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Hausberger, M., Gautier, E., Biquand, V., Lunel, C., & Jégo, P. (2009). Could Work Be a Source of Behavioural Disorders? A Study in Horses. PLoS ONE, 4(10), e7625 EP -.
Abstract: <p>Stress at work, as shown by a number of human studies, may lead to a variety of negative and durable effects, such as impaired psychological functioning (anxiety, depression…). Horses share with humans this characteristic of working on a daily basis and are submitted then to work stressors related to physical constraints and/or more “psychological” conflicts, such as potential controversial orders from the riders or the requirement to suppress emotions. On another hand, horses may perform abnormal repetitive behaviour (“stereotypies”) in response to adverse life conditions. In the present study, we investigated whether the type of work the horses are used for may have an impact on their tendency to show stereotypic behaviour (and its type) outside work. Observations in their box of 76 horses all living in the same conditions, belonging to one breed and one sex, revealed that the prevalence and types of stereotypies performed strongly depended upon the type of work they were used for. The stereotypies observed involved mostly mouth movements and head tossing/nodding. Work constraints probably added to unfavourable living conditions, favouring the emergence of chronic abnormal behaviours. This is especially remarkable as the 23 hours spent in the box were influenced by the one hour work performed every day. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence of potential effects of work stressors on the emergence of abnormal behaviours in an animal species. It raises an important line of thought on the chronic impact of the work situation on the daily life of individuals.</p>
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Krueger, K., & Flauger, B. (2009). Social and individual olfaction through horse faeces (Equus caballus). In P. M. Kappeler, & M. Schwibbe (Eds.), Program of the 4. Thementagung der Ethologischen Gesellschaft, Februar 12 -14, 2009. (23). Göttingen: Dpz.
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Krueger, K., & Flauger, B. (2009). Horses (Equus caballus) show respect and trust in their owners. In P. M. Kappeler, & M. Schwibbe (Eds.), Program of the 4. Thementagung der Ethologischen Gesellschaft, Februar 12 -14, 2009. (32). Göttingen: Dpz.
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Flauger, B., Krueger, K., Gerhards, H., & Moestl, E. (2009). Measurement of glucocorticoid metabolites in horse faeces: the validation of different group specific enzymeimmunoassays and extraction methods. In S. Cremer, A. Schrempf, & J. Heinze (Eds.), Proceeding of the 102. Annual meeting of the Deutsche Zoologische Gesellschaft (DZG). (166). München: Dt. Zoologische Ges.
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Fabritius, C. (2009). Sozialstruktur einer Herde Islandpferde bei Veränderung der Gruppenzusammenstellung. Ph.D. thesis, , Hannover.
Abstract: Die Domestikation des Pferdes begann wahrscheinlich etwa 5500 v. Chr. in
Südosteuropa. In Mitteleuropa traten circa 3000 v. Chr. die ersten Hauspferde auf.
Grundsätzlich wird davon ausgegangen, dass sich die Ansprüche des Pferdes
hinsichtlich der Lebensbedingungen, welche sich im Laufe der Evolution über
Millionen von Jahren entwickelt haben, in der Obhut des Menschen nicht wesentlich
geändert haben. Für Pferde typisch ist das Leben im Sozialverband, der Herde
(Zeitler-Feicht 2008). Diese wird auch in den Leitlinien der Sachverständigengruppe
tierschutzgerechte Pferdehaltung (10. November 1995) empfohlen, sofern es nicht
durch zu häufigen Wechsel im Bestand zu einem Übermaß an Stress und
agonistischen Aktionen kommt.
Ziel der Arbeit war es, anhand eines nach der Literatur erstellten Ethogramms des
Sozialverhaltens des Pferdes, herauszufinden, inwieweit Änderungen der
Gruppenstruktur die sozialen Beziehungen beeinflussten. Die Fragestellung bezog
sich auf eine Herde in Offenstallhaltung. Um die eventuellen Veränderungen der
sozialen Interaktionen zu untersuchen, wurde erst die vorhandene Gruppenstruktur
der Herde festgestellt. Danach wurde ein Individuum aus der Herde entfernt und ein
anderes dazugestellt. Anschließend wurde die Gesamtgruppe in zwei Untergruppen
geteilt und nach einem gewissen Zeitraum erneut zusammengeführt. Dabei wurden
jeweils die Interaktionen der Pferde anhand des Ethogramms beobachtet,
aufgezeichnet und protokolliert.
