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Author Mills, D.S.; Riezebos, M. doi  openurl
  Title The role of the image of a conspecific in the regulation of stereotypic head movements in the horse Type Journal Article
  Year 2005 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.  
  Volume 91 Issue (up) 1-2 Pages 155-165  
  Keywords Behaviour; Horse; Nodding; Perception; Stereotypy; Vision; Weaving  
  Abstract Weaving is a common locomotor stereotypy in horses, which has been shown to be reduced by the presence of a mirror in the stable; however, it remains unclear whether this effect is due to the reflected image of a horse or some other property associated with the introduction of a mirror. To investigate this further, the response of six known weaving horses to each of three different types of poster was recorded. The poster images consisted of a life-size image of a horse's face (true image), a version of the same image cut into 54 squares, which were then randomly rearranged (pixilated image) and a blank (white image) display of the same size as the other posters. Four observation periods were included in each of the two days of observation per treatment condition: 08:00-08:30 h, 10:00-10:30 h, 12:00-12:30 h and 16:00-17:00 h. The first observation period was followed by the provision of concentrate feed and forage, the second observation period by exercise, the third by further forage and the fourth by concentrate feed and forage. The horses' activities and positions in the box were scanned at 1 min intervals and the number of observations registering each activity and position was calculated as a percentage of the total number of observations for each observation period. Weaving was significantly less when the horses were provided with the image of a horse's face (mean percentage of observations +/- S.E.M.; 5.56 +/- 1.57), compared to both the pixilated (14.85 +/- 3.06) and white (20.52 +/- 4.12) images. Nodding was significantly less when provided with the true image of a horse (0.45 +/- 0.15) compared to the pixilated image (2.15 +/- 0.67). The pattern of weaving throughout the day differed from that of nodding, and together these results suggest that the two behaviours are not analogous. The presence of the image of the horse's face was associated with a significant increase in alertness (F112,2 = 11.31, p < 0.001) and recorded time spent looking at the poster(F112,2 = 3.46, p < 0.05). The timing of stereotypic head movements in the horse in this study suggests that they are not associated with boredom, or lack of stimulation but rather acute frustration.  
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  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 307  
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Author Rietmann, T.R.; Stuart, A.E.A.; Bernasconi, P.; Stauffacher, M.; Auer, J.A.; Weishaupt, M.A. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Assessment of mental stress in warmblood horses: heart rate variability in comparison to heart rate and selected behavioural parameters Type Journal Article
  Year 2004 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.  
  Volume 88 Issue (up) 1-2 Pages 121-136  
  Keywords Horse; Hrv; Heart rate; Mental stress; Behaviour; Autonomic nervous system  
  Abstract The aim of the study was to investigate whether heart rate variability (HRV) could assess alterations of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) at different levels of excitement. The behavioural and physiological responses of 20 warmblood horses to a challenging ground exercise task were studied. Prior to the experiment, the horses were evaluated at rest and during forward walking (FW). The horses were then forced to move backwards continuously during 3 min according to a standardised protocol (BW1). Subsequently, the horses were exposed to two training sessions, after which the backward walking (BW2) was re-evaluated. Heart rate (HR) and HRV-parameters such as the standard deviation of the beat-to-beat intervals (SDRR), the low (LF; sympathetic tone) and high frequency (HF) component of HRV (HF; parasympathetic tone) and their ratio (LF/HF; index representing the sympatho-vagal balance) were sampled at rest, and during FW, BW1 and BW2. Stress-related behaviour during BW1 and BW2 was determined from video recordings. The results of the different evaluations were compared to each other. Compared to rest and FW, the first backward experiment induced a significant rise in HR, LF and LF/HF and a significant decrease of HF. SDRR decreased from both FW and rest with only the latter reaching significance. In BW2 after the training sessions, HR and the parameters of the sympathetic branch of the ANS (LF, LF/HF) were decreased and the vagal tone (HF) increased compared to BW1; all changes were significant. The duration of stress indicating behavioural patterns revealed also a significant decrease of excitement after the training, when backward walking did not differ from forward walking in any parameter. Correlations between HRV-parameters and stress indicating behaviour as well as HR were found. We conclude that the HRV-parameters LF and HF are valuable measures to quantify sympatho-vagal balance, which allows a more precise assessment of the responses of HR and SDRR to mental stress during low intensity exercise.  
