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Author Lansade, L.; Bouissou, M.-F. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Reactivity to humans: A temperament trait of horses which is stable across time and situations Type Journal Article
  Year 2008 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.  
  Volume 114 Issue 3-4 Pages 492-508  
  Keywords Horse; Equus caballus; Reactivity to humans; Temperament trait; Personality; Behavioural consistency  
  Abstract (up) The aim of this study was to test the existence of a “reactivity-to-humans” trait which is stable over time and across situations. For this purpose, four test situations were repeated on the same animals at 8 months, 1.5 years (N = 110 horses) and 2.5 years of age (N = 54 horses). These situations involved a “familiar passive human test” during which a familiar person stayed motionless in the test pen, a “familiar active human test” and an “unfamiliar active human test” during which a familiar or unfamiliar person attempted to touch the horse, and a “halter-fitting and heart-rate measurement test”, during which the horse was haltered and equipped with a surcingle and then had its heart-rate measured. Many behavioural variables were recorded during the tests, and correlations between ages and variables measured during other situations were investigated. When correlations were found, we concluded that the variables corresponded to temperament traits which are stable over time and across situations. The horses tested were divided into four groups according to breed (Anglo-Arab and Welsh) and year of birth (2001 and 2002). Data for each group were analysed separately with Spearman rank correlations. Regarding stability over time, there was a strong correlation between ages in the frequency of licking/nibbling the passive human, the time taken by a familiar or unfamiliar person to touch the horse, and the time taken to fit a halter (e.g. the time taken to touch the horse's muzzle was significantly correlated between ages in 7 out of the 8 possible cases: 0.40 <= R <= 0.67). Regarding stability across situations, results indicate that the more frequently a horse sniffed, licked or nibbled a passive human, the easier it was for either a familiar or unfamiliar active human to touch and halter it. Moreover, a horse which could be touched easily by a familiar human could also be touched and haltered easily by an unfamiliar human. These behaviours, which are linked directly to humans, therefore indicate good stability over time and across situations. In conclusion, this stability suggests the existence of a “reactivity-to-humans” temperament trait, whether the human is passive or active, familiar or unfamiliar. When the animals do not have frequent contact with humans, this reactivity is stable over time and can be measured as early as 8 months of age using the behavioural variables cited above.  
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  ISSN 0168-1591 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4710  
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Author Nuñez, C.M.V.; Adelman, J.S.; Mason, C.; Rubenstein, D.I. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Immunocontraception decreases group fidelity in a feral horse population during the non-breeding season Type Journal Article
  Year 2009 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.  
  Volume 117 Issue 1-2 Pages 74-83  
  Keywords Equus caballus; Horse; Harem; Stability; Immunocontraception; Porcine zona pellucidae (PZP); Behavior  
  Abstract (up) The behavioral effects of the immunocontraceptive agent porcine zona pellucida (PZP) have not been adequately studied. Important managerial decisions for several species, including the wild horse (Equus caballus), have been based on this limited research. We studied 30 horses on Shackleford Banks, North Carolina, USA to determine the effects of PZP contraception on female fidelity to the harem male. We examined two classes of females: contracepts, recipients of the PZP vaccine (n = 22); and controls, females that have never received PZP (n = 8). We conducted the study during the non-breeding season from December 2005 to February 2006, totaling 102.2 h of observation. Contracepted mares changed groups more often than control mares (P = 0.04). Contracepts also visited more harem groups than did control mares (P = 0.02) and exhibited more reproductive interest (P = 0.05). For both contracepted and control females, the number of group changes (P = 0.01) and number of groups visited (P = 0.003) decreased with the proportion of years mares were pregnant. Our study shows that the application of PZP has significant consequences for the social behavior of Shackleford Banks horses. In gregarious species such as the horse, PZP application may disrupt social ties among individuals and inhibit normal social functioning at the population level.  