Untersuchungsgegenstand war eine Herde Islandpferde, die in einer
Ausgangsgruppe von 16 Tieren gehalten wurde.
Die Beschreibung einer sozialen Ordnung im Allgemeinen und einer Rangordnung im
Besonderen wird in vielen Studien ausschließlich auf der Basis der Beobachtung und
Bewertung offensiv aggressiver Verhaltenselemente durchgeführt. Aggressives
Verhalten muss hingegen im Gegensatz zu Verhaltensweisen, die die Anerkennung
des sozialen Status des anderen Pferdes bedeuten, wie Abwenden oder Meiden,
nicht notwendigerweise ein Anzeichen von Dominanz über ein anderes Tier
bedeuten (Van Hoof u. Wensing 1987, Schilder 1988). Ein weiterer Aspekt dieser
Arbeit sollte sein, eine Möglichkeit zu finden, die Sozialstruktur auch auf der
Grundlage defensiver und soziopositiver Verhaltenselemente zu definieren.
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McGreevy, P. D., Oddie, C., Burton, F. L., & McLean, A. N. (2009). The horse–human dyad: Can we align horse training and handling activities with the equid social ethogram? Special Issue: Equitation Science, 181(1), 12–18.
Abstract: This article examines the recently completed equid ethogram and shows how analogues of social interactions between horses may occur in various human–horse interactions. It discusses how some specific horse–horse interactions have a corresponding horse–human interaction – some of which may be directly beneficial for the horse while others may be unusual or even abnormal. It also shows how correspondent behaviours sometimes become inappropriate because of their duration, consistency or context. One analogue is unlikely to hold true for all horse–human contexts, so when applying any model from horse–horse interactions to human–horse interactions, the limitations of the model may eclipse the intended outcome of the intervention. These limitations are especially likely when the horse is being ridden. Such analyses may help to determine the validity of extrapolating intra-specific interactions to the inter-specific setting, as is advocated by some popular horse-training methods, and highlight the subsequent limitations where humans play the role of the ‘alpha mare’ or leader in horse handling and training. This examination provides a constructive framework for further informed debate and empirical investigation of the critical features of successful intra-specific interactions.
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Zeitler-Feicht, M. H., Streit, S., & Dempfle, L. (2009). Abrufautomaten für Pferde im Offenlaufstall im Vergleich – Besuchshäufigkeit, Aufenthaltsdauer und Anzahl an Auseinandersetzungen [A comparison of automatic feeding systems for horses in run-out-sheds – frequency of visit, duration of stay and number of conflicts]. In KTBL-Schrift (Vol. 479).
Abstract: In 32 Offenlaufställen mit computergesteuerten Abrufstationen wurden die Aufenthaltsdauer
und Besuchshäufigkeit sowie das Droh- und Meideverhalten von 439 Pferden im
Füttererungsbereich erfasst. Je Betrieb erfolgten visuelle kontinuierliche Direktbeobachtungen
nach dem Tortenstückverfahren (6 x 4 Stunden) für je einen 24-Stunden-Tag.
Ziel war die Überprüfung der verschiedenen Bauausführungen der Abrufstationen unter
dem Aspekt der Tiergerechtheit. Eine Einwegstation reduzierte signifikant die Anzahl an Auseinandersetzungen
im Fütterungsbereich. Demgegenüber führten die für das fressende Pferd
tiergerechten Varianten (Fressstand mit Eingangssperre und ohne Austreibehilfe) zu einer
Erhöhung der Besuchshäufigkeit und Aufenthaltsdauer und somit auch zu einer erhöhten
Anzahl an Drohgesten. Doch insgesamt betrachtet, kann die Anzahl an sozionegativen
Interaktionen im Fütterungsbereich der Abrufstationen als relativ gering eingestuft werden.
Da sich außerdem der Betrieb (Management, Fläche, Konzeption) als maßgeblicher Einflussfaktor
auf die überprüften Parameter erwies, dürften die Unterschiede in der Bauausführung
der derzeitigen Abrufstationen für Pferde eher von untergeordneter Bedeutung sein.
