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| Author |
Lansade, L.; Bouissou, M.-F. |
| 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 |
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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0168-1591 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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4710 |
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| Author |
Christensen, J.W.; Zharkikh, T.; Ladewig, J. |
| Title |
Do horses generalise between objects during habituation? |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2008 |
Publication |
Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
Abbreviated Journal |
Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. |
| Volume |
114 |
Issue |
3-4 |
Pages |
509-520 |
| Keywords |
Horse; Stimulus generalisation; Habituation; Fear |
| Abstract |
Habituation to frightening stimuli plays an important role in horse training. To investigate the extent to which horses generalise between different visual objects, 2-year-old stallions were habituated to feeding from a container placed inside a test arena and assigned as TEST (n=12) or REFERENCE horses (n=12). In Experiment 1, TEST horses were habituated to six objects (ball, barrel, board, box, cone, cylinder) presented in sequence in a balanced order. The objects were of similar size but different colour. Each object was placed 0.5m in front of the feed container, forcing the horses to pass the object to get to the food. TEST horses received as many 2min exposures to each object as required to meet a habituation criterion. We recorded behavioural reactions to the object, latency to feed, total eating time, and heart rate (HR) during all exposures. There was no significant decrease in initial responses towards a novel object with increasing object number, indicating that habituation was stimulus-specific. REFERENCE horses were exposed to the test arena without objects in the same period, and reactions of TEST and REFERENCE horses were subsequently compared in a fear-test (2m2.5m rubber mat placed under the feed container, forcing the horses to step on the mat to get food). There were no significant differences between the treatment groups, i.e. previous habituation of TEST horses to six visual objects did not reduce responses in a fear-test involving visual and tactile stimulation. Due to the lack of generalisation in Experiment 1, we designed a supplemental experiment (Experiment 2), in which REFERENCE horses were exposed to the same six objects except that object colour was kept constant. We found a significant reduction in response (behaviour and HR) with increasing object number, indicating that horses generalise between similarly coloured objects of varying shape. We conclude that a high degree of object similarity, e.g. identical colouring, appears to be crucial for object generalisation in horses. |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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4756 |
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Lansade, L.; Pichard, G.; Leconte, M. |
| Title |
Sensory sensitivities: Components of a horse's temperament dimension |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2008 |
Publication |
Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
Abbreviated Journal |
Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. |
| Volume |
114 |
Issue |
3-4 |
Pages |
534-553 |
| Keywords |
Horse; Equus caballus; Temperament; Sensory sensitivity; Behavioural tests |
| Abstract |
Temperament is an important factor when working with horses. Behavioural tests have already been developed to measure certain dimensions of a horse's temperament (fearfulness, gregariousness, etc.). In order to measure the temperament more precisely, our work aimed to identify a dimension which has already been described in several species but not yet in horses, namely sensory sensitivity. Our study was based on the definition of a temperament dimension as “a behavioural characteristic stable across situations and over time”. We designed several tests for each sense and then determined whether the responses observed were correlated between situations and in time. The principle of the tests was to generate two stimuli of different intensities for each sense (e.g. two different sounds) and to measure the intensity of the horse's response (N = 26). Using Spearman rank correlations, we tested whether the responses to these different stimuli were inter-correlated. We repeated the same tests 5 months later to determine whether the responses were correlated over time. Within each sense, results show that the greater the horses' response to one stimulus, the greater their response to the other. For example, the reaction to the odour of cinnamon (time spent near the source of the odour) was significantly correlated to the reaction to lavender (R = 0.53, p = 0.004). The reactions to two different sounds or to two different tactile stimuli (von Frey filaments, or contact of a brush on the body), were also significantly correlated (R = 0.59, p < 0.0001; R = 0.38, p = 0.029). Finally, the reactions to two different tastes or to two visual stimuli tended to be correlated (R = 0.27, p = 0.09; R = 0.27, p = 0.09). However, there was no significant correlation between the responses to stimuli relating to different senses. Finally, except for the responses to odour, the responses to other sensory stimuli showed stability over a 5-month period (e.g. tactile stimulation: R = 0.71, p < 0.0001). In conclusion, our study revealed characteristics which were stable across situations and over time. The absence of links between the characteristics measured for the different senses suggests that a dimension for each sense exists (e.g. tactile sensitivity) rather than a general sensory sensitivity dimension covering all the senses. |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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4779 |