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  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
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  ISSN 0168-1591 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5095  
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Author Haring, H. openurl 
  Title Development, level and prospects of the german horse breeding Type Journal Article
  Year 2005 Publication Zuechtungskunde Abbreviated Journal Zuechtungskunde  
  Volume 77 Issue 6 Pages 490-495  
  Keywords Breeding program; Breeding/Member association; Change of structure; Estimation of breeding values; Fédération Equestre Nationale (FN)/German Equestrian Federation; Step of selection; Equidae; Equus caballus  
  Abstract (up) The economic impact of the horses of the Federal Republic of Germany has gone up, the statistic numerals verify obviously that Germany took pride of place in Europe in terms of numbers of riders as well as numbers of horses. Successes of German branded horses let their breeders reach the summit worldwide. The carefully agreed breeding programme connects practical cognitions with those of science and permits the leading breeding areas unobstructed space to set their own priorities. Globalisation and rised demand of customers forces breeding associations towards a far-reaching reorganisation because just large powerful institutions can meet these requirements. An end of this process, which scarcely has just begun, cannot yet be conceivable seen. – Eugen Ulmer KG, Stuttgart.  
  Address Deutsche Reiterliche Vereinigung e. V., 48229 Warendorf, Germany  
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  ISSN 00445401 (Issn) ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Cited By (since 1996): 1; Export Date: 21 April 2007; Source: Scopus; Language of Original Document: German; Correspondence Address: Haring, H.; Deutsche Reiterliche Vereinigung e. V. 48229 Warendorf, Germany; email: Hharing@fn-dokr.de Approved no  
  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 791  
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Author Krueger, K. pdf  isbn
openurl 
  Title Social learning and innovative behaviour in horses Type Conference Article
  Year 2015 Publication Proceedings of the 3. International Equine Science Meeting Abbreviated Journal Proc. 3. Int. Equine. Sci. Mtg  
  Volume Issue Pages  
  Keywords social learning, innovative behaviour, Equus caballus, cognitive capacities  
  Abstract (up) The evaluation of important parameters for measuring the horses’ cognitive capacities is one of the central topics of the equine behaviour team at Nürtingen-Geislingen University. Social complexity has been said to be one of the settings in which needs for cognitive capacities arise in animals. A variety of studies throughout the last two decades proved the horses’ social complexity to be far more elaborate than previously assumed. Horses form social bonds for the protection of offspring, intervene in encounters of others, identify group mates individually and easily orientate in a fission fusion society.

In such socially complex societies, animals will benefit from learning socially. In many bird and primate species the degree of social complexity correlates nicely with the species abilities for social learning. Social learning was, therefore, argued to be an indicator for elaborate mental capacities in animals. We were delighted to prove that horses actually copy social behaviour and techniques for operating a feeding apparatus from older and higher ranking group members. In a recent study we found young horses, at the age of 3 to 12, to copy the operation of a feeding apparatus from a human demonstrator. Social learning seems to work nicely in horses when the social background of the animals is considered.

The degree to which individual animals adapt to changes in their social or physical environment by finding innovative solution appears to be the other side of the coin, of whether animals adjust to challenges by social learning. It is not very astonishing, that along with the animals’ social complexity and their ability to learn socially also the degree to which they show innovative behaviour was claimed to be one of the most important demonstrations of advanced cognitive capacities. In a recent approach, we started to ask horse owners and horse keepers in many countries to tell us about unusual behaviour of their horses via a web site (http://innovative-behaviour.org). To date, we received 204 cases of innovative behaviour descriptions from which six cases were clear examples of tool use or borderline tool use. We categorized the innovative behaviours into the classes, a) innovations to gain food, b) innovations to gain freedom, c) social innovations, d) innovations to increase maintenance, and e) innovations that could not be clearly assigned to a category. About 20% of the innovative horses showed more than one innovation. These animals could be termed “true innovators”. Again, young horses were more innovative than older ones with the age group 5 – 9 showing the highest number of innovative behaviour descriptions.

In a nutshell, the horses’ cognitive capacities appear to be underestimated throughout the last decades. The horses’ social complexity is far more elaborate than previously assumed, horses learn socially from conspecific and humans, some of them demonstrate innovative behaviour adaptations to their environment and even simple forms of tool use.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Krueger, K. Thesis  
  Publisher Xenophon Publishing Place of Publication Wald Editor  
  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume in prep Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN ISBN 978-3-95625-000-2 Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5848  
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Author Baragli, P.; Vitale, V.; Paoletti, E.; Sighieri, C.; Reddon, A.R. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Detour behaviour in horses (Equus caballus) Type Journal Article
  Year 2011 Publication Journal of Ethology Abbreviated Journal J. Ethol.  