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  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 314  
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Author Sibbald, A.M.; Elston, D.A.; Smith, D.J.F.; Erhard, H.W. doi  openurl
  Title A method for assessing the relative sociability of individuals within groups: an example with grazing sheep Type Journal Article
  Year 2005 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.  
  Volume 91 Issue (up) 1-2 Pages 57-73  
  Keywords Association; Grazing; Nearest neighbour; Sheep; Sociability; Social behaviour  
  Abstract We describe a method for quantifying relative sociability within a group of animals, which is defined as the tendency to be close to others within the group and based on the identification of nearest neighbours. The method is suitable for groups of animals in which all individuals are visible and identifiable and has application as a tool in other areas of behavioural research. A sociability index (SI) is calculated, which is equivalent to the relative proportion of time that an individual spends as the nearest neighbour of other animals in the group and is scaled to have an expectation of 1.0 under the null hypothesis of random mixing. Associated pairs, which are animals seen as nearest neighbours more often than would be expected by chance, are also identified. The method tests for consistency across a number of independent observation periods, by comparison with values obtained from simulations in which animal identities are randomised between observation periods. An experiment is described in which 8 groups of 7 grazing sheep were each observed for a total of 10, one-hour periods and the identities and distances away of the 3 nearest neighbours of each focal animal recorded at 5-min intervals. Significant within-group differences in SIs were found in four of the groups (P < 0.001). SIs calculated using the nearest neighbour, two nearest neighbours or three nearest neighbours, were generally highly correlated within all groups, with little change in the ranking of animals. There were significant negative correlations between SIs and nearest neighbour distances in five of the groups. It was concluded that there was no advantage in recording more than one neighbour to calculate the SI. Advantages of the SI over other methods for measuring sociability and pair-wise associations are discussed.  
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  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 317  
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Author Thorne, J.B.; Goodwin, D.; Kennedy, M.J.; Davidson, H.P.B.; Harris, P. doi  openurl
  Title Foraging enrichment for individually housed horses: Practicality and effects on behaviour Type Journal Article
  Year 2005 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.  
  Volume 94 Issue (up) 1-2 Pages 149-164  
  Keywords Horse; Foraging behaviour; Eating; Feeding; Enrichment; Welfare  
  Abstract The stabled (UK) or stalled (USA) horse is commonly fed a restricted-forage diet in contrast to the varied ad libitum high-fibre diet it evolved to consume. A low-forage diet has been linked to the performance of stereotypical behaviour and health problems including gastric ulceration and impaction colic (in cases where horses are bedded on straw). Provision of a diet closer to that which the horse is adapted to and which enables more natural feeding behaviour warrants investigation. This trial aimed to establish whether the behavioural effects observed in short-term trials when stabled horses were provided with a multiple forage diet persist over longer periods. It also aimed to develop a practical methodology for maintaining stabled horses under forage-enriched conditions. Nine horses (aged 5-20 years, various breeds), acting as their own controls, participated in an 18-day, cross-over, Latin Square designed trial, in which they received comparable weights of two dietary treatments: a Single Forage (SF, hay) diet and a Multiple Forage (MF) diet (three long-chop and three short-chop commercially available forages). Following a 2-day acclimatisation, horses were maintained on the forage treatments for 7 days. Horses were observed on alternate days, morning and afternoon, during the 25 min following forage presentation. Horses then crossed over onto their second treatment and, following a further 2 days' acclimatisation, the same protocol was followed for a further 7 days. Observations from video were made using The Observer 3.0(R) and SPPS (version 11). Horses on the MF treatment performed foraging behaviour significantly more frequently and for significantly longer periods than horses on the SF treatment. On the MF treatment horses sampled all forages during observations. However, there were significant differences in the frequency and duration of foraging on individual forages, indicating that horses demonstrated individual preferences for particular forages. Stereotypic weaving behaviour only occurred on the SF treatment. The results indicate that the potentially beneficial behavioural effects of short-term multiple forage provision do persist when horses are managed on a MF diet for a 7-day period. They suggest that a MF diet provides a means of enriching the stabled horse's environment, by offering variety and enabling patch foraging behaviour. The methodology proved practical for maintaining horses under forage-enriched conditions and could easily be adopted by horse owners to facilitate foraging behaviour.  
