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Author Nicol, C.J.; Badnell-Waters, A.J.; Bice, R.; Kelland, A.; Wilson, A.D.; Harris, P.A.
Title The effects of diet and weaning method on the behaviour of young horses Type Journal Article
Year 2005 Publication (up) Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.
Volume 95 Issue 3-4 Pages 205-221
Keywords Horse; Diet; Weaning; Temperament test
Abstract The effects of diet on horse behaviour have not previously been quantified in detail. In this study, we examined the behaviour of 17 foals from the age of 2 to 40 weeks. Each foal received either a starch and sugar (SS) diet or a fat and fibre (FF) diet. The two diets contained similar digestible energy, crude protein and micronutrients, but differed in the fat and non-structural carbohydrate balance. The baseline behaviour of the foals was observed every 2 weeks by focal animal sampling. Additional behavioural observations were conducted when the foals were weaned by one of two methods. Approximately 2 months after weaning, the temperament and tractability of the young horses was assessed using standardised tests. Responses to a novel object, to a novel person, and during a handling test were observed and quantified. Horses grew well on both diets with no apparent effects of diet on growth rate or baseline behaviour. Immediately after weaning, horses receiving the FF diet cantered less frequently (F = 5.10; p < 0.05), for a shorter duration (F = 7.23; p < 0.05) and appeared to be more settled. Foals that were barn-weaned appeared more stressed than foals that were paddock-weaned. In the temperament tests, horses receiving the FF diet spent significantly more time investigating (F = 6.78; p < 0.05), and less time looking at (F = 7.93; p < 0.05), the novel object than horses receiving the SS diet. They also spent less time walking away from the novel person (F = 5.16; p < 0.05) and their time taken to complete the handling test was significantly lower (F = 8.72; p = 0.01). Overall, the horses that received the FF diet appeared less distressed immediately after weaning and seemed calmer and more inquisitive during a range of temperament tests.
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 3642
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Author Goodwin, D.; Davidson, H.P.B.; Harris, P.
Title Selection and acceptance of flavours in concentrate diets for stabled horses Type Journal Article
Year 2005 Publication (up) Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.
Volume 95 Issue 3-4 Pages 223-232
Keywords Horse; Flavour; Diet; Selection; Acceptance
Abstract Like most large grazing herbivores, horses select their food based on visual cues, odour, taste, texture, availability and variety. There is relatively little published information about the role of flavour in diet selection by domestic horses in comparison with other domestic and companion animals. However, previous trials investigating effects of diet flavour in stabled horses indicated significant effects on foraging behaviour and selection. In this series of three trials we aimed to determine relative acceptance by presenting flavour preference tests to eight horses. Horses were stabled and fed hay ad lib on trial data collection days plus a standard unflavoured concentrate ration at 7:30 a.m. In Trial 1, 15 flavours were separately presented in standard 100 g cereal by-product meals and the trial was replicated. Quantity consumed, time of completion, partial rejection or refusal were recorded. Order of presentation was determined by a Latin Square design. Trial data were collected on five sampling days, separated by a minimum of 1 day. Horses were presented with six flavoured meals daily; minimum 1 h between the meals. Twelve flavours were universally accepted and of these the eight flavours with fastest mean consumption times (banana, carrot, cherry, cumin, fenugreek, oregano, peppermint and rosemary) were presented in paired preference tests in Trial 2. In Trial 2, all paired combinations of the eight flavours were presented, in two tests per day at noon and 4 p.m. Presentations of the same flavour were separated by at least 1 day. Paired presentations were in 300 g cereal by-product. Presentations were terminated when approximately half of the total amount presented had been consumed. Flavour preferences were expressed as a ratio from 0 (rejection) to 1 (exclusive consumption). Paired flavour preferences produced the following rank order: fenugreek, banana, cherry, rosemary, cumin, carrot, peppermint, oregano. In Trial 3, relative consumption times of mineral pellets flavoured with fenugreek and banana were significantly reduced in comparison with unflavoured pellets. In these short-term trials, flavour had significant effects on diet acceptance, selection and consumption times.
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 3643
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Author McCall, C.A.; Salters, M.A.; Simpson, S.M.
Title Relationship between number of conditioning trials per training session and avoidance learning in horses Type Journal Article
Year 1993 Publication (up) Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.