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McCann, J.S.; Heird, J.C.; Bell, R.W.; Lutherer, L.O. |
| Title |
Normal and more highly reactive horses. II. The effect of handling and reserpine on the cardiac response to stimuli |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
1988 |
Publication |
Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
Abbreviated Journal |
Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. |
| Volume |
19 |
Issue |
3-4 |
Pages |
215-226 |
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A split-plot experiment evaluated the effect of handling and reserpine on the autonomic heart-rate response of yearling horses to various stimuli. The emotionality levels of 32 Quarter-Horse yearlings were rated by 4 experienced horsemen on a scale from 1 to 4 (1 = most nervous and erratic disposition; 4=quiet disposition). The yearlings were subsequently classified and penned based on their emotionality level; normal or nervous. Within each emotionality group, one-half the yearlings were handled daily for 14 days and the other one-half remained free in the pens. Following the handling treatment, every yearling was individually exposed to a series of stimuli, while the heart rate was monitored via a radio-telemetry system. A second treatment, reserpine, was subsequently given intramuscularly (0.005 mg/kg body weight) to one-half the yearlings of each treatment combination of emotionality and handling. The heart rate of the yearlings to the same series of stimuli previously employed was determined at 24 and 120 h and 16 days following the reserpine injection. Summarizing the results, the handled yearlings tended to exhibit lower heart rates with the handling stimulus, but the heart rate with a more novel stimulus was not affected by the previous handling treatment. Reserpine tended to suppress the heart rate of the unhandled group during the presence of a handler, but the permanency of this effect was not evident 16 days after the drug was administered. The reserpine-treated groups tended to exhibit the lowest heart-rate response to stimuli during the 120-h test-day following the administration of the drug. Heart-rate responses to the stimuli were not different between the normal and nervous yearlings. |
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0168-1591 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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4817 |
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McCann, J.S.; Heird, J.C.; Bell, R.W.; Lutherer, L.O. |
| Title |
Normal and more highly reactive horses. I. Heart rate, respiration rate and behavioral observations |
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Journal Article |
| Year |
1988 |
Publication |
Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
Abbreviated Journal |
Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. |
| Volume |
19 |
Issue |
3-4 |
Pages |
201-214 |
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Thirty-two Quarter horse yearlings were utilized in a split-plot experiment to establish behavioral tendencies for two levels of emotionality; normal and a more highly reactive level of emotionality termed nervous. Four observers who were experienced with horses scored the yearlings on an emotionality scale from 1 to 4, with 1 representing the highly nervous yearlings and 4 representing the quiet yearlings. Emotionality evaluations were based upon the response of the yearlings to a standard regimen of standing in a chute, being identified and being released from the chute. The inter-rater reliability coefficients were 0.90 for the normal yearlings and 0.65 for the nervous yearlings, indicating that the raters agreed less when evaluating the nervous yearlings. Yearling heart rates in the chute were correlated (r = -0.54, P<0.002) with the average emotionality score. Observational data on behavior collected 2 days following the emotionality scoring procedure indicated that the normal yearlings maintained a greater (P<0.001) individual distance than the nervous yearlings. From an activity summary, the normal yearlings spent 10.9% of the time lying down (LD), 79.1% standing (S), 9.6% walking or trotting (WT) and 0.4% of the time cantering or galloping (CG). The nervous yearlings spent 5.7% of the observational periods LD, 79.2% S, 11.7% WT and 3.4% CG. The nervous yearlings tended to have a higher overall activity index level than did the normal yearlings. Results indicate horses of different emotionality levels exhibited different behavioral patterns. |
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0168-1591 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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4818 |
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Bräuer, J.; Call, J.; Tomasello, M. |
| Title |
Visual perspective taking in dogs (Canis familiaris) in the presence of barriers |
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Journal Article |
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2004 |
Publication |
Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
Abbreviated Journal |
Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. |
| Volume |
88 |