[Duration of stay, frequency of visit, threatening gestures and behaviour of avoidance of
439 horses was observed at the feeding area of 32 run-out-sheds. The observation was based
on the method of visual continuously direct watching after the pie chart system (6 x 4 hours)
over a period of 24 hours. The observation should show which construction of the different
automatic feeding systems corresponded best under the aspect of animal welfare.
It was obvious that the one-way-station reduced significantly the number of conflicts
in the feeding area, whereas those systems which are appropriate for the eating horses
(feeding station with access barrier and without stimulation device by electric shock) led
to a higher frequency of visits and duration of stay as well as to more threatening gestures.
Considering altogether, the number of negative interactions in the feeding area of the feeding
systems can be classified as comparatively unimportant. As it showed that the stable
(management, stable area, conception) was of important influence on the surveyed parameters,
the differences between the constructions of feeding stations for horses of present
systems are probably of less meaning.]
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van Duyne, C., Ras, E., de Vos, A. E. W., de Boer, W. F., Henkens, R. J. H. G., & Usukhjargal, D. (2009). Wolf Predation Among Reintroduced Przewalski Horses in Hustai National Park, Mongolia. Journal of Wildlife Management, 73(6), 836–843.
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von Peinen, K., Wiestner, T., Bogisch, S., Roepstorff, L., Van Weeren, P. R., & Weishaupt, M. A. (2009). Relationship between the forces acting on the horse's back and the movements of rider and horse while walking on a treadmill. Equine Veterinary Journal, 41(3), 285–291.
Abstract: Reasons for performing study: The exact relationship between the saddle pressure pattern during one stride cycle and the movements of horse and rider at the walk are poorly understood and have never been investigated in detail. Hypothesis: The movements of rider and horse account for the force distribution pattern under the saddle. Method: Vertical ground reaction forces (GRF), kinematics of horse and rider as well as saddle forces (FS) were measured synchronously in 7 high level dressage horses while being ridden on an instrumented treadmill at walk. Discrete values of the total saddle forces (FStot) were determined for each stride and related to kinematics and GRF. The pressure sensitive mat was divided into halves and sixths to assess the force distribution over the horse's back in more detail. Differences were tested using a one sample t test (P<0.05). Results: FStot of all the horses showed 3 peaks (P1-P3) and 3 minima (M1-M3) in each half-cycle, which were systematically related to the footfall sequence of the walk. Looking at the halves of the mat, force curves were 50% phase-shifted. The analysis of the FS of the 6 sections showed a clear association to the rider's and horse's movements. Conclusion: The saddle force distribution during an entire stride cycle has a distinct pattern although the force fluctuations of the FStot are small. The forces in the front thirds were clearly related to the movement of the front limbs, those in the mid part to the lateral flexion of the horse's spine and the loading of the hind part was mainly influenced by the axial rotation and lateral bending of the back. Potential relevance: These data can be used as a reference for comparing different types of saddle fit.
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Lonsdorf, E. V., Ross, S. R., Linick, S. A., Milstein, M. S., & Melber, T. N. (2009). An experimental, comparative investigation of tool use in chimpanzees and gorillas. Anim. Behav., 77(5), 1119–1126.
Abstract: Studies of ape tool use have been conducted in captivity since the early 1900s and in the wild since the 1960s. Chimpanzees are the most prolific tool users among the apes, and are known to use more tools than any other nonhuman animal. In contrast, reports of gorilla tool use are rare both in wild and captive settings. Studies of the processes involved in tool use learning have been limited in the wild by the lack of ability to control several unpredictable variables, and in captivity by tool use opportunities that are often presented in non-naturalistic contexts. We attempted to address both of these limitations by providing naïve subjects with a naturalistic tool use device (built to simulate a termite mound) while housed in a more natural social setting to approximate how learning would occur in the wild. Both gorillas and chimpanzees participated in the experiment to allow comparative analyses of acquisition of tool behaviour and the factors that may affect acquisition. Both species showed low frequencies of interaction with the mound in the baseline condition, before baiting with a food reward. Once baited, chimpanzees both attempted and succeeded to extract the reward more quickly than did gorillas. The number of social group members at the mound was significantly higher for chimpanzees than for gorillas and may have affected skill acquisition. We advocate that comparative approaches to skill acquisition and learning are valuable, but that researchers need to be cognizant of species differences in social structure that may affect results.
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