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  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 333  
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Author McLean, A.N. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Short-term spatial memory in the domestic horse Type Journal Article
  Year 2004 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.  
  Volume 85 Issue (up) 1-2 Pages 93-105  
  Keywords Animal cognition; Delayed response; Equine memory; Horse; Object permanence; Temporal cognition  
  Abstract This study investigates the ability of horses to recall a feeding event in a two-point choice apparatus. Twelve horses were individually tested whereby they were maintained immobile in a test arena and visually and aurally experienced the delivery of food into one of two feed goals. The horses were then released to make their choice in two experimental contexts: immediate release after experiencing the delivery of food, and release 10 s after food delivery. Each horse performed 40 immediate-release (IR) trials, followed by forty 10-s release trials over a 3-day period. In addition, the same horses were tested 3 months later in the spring with the same number and sequence of trials. Results were analysed by log-linear analysis of frequencies. Results showed that while horses were able to achieve the correct feed goal choice in the immediate-release trials, they were unsuccessful with the 10-s release trials. This suggests that there are limitations in recall abilities in horses, in that they may not possess a prospective type of memory. There are welfare and training implications in these findings concerning the effects of overestimating the mental abilities of horses during training and the effects of delays in reinforcements.  
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  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 403  
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Author Nicol, C.J. url  doi
openurl 
  Title How animals learn from each other Type Journal Article
  Year 2006 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.  
  Volume 100 Issue (up) 1-2 Pages 58-63  
  Keywords Social learning; Chickens; Demonstrators; Dominance  
  Abstract This paper explores ways by which animals may learn from one another, using examples drawn mostly from the chicken, an animal for which social learning is likely to be less dangerous than individual learning. In early life, the behaviour of the hen is important in encouraging chicks to peck at edible items. Maternal display not only attracts chicks to profitable food items, but also redirects their attention away from harmful or non-profitable items. Older chicks can enhance their foraging success by observing the behaviour of conspecifics within their own social group. Hens have been trained to perform a novel behaviour (key-pecking for food) by observation of a trained demonstrator bird. Moreover, observers learnt most from watching dominant demonstrators. Thus the ability to learn from others is not `fixed', but depends on the context and the social identity of both the observer and the demonstrator.  
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  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 564  
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Author Sondergaard, E.; Ladewig, J. url  openurl
  Title Group housing exerts a positive effect on the behaviour of young horses during training Type Journal Article
  Year 2004 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.  
  Volume 87 Issue (up) 1-2 Pages 105-118  
  Keywords Horses; Housing; Human-animal relationship; Social environment; Training; Learning  
  Abstract In an experiment on the effects of social environment and training on the human-animal relationship, 20 horses were handled according to a defined schedule. Eight horses were housed singly and 12 horses were housed in four groups of 3 horses. Horses were handled three times per week in 10 min sessions from an age of 6 months until 2 years of age during two winter periods. A total of 50 and 70 sessions were given in the first and second period, respectively. Five randomly allocated people performed the training. The training scheme involved leading, tying up, touching, lifting feet, etc. in 43 stages. The horse had to fulfil the performance criteria of each stage in order to get to the next stage. In the first winter period, horses were led to the stable when they had “passed” a stage or after 10 min of training. In the second winter period, horses would start off at stage 1 again, and when they “passed” a stage they went on to the next stage within the same training session. Because of the change in training procedure results were analysed separately for the two winter periods. There was a significant difference between trainers in the number of times they allowed a horse to “pass” a stage within each winter period (χ32, P<0.05; χ32, P<0.001 for the first and the second winter period, respectively). Group housed horses “passed” more stages than single housed horses (17 versus 14; 27 versus 18 in the first and second winter period, respectively; P<0.05 for the interaction). Singly housed horses bit the trainer more frequently than did group housed horses (P<0.01). The responses of group housed horses to training clearly demonstrate the benefits of raising young horses in groups.  