  Volume 29 Issue 2 Pages 227-234  
  Keywords Detour behaviour; Equus caballus; Horses; Lateralization; Spatial reasoning  
  Abstract (up) The objective of this study was to investigate the ability of horses (Equus caballus) to detour around symmetric and asymmetric obstacles. Ten female Italian saddle horses were each used in three detour tasks. In the first task, the ability to detour around a symmetrical obstacle was evaluated; in the second and third tasks subjects were required to perform a detour around an asymmetrical obstacle with two different degrees of asymmetry. The direction chosen to move around the obstacle and time required to make the detour were recorded. The results suggest that horses have the spatial abilities required to perform detour tasks with both symmetric and asymmetric obstacles. The strategy used to perform the task varied between subjects. For five horses, lateralized behaviour was observed when detouring the obstacle; this was consistently in one direction (three on the left and two on the right). For these horses, no evidence of spatial learning or reasoning was found. The other five horses did not solve this task in a lateralized manner, and a trend towards decreasing lateralization was observed as asymmetry, and hence task difficulty, increased. These non-lateralized horses may have higher spatial reasoning abilities.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Springer Japan Place of Publication Editor  
  Language English Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0289-0771 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5686  
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Author Schneider, G.; Krueger, K. doi  openurl
  Title Third-party interventions keep social partners from exchanging affiliative interactions with others Type Journal Article
  Year 2012 Publication Animal Behaviour Abbreviated Journal Anim. Behav.  
  Volume 83 Issue 2 Pages 377-387  
  Keywords Equus caballus; horse; rank; social bond; social network; third-party intervention  
  Abstract (up) Third-party interventions are defined as the interruption of dyadic interactions by third animals through direct physical contact, interposing or threats. Previous studies focused on the analysis of interventions against agonistic encounters. However, there have been no evaluations of interventions against affiliative behaviours, particularly in relation to the intervening animal&#65533;s social relationships and its social and spatial position. Horses, Equus caballus, are an interesting model species, as interventions against affiliative interactions occur more frequently than against agonistic interactions. In this study, 64 feral horses displayed 67 interventions in affiliative interactions and eight interventions in agonistic interactions within the observation period. We analysed the interventions in affiliative encounters, and found that it was mainly higher-ranking females that intervened in the affiliative interactions of group mates in the stable horse harems. The intervening animals took an active part in affiliative and agonistic encounters within the group, but did not occupy particular social roles or spatial positions. They intervened in affiliative interactions in which group mates with which they had social bonds interacted with other members of the group. They targeted the nonbonded animal and approached the one with which they were socially bonded. We suggest some species use third-party interventions in affiliative interactions to prevent competition for preferred social interaction partners from escalating into more costly agonistic encounters.  
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  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0003-3472 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5492  
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Author Lampe, J.F.; Andre, J. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Cross-modal recognition of human individuals in domestic horses (Equus caballus) Type Journal Article
  Year 2012 Publication Abbreviated Journal Animal Cognition  
  Volume 15 Issue 4 Pages 623-630  
  Keywords Cross-modal; Recognition of humans; Horse; Equus caballus; Human–horse interaction; Animal cognition; Visual recognition; Auditory recognition; Voice discrimination; Interspecific  
  Abstract (up) This study has shown that domestic horses are capable of cross-modal recognition of familiar humans. It was demonstrated that horses are able to discriminate between the voices of a familiar and an unfamiliar human without seeing or smelling them at the same moment. Conversely, they were able to discriminate the same persons when only exposed to their visual and olfactory cues, without being stimulated by their voices. A cross-modal expectancy violation setup was employed; subjects were exposed both to trials with incongruent auditory and visual/olfactory identity cues and trials with congruent cues. It was found that subjects responded more quickly, longer and more often in incongruent trials, exhibiting heightened interest in unmatched cues of identity. This suggests that the equine brain is able to integrate multisensory identity cues from a familiar human into a person representation that allows the brain, when deprived of one or two senses, to maintain recognition of this person.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Springer-Verlag Place of Publication Editor  
  Language English Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1435-9448 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5698  
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Author Kavar, T.; Dovc, P. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Domestication of the horse: Genetic relationships between domestic and wild horses Type Journal Article