Volume 36 Issue 4 Pages 291-299
Keywords Horse; Learning; Avoidance conditioning
Abstract Sixteen horses were used to determine if number of trials given per training session (5, 10, 15 or 20) affected learning performance in an avoidance conditioning task. The horse had to move from one side of a test pen to the other during an auditory cue presentation to avoid aversive stimulation. A pen 8 mx3.6 m, divided into two equal sections by a 13-cm diameter plastic pipe lying on the ground, was used as the test pen. Painted plywood panels were fastened to the fence in half the pen to help horses distinguish visually between the two parts. A 10-s auditory cue was used as a signal for horses to move from one side of the test pen to the other. A 20-s intertrial interval was used. Training sessions were conducted every third day. Each trial was recorded as an avoidance (the horse completed the task during auditory cue presentation and avoided aversive stimulus) or an error (the horse received aversive stimulus). After completing ten consecutive avoidances (criterion), the horse was removed from the study. Numbers of training sessions, trials, avoidances and errors until reaching criterion were recorded for each horse. Horses varied greatly within these variables with ranges of 3-18 sessions, 37-121 trials, 20-68 avoidances and 17-53 errors to criterion. No differences were detected (P>0.05) in the number of conditioning trials per training session (treatment) for the mean number of trials, avoidances or errors to criterion. Number of training sessions to criterion differed (P<0.01) among treatments, indicating that an optimum number of learning trials per training session might exist. Mean sessions to criterion for horses receiving 5, 10, 15 and 20 trials per session were 15.1+/-1.3, 5.8+/-1.1, 5.3+/-1.1 and 4.6+/-1.1, respectively. Regression analysis indicated that 16.2 trials per training session would minimize number of sessions to criterion. Although it is widely assumed that learning efficiency in horses is decreased when intense activity is concentrated into a small number of sessions, these results indicate that moderate repetition of training activities is needed for efficient learning.
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 3686
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Author Boyd, L.; Bandi, N.
Title Reintroduction of takhi, Equus ferus przewalskii, to Hustai National Park, Mongolia: time budget and synchrony of activity pre- and post-release Type Journal Article
Year 2002 Publication (up) Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.
Volume 78 Issue 2-4 Pages 87-102
Keywords Equids; Przewalski's horses; Takhi; Behaviour patterns; Time budgets; Behavioural synchrony; Reintroduction
Abstract A harem of takhi (Equus ferus przewalskii) was observed during introduction to the Hustain Nuruu Steppe Reserve of Mongolia. The goals were to examine whether the harem exhibited significant behavioural synchrony, whether release had an effect on time budget, and what the implications might be regarding acclimatisation to the wild. Behaviours were scan sampled every 10 min between the hours of 06:00 and 22:00, twice before release, twice immediately after release, and twice 2 years after reintroduction. Time budgets were constructed from these data. Considerable behavioural synchrony was evidenced both before and after release. Crepuscular grazing and midday resting were typical, regardless of the date relative to release. Upon release, the amount of time spent moving doubled for all age classes. It is suggested that this increase resulted from exploration. The amount of time spent grazing and standing remained unchanged; the increased amount of time spent moving came at the expense of resting. Two years later, the horses still spent more time moving than when captive. Somewhat less time was spent grazing, although the difference was not significant. More time was spent resting in 1996 than immediately after release. These time budgets provide evidence of successful acclimatisation to the wild. Trekking between favoured sites could account for the persistent increase in time spent moving, with concomitantly less time needed to meet nutritional needs by grazing and more time available for resting. Housing captive takhi in large enclosures is evidently insufficient to permit the amount of movement exhibited by this wild harem. The time budget of the 1- and 2-year olds was more similar to that of adults than foals, indicating approaching adulthood. That 1- and 2-year olds were nursed, without loss of body condition by the dam, provided additional evidence that the takhi achieved excellent nutritional status in the wild.
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 3690
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Author Hodson, E.F.; Clayton, H.M.; Lanovaz, J.L.
Title Temporal analysis of walk movements in the Grand Prix dressage test at the 1996 Olympic Games Type Journal Article
Year 1999 Publication (up) Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.
Volume 62 Issue 2-3 Pages 89-97
Keywords Dressage; Horse; Kinematics; Locomotion; Gait
Abstract Video analysis was used to measure temporal characteristics of the collected walk, extended walk and half pirouette at walk of eleven competitors during the team dressage competition at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, GA. Forelimb stance durations, hind limb stance durations, lateral step intervals and diagonal step intervals were symmetrical for the right and left sides in the collected and extended walk strides, but there were left-right asymmetries in the forelimb stance duration and in the lateral step interval in the half pirouette strides. For both collected and extended walk strides, hind limb stance duration was significantly longer than forelimb stance duration. The mean values for the group of eleven horses showed that the collected and extended walks had a regular rhythm. The half pirouette strides showed an irregularity in which there was a short interval between footfalls of the outside forelimb and inside hind limb, and along interval between footfalls of the inside hind limb and inside forelimb. This irregularity reflected an early placement of the inside hind limb. The stance times of both hind limbs were prolonged and this finding, in combination with the early placement of the inside hind limb, led to an increase in the period of tripedal support in each stride of the half pirouette. This was interpreted as a means of maintaining the horses' balance in the absence of forward movement.