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  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 724  
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Author Feh, C. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Social behaviour and relationships of Prezewalski horses in Dutch semi-reserves Type Journal Article
  Year 1988 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.  
  Volume 21 Issue (up) 1-2 Pages 71-87  
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  Abstract A short-term study was made of 2 groups of Przewalski horses, a bachelor group of 4 juvenile stallions in Ooij Polder and a harem group of 1 stallion and 4 mares. All social interactions were recorded and the nearest and farthest neighbour was noted. Correspondence analysis was used to determine what parameters determined the relationships among the horses. There was a linear hierarchy among the bachelor stallions. The dominant stallion of the group was also the oldest. The hierarchy was not linear in the harem group, and the 3-year-old stallion was subordinate to the 5-year-old mares. He was also most likely to be farthest from other horses. The mares of the same age, who had also arrived in the park at the same time, tended to be one another's nearest neighbours. The frequency of aggression is higher among Przewalski horses than among domestic horses of similar ages. Correspondence analysis revealed that head-threats and other forms of aggression accounted for more of the variance in the data than any other behaviour, but submission, play and social interactions also contributed.  
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  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 764  
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Author Keiper, R.R. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Social interactions of the Przewalski horse (Equus przewalskii Poliakov, 1881) herd at the Munich Zoo Type Journal Article
  Year 1988 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.  
  Volume 21 Issue (up) 1-2 Pages 89-97  
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  Abstract Data were collected on 972 aggressions and 233 acts of mutual grooming in a herd of 9 Przewalski horses in the Hellabrunn Tierpark in Munich, West Germany. The herd was composed of 1 adult stallion, 5 adult mares and 3 foals. A distinct linear dominance hierarchy was present in the herd, with the stallion being the top-ranking animal. Age was significantly correlated with rank. Almost 40% of all aggressions consisted of herding actions by the stallion. Threats to bite (20% of all aggressions) and threats to kick (11.4%) were next in frequency of occurrence. Most mutual grooms (71%) involved grooming the front part of the body. Although mutual grooming may be used to appease higher-ranked animals, most grooming bouts were between related horses. Foals initiate 47.6% of all allogrooming. Mutual grooming may reduce weaning conflict between a mare and her foal or may result in female coalitions that defend against predators or aggression by the herd stallion.  
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  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 775  
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Author Hogan, E.S.; Houpt, K.A.; Sweeney, K. url  doi
openurl 
  Title The effect of enclosure size on social interactions and daily activity patterns of the captive Asiatic wild horse (Equus przewalskii) Type Journal Article
  Year 1988 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.  
  Volume 21 Issue (up) 1-2 Pages 147-168  
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  Abstract Two herds of Przewalski horses at the Minnesota Zoological Garden were observed during 1980 in each of 2 enclosures that differed in size. The larger enclosure was a 3.4-ha pasture; the smaller enclosure was a 17 x 30-m grass-less pen. One herd was composed of a stallion, 3 adult mares and 2 foals. The other consisted of a stallion and 2 mares. All occurrences of aggression, mutual grooming and snapping were recorded, and 5-min scan-samples of the activity state of each horse were taken. The time budgets, frequency of aggression and frequency of mutual grooming differed significantly with enclosure size for both herds. More time was spent pacing and milling in the smaller enclosure, and the frequency of aggressions and of mutual grooming was also higher. Only the foals exhibited snapping; frequency of snapping did not vary with enclosure size. More time was spent feeding in the larger enclosure. Provision of hay in the smaller enclosure eliminated the differences in time spent feeding. A second study was conducted during the spring of 1984 in an intermediate-sized enclosure, 0.4 ha, a sub-division of the pasture on which the horses were kept in 1980. One herd consisted of a stallion, 2 mares and 2 yearlings; the other consisted of a stallion, 3 mares and a foal. One of the stallions and all of the mares were those studied in 1980, but that stallion and one of the mares were in different herds than they had been in 1980. The frequency of aggression was similar to that observed in 1980.  
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 780  
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