Experimental tests to assess emotionality in horses |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
1997 |
Publication |
Behavioural Processes |
Abbreviated Journal |
Behav. Process. |
| Volume |
40 |
Issue |
3 |
Pages |
209-221 |
| Keywords |
Emotivity; Gregariousness; Horse; Neophobia; Open-field |
| Abstract |
Different tests were used to assess different aspects of the emotionality of 1-3 year-old horses: arena test; a [`]novel object' test; and a handling test. In reaction to the test situations no important differences were observed according to age or sex in the behaviour patterns, but clear individual differences were observed within these classes. The arena test seemed to reveal the degree of gregariousness of the animals whereas the results in the two other tests were correlated and seemed to reflect an inherent degree of fearfulness in the horse. Indices were developed that enabled to rank the animals, by taking into account all behaviour patterns shown. Such individual characteristics might have some genetic basis: half-siblings tended to behave the same way in most cases. |
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Edition |
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| ISSN |
0376-6357 |
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no |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
5018 |
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