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Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 3960
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Author Stachurska, A.; Pieta, M.; Nesteruk, E.
Title Which obstacles are most problematic for jumping horses? Type Journal Article
Year 2002 Publication (up) Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.
Volume 77 Issue 3 Pages 197-207
Keywords Horses; Jumping events; Obstacles; Behaviour
Abstract The objective of this study was to examine the behaviour of horses jumping over variously designed obstacles, i.e. which obstacles are easy for them and jumped willingly or which cause difficulties. This was judged by scoring two main faults at jumping events: the number of knock-downs and run-outs with refusals. The data concerned 609 rounds made at regional competitions of various classes for 100-140 cm obstacle height. They included 5639 jumps at 343 obstacles, in total. Seventy-two horses participated in the competitions. The number of faults at a particular obstacle depended on the obstacle-type, height, colour and arrangement. Uprights and oxers were the most frequently knocked-down, while the walls were the most often run-out. When the height was increased, more obstacles were knocked-down but the number of run-outs did not change significantly. The obstacles of two contrasting colours were jumped without fault more often, whereas, those of one colour, light or dark, caused most of the faults. The least number of faults was committed at the second obstacle in a combination compared with the first, third and single ones. The third and fourth obstacles in the courses were faulty jumps most often. The results suggest that most of the factors examined, which differentiate the obstacle and course design, may influence the horse's behaviour. In consequence, the horses make more or fewer faults jumping over various obstacles.
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ISSN 0168-1591 ISBN Medium
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Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 3971
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Author Falewee, C.; Gaultier, E.; Lafont, C.; Bougrat, L.; Pageat, P.
Title Effect of a synthetic equine maternal pheromone during a controlled fear-eliciting situation Type Journal Article
Year 2006 Publication (up) Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.
Volume 101 Issue 1-2 Pages 144-153
Keywords Horses; Behaviour; Fear; Pheromone; Heart rate; Performance
Abstract Horses are known to show fear reactions when confronted with novelty and this can be a considerable hindrance in the context of working situations such as riding, dressage or racing. The aim of the present study was to measure the potential effects of a synthetic analogue of the Equine Appeasing Pheromone on saddled horses when subjected to a stressful situation using a double-blinded, placebo controlled study design. A group of 40 horses was analyzed during this study and horses were divided by sex, breed and reactivity into two homogenized groups. The test, which consisted of walking the horse through a fringed curtain, was selected from a range of tests which are used to assess behaviour for the selection of French breeding stock. Horses that could have been subjected to the test on a previous occasion, and therefore be familiar with it, were not included. Behavioural and physiological parameters were both taken into account with measures of time to go through the curtain, fear related typical behavioural patterns, based on available literature detailed in the bibliography, and heart rate being recorded. Parameters were analyzed by means of Mann-Whitney U-test. Significant differences were noticed between the two groups concerning heart rate data during the test (UMeanHR = 100.5, pMeanHR = 0.02; UMaxHR = 75, pMaxHR = 0.001) and during the whole measured period (UMeanHR = 67, pMeanHR = 0.005; UMaxHR = 58, pMaxHR = 0.002). Observation of the animals also revealed less behavioural items characteristic of fear within the treated group. As a result, horses performed the test with a better time performance when they received the pheromone analogue (U = 62, p = 0.002). The main parameter, area under the HR graph, is based on heart rate measure and performance. Differences noticed (U = 74, p = 0.002) for this parameter lead to the conclusion that horses who received EAP underwent less stress related consequences in terms of their cardiac physiology. As horses are subjected to a number of foreseeable stressful events this study suggests that the use of Equine Appeasing Pheromone could be a significant factor in improving the welfare of this species.
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Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 3992
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Author Fleurance, G.; Duncan, P.; Fritz, H.; Cabaret, J.; Cortet, J.; Gordon, I.J.
Title Selection of feeding sites by horses at pasture: Testing the anti-parasite theory Type Journal Article
Year 2007 Publication (up) Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.
