| |
Records |
Links |
|
Author |
Hausberger, M |
|
| |
Title |
Temperament and Personality in Horses: An Overwiev |
Type |
Conference Article |
| |
Year |
2008 |
Publication |
IESM 2008 |
Abbreviated Journal |
|
|
| |
Volume  |
|
Issue |
|
Pages |
|
|
| |
Keywords |
|
|
| |
Abstract |
The existence of individual variations in behaviour has been demonstrated in all species investigated. Horses do show individual variations in a variety of behaviours from an early age on, as well as in behavioural traits underlying temperament/personality. Temperament is generally described as the “biological” (i.e.genetic) basis on which personality, as a result of environmental influences (i.e. experience), will be constructed. Indeed, genetic factors such as breed or patriline do have an influence on aspects like emotional reactions to fear-inducing situations or cognitive abilities while environmental factors, such as the conditions of life or the type of work performed, have also an influence on horse personality. We will review here the existing evidence of this interplay between genetic and environmental influences, showing that different traits can be differently influenced, and then look more thoroughly at the processes involved.
A particular accent will be given to the influence of the human-horse relation on personality traits of horses, both at adult stages through management, daily interactions and type of work, and at early stages through management and handling of foals.
The question of the stability of traits across situations and over time, that is of the possible predictibility of behavioural traits, is central, especially where the transfer from experimental situations (behavioural tests) to working situations and performance is concerned. The question of methodological approaches (behavioural tests, observations, questionnaires) can be crucial here and will be discussed.
In overall, this review should help understanding the determinants of horse temperament/personality traits and their implication in terms of choice of the appropriate horse for a given owner, better management and training for a better welfare and horse-human relationship. Genetic influences may lead to different susceptibilities to the same environmental conditions which mean that there are no such thing as “bad” or “good” horse temperaments but rather different horse types that may require different management or training schedules. |
|
| |
Address |
University of Rennes, Sciences de la Vie et de l Environnement |
|
| |
Corporate Author |
Hausberger, M |
Thesis |
|
|
| |
Publisher |
|
Place of Publication |
|
Editor |
|
|
| |
Language |
|
Summary Language |
|
Original Title |
|
|
| |
Series Editor |
|
Series Title |
|
Abbreviated Series Title |
|
|
| |
Series Volume |
|
Series Issue |
|
Edition |
|
|
| |
ISSN |
|
ISBN |
|
Medium |
|
|
| |
Area |
|
Expedition |
|
Conference |
IESM 2008 |
|
| |
Notes |
Invited speaker IESM 2008 |
Approved |
yes |
|
| |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
4458 |
|
| Permanent link to this record |
| |
|
| |
|
Author |
Hausberger, M.; Richard-Yris, M.-A. |
|
| |
Title |
Individual differences in the domestic horse, origins, development and stability |
Type |
Book Chapter |
| |
Year |
2005 |
Publication |
The domestic horse : the origins, development, and management of its behaviour |
Abbreviated Journal |
|
|
| |
Volume |
|
Issue |
|
Pages |
33-52 |
|
| |
Keywords |
|
|
| |
Abstract |
|
|
| |
Address |
|
|
| |
Corporate Author |
|
Thesis |
|
|
| |
Publisher |
Cambridge University Press 2005 |
Place of Publication |
Cambridge |
Editor |
Mills, D.S.; McDonnell, |
|
| |
Language |
|
Summary Language |
|
Original Title |
|
|
| |
Series Editor |
|
Series Title |
|
Abbreviated Series Title |
|
|
| |
Series Volume |
|
Series Issue |
|
Edition |
|
|
| |
ISSN |
|
ISBN |
13 978-0-521-81414-6 |
Medium |
|
|
| |
Area |
|
Expedition |
|
Conference |
|
|
| |
Notes |
|
Approved |
no |
|
| |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ Feh2005 |
Serial |
4819 |
|
| Permanent link to this record |
| |
|
| |
|
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 |
|
Pages |
|
|
| |
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 |
|
|
| |
Corporate Author |
Hausberger, M. |
Thesis |
|
|
| |
Publisher |
Xenophon Publishing |
Place of Publication |
Wald |
Editor |
Krueger, K. |
|
| |
Language |
|
Summary Language |
|
Original Title |
|
|
| |
Series Editor |
|
Series Title |
|
Abbreviated Series Title |
|
|
| |
Series Volume |
|
Series Issue |
|
Edition |
|
|
| |
ISSN |
978-3-9808134-26 |
ISBN |
|
Medium |
|
|
| |
Area |
|
Expedition |
|
Conference |
|
|
| |
Notes |
|
Approved |
no |
|
| |
Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
5516 |
|
| Permanent link to this record |