  Year 2008 Publication Livestock Science Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 116 Issue 1-3 Pages 1-14  
  Keywords Equus caballus; Domestication; Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA); Y chromosome markers  
  Abstract (up) To date, a large amount of equine genetic data has been obtained regarding (i) extant domestic horses of various breeds from all over the world, (ii) ancient domestic horses, (iii) the extant Przewalski's wild horse, and (iv) the late Pleistocene wild horse from Eurasia and North America. Here, a review of mtDNA and Y chromosome marker analyses is presented in the context of horse domestication. High matrilineal (mtDNA) diversity, which can be found in both extant and ancient (domestic and wild) horses, has suggested that a high number of wild (and tamed) mares were domesticated. Alternatively, Y chromosome marker analysis revealed a single haplotype in all domestic horses analyzed; interestingly even a small population of extant Przewalski's wild horses showed two different Y chromosome haplotypes. It seems that an extreme male population bottleneck occurred due to domestication, while reduction in the female population was only moderate, leaving about 100 distinct haplotypes. For this reason, we speculate that domestication might have started when the appropriate stallion was found or was obtained by selection. Perhaps it had some unusual but special characteristics which could have accelerated the process of domestication. We doubt that only a single Y chromosome haplotype will be found in present-day domestic horses if there are no important differences between the founder stallion/s and the other stallions that were not included in the domestication. In the Eneolithic, tamed and wild mares have probably been spread all over Eurasia, although the number of animals was most likely very low and the populations were limited to a restricted area (e.g., taming centers). Only two subspecies of wild horses (Tarpan and Przewalski's wild horse) have survived up to recently. During the further process of domestication, mares (tamed or wild) were preferentially crossed to stallions having more desirable characteristics. We assume that mares from different regions varied in their morphology due to adaptation to their local environmental conditions. These data might explain rapid expansion of horse populations, as well as their rapid differentiation into various phenotypes during the early phase of domestication.  
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  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1871-1413 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4771  
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Author Linklater, W.L.; Cameron, E.Z.; Stafford, K.J.; Veltman, C.J. url  openurl
  Title Social and spatial structure and range use by Kaimanawa wild horses (Equus caballus: Equidae) Type Journal Article
  Year 2000 Publication New Zealand Journal of Ecology Abbreviated Journal New Zealand J. Ecol.  
  Volume 24 Issue 2 Pages 139-152  
  Keywords Bachelor male; Band; Density; Habitat use; Home range; Management proposals; Micro-climate; Vegetation monitoring; habitat use; home range; mammal; social structure; spatial distribution; New Zealand; Equus caballus  
  Abstract (up) We measured horse density, social structure, habitat use, home ranges and altitudinal micro-climates in the south-western Kaimanawa ranges east of Waiouru, New Zealand. Horse density in the Auahitotara ecological sector averaged 3.6 horses.km-2 and ranged from 0.9 to 5.2 horses.km-2 within different zones. The population's social structure was like that of other feral horse populations with an even adult sex ratio, year round breeding groups (bands) with stable adult membership consisting of 1 to 11 mares, 1 to 4 stallions, and their predispersal offspring, and bachelor groups with unstable membership. Bands and bachelor males were loyal to undefended home ranges with central core use areas. Band home range sizes varied positively with adult band size. Home ranges overlapped entirely with other home ranges. Horses were more likely to occupy north facing aspects, short tussock vegetation and flush zones and avoid high altitudes, southern aspects, steeper slopes, bare ground and forest remnants. Horses were more likely to be on north facing aspects, steeper slopes, in exotic and red tussock grasslands and flush zones during winter and at lower altitudes and on gentler slopes in spring and summer. Seasonal shifts by bands to river basin and stream valley floors in spring and higher altitudes in autumn and winter are attributed to the beginning of foaling and mating in spring and formation of frost inversion layers in winter. Given horse habitat selectivity and the presence of other ungulate herbivores, results from present exclosures are likely to exaggerate the size of horse impacts on range vegetation. Proposals to manage the population by relocation and confinement are likely to modify current social structure and range use behaviour and may lead to the need for more intensive management in the longer term.  
  Address Ecology Group, Institute of Natural Resources, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North, New Zealand  
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  ISSN 01106465 (Issn) ISBN Medium  
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  Notes Cited By (since 1996): 12; Export Date: 21 April 2007; Source: Scopus; Language of Original Document: English; Correspondence Address: Linklater, W.L.; Ecology Group; Institute of Natural Resources; Massey University; Private Bag 11-222 Palmerston North, New Zealand; email: wlinklater@hotmail.com Approved no  
  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 793  
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