Volume 108 Issue 3-4 Pages 228-301
Keywords Foraging strategies; Horses; Parasite risk; Patch choice
Abstract Management of grazed grasslands for production and/or conservation objectives requires a thorough understanding of the choices of feeding sites by herbivores, and of the biological processes involved. Most models of the feeding strategies of herbivores are based on the principle that optimising the intake of energy (or some nutrient) is the primary goal of foragers but other selective forces, such as parasitism, could be important. Gastrointestinal parasites (including cyathostome nematodes) have powerful effects on the fitness of herbivores and may act as a major selection pressure favouring host behaviour that reduces the risk of encountering parasites. Among large herbivores, horses have perhaps the most marked tendency to select particular feeding sites within grasslands. We test here: (1) whether horses select feeding patches with relatively low parasite densities and (2) if their choice is affected by their parasite load. We used 10 two-year old saddle-horses and three periods. In the first period, the horses were under natural parasitism which varied strongly among individuals; in the second period they were all dewormed, and in the third, a sub-set of the horses was experimentally infected with cyathostome larvae. Ninety-eight percent of the infective larvae in the pasture were found <1 m from faeces. The main determinant of the choice of feeding patch by horses was the availability of patches of different parasite risk and grass height. Controlling for availability, the horses used tall grasses (>16 cm) less than expected, whether the grass was contaminated or not, and they selected for short patches >1 m from faeces, where the risk of encountering parasites was low. These results suggest that selection of feeding sites by horses is driven by an interaction between their nutritional and anti-parasite strategies: the horses avoid the patches of tall grass which are generally of low quality and areas contaminated by parasite larvae which leads them to prefer the patches of short grass far from faeces. The parasite status of the horses at the time of the experiment had no effect on their feeding choices. However, before concluding that the challenge by cyathostomes has no effect on the selection of feeding sites in horses, it will be necessary to test whether the history of parasitism of the individuals, rather than the current status, is important.
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4228
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Author Lloyd, A.S.; Martin, J.E.; Bornett-Gauci, H.L.I.; Wilkinson, R.G.
Title Horse personality: Variation between breeds Type Journal Article
Year 2008 Publication (up) Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.
Volume 112 Issue 3-4 Pages 369-383
Keywords Horse personality; Breed; Assessment; Questionnaire survey; Animal
Abstract Anecdotal evidence from horse owners and handlers suggests the existence of breed typical behaviour and personality in horses. This is further supported by current research on heritability of personality characteristics in a range of species. The Horse Personality Questionnaire (HPQ) is a 25-item rating method that has previously been shown to be reliable for the assessment of personality in horses. Principal component analysis on HPQ data has identified six underlying personality components in horses. These are Dominance, Anxiousness, Excitability, Protection, Sociability and Inquisitiveness. Using the HPQ a survey of 1223 horses of eight different breeds was completed. Data were analysed to explore any differences in personality between breeds across the six personality components. Breed differences in personality were identified, and it was noted that variability between breeds varied between personality components. Anxiousness and Excitability showed the most variation between breeds, whilst Dominance and Protection showed the least variance. The results identified breed typical personalities that were comparable to results from previous studies as well as anecdotal evidence provided by the popular equine literature. The results are discussed in terms of the potential selection pressures that may have resulted in these differences.
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4279
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Author Hausberger, M.; Gautier, E.; Muller, C.; Jego, P.
Title Lower learning abilities in stereotypic horses Type Journal Article
Year 2007 Publication (up) Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.
Volume 107 Issue 3-4 Pages 299-306
Keywords Stereotypies; Learning ability; Horses
Abstract The question of whether motor stereotypies may be associated with learning disorders is a highly debated issue both in humans and animals, but evidence is still scarce. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relation between the occurrence of stereotypic behaviours in horses where stereotypies are well described and learning abilities measurable. Seventy horses were observed in their box at two periods (August and November) and were then submitted to an instrumental task (opening a chest by raising the lid using the nose). Fifty-one of them had shown stereotypic behaviours at both periods. It appeared that more stereotypic horses (36/51) were unsuccessful than non-stereotypic horses (3/19) in the learning task. When successful, they required a longer time in order to perform the task (368 s on average against 220 for the non-stereotypic horses). No difference was found according to the type of stereotypy performed. This is to our knowledge the first time that a relation is found between stereotypy and learning in an animal species. The additional finding that stereotypic horses spent less time lying down and sleeping suggests a possible role of attentional processes. This finding has important implications for the horse industry.
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4301
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