Issue |
3-4 |
Pages |
299-317 |
| Keywords |
Dogs; Visual perspective taking; Metacognition |
| Abstract |
Previous studies have shown that dogs have developed a special sensitivity to the communicative signals and attentional states of humans. The aim of the current study was to further investigate what dogs know about the visual perception of humans and themselves. In the first two experiments we investigated whether dogs were sensitive to the properties of barriers as blocking the visual access of humans. We presented dogs with a situation in which a human forbade them to take a piece of food, but the type and orientation of the barrier allowed the dog to take the food undetected in some conditions. Dogs differentiated between effective and ineffective barriers, based on their orientation or the particular features of the barriers such as size or the presence of window. In the third study we investigated whether dogs know about what they themselves have seen. We presented subjects with two boxes and placed food in one of them. In the Seen condition the location of the food was shown to the dogs while in the Unseen condition dogs were prevented from seeing the destination of the food. Before selecting one of the boxes by pressing a lever, dogs had the opportunity to seek extra information regarding the contents of the boxes, which would be particularly useful in the condition in which they had not seen where the food was hidden. Dogs rarely used the opportunity to seek information about the contents of the box before making their choice in any condition. Therefore, we found no evidence suggesting that dogs have access to what they themselves have seen, which contrasts with the positive evidence about visual perspective taking in others from the first two experiments and previous studies. |
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0168-1591 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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4986 |
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Stachurska, A.; Pieta, M.; Ussing, A.P.; Kapron, A.; Kwiecinska, N. |
| Title |
Difficulty of cross-country obstacles for horses competing in Three Day Events |
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Journal Article |
| Year |
2010 |
Publication |
Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
Abbreviated Journal |
Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. |
| Volume |
123 |
Issue |
3-4 |
Pages |
101-107 |
| Keywords |
Cross-country; Obstacles; Eventing horse; Behaviour |
| Abstract |
The objective of the study was to determine which cross-country obstacles are more difficult for eventing horses. Jumping scores were considered in terms of the horse's reaction to novelty and to the fearfulness of novel objects which are the fences situated in novel terrain. The data concerned 11 classes of One to Four Star level (stars showing the difficulty of the class) held at the Olympic Games and three international Three Day Events. A total of 400 entries, in which 259 horses jumped 372 obstacles were considered. Scores of 11,341 jumps at particular fences were categorized either as faulty jumps or non-faulty jumps. Factors describing the fences versus the jumping scores were studied with least square analysis of variance, with respect to the interaction between the star level and the fence traits. The overall frequency of faults at the cross-country amounted to 4.33 ± 0.57%. Among the effects analyzed, the difficulty of cross-country fences for the horses depends upon whether an obstacle is single or is an element of a combination, whether it is straight or requiring an effort in both height and spread, is broad or narrow, has a solid top or a brush, has an alternative or not and whether it is a water crossing or not. At One Star level, the less experienced horses react differently to certain fence traits compared to horses participating in Three or Four Star levels. It is concluded that the equine visionary system, being less developed towards identification of stationary objects than the human visionary system may be a key towards explaining the horse's behaviour while jumping the obstacle. The height-spread obstacles, those of the narrow front, with the brush and with the alternative seem to involve more faults because of the equine low-acuity vision. The same reason may justify the similar frequency of faults at the single obstacles and the first elements in combinations. Accurate methods of measuring equine vision would complement behavioural tests and should both be introduced into the selection of eventing horses. |
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0168-1591 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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5076 |
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Hartmann, E.; Christensen, J.W.; Keeling, L.J. |
| Title |
Social interactions of unfamiliar horses during paired encounters: Effect of pre-exposure on aggression level and so risk of injury |
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Journal Article |
| Year |
2009 |
Publication |
Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
Abbreviated Journal |
Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. |
| Volume |
121 |
Issue |
3-4 |
Pages |
214-221 |
| Keywords |
Equine; Behaviour; Welfare; Mixing; Housing; Wounds |
| Abstract |
Group housing of horses is not widely applied in practice despite the welfare advantages of keeping animals socially rather than individually. In particular, concerns have been raised about the possible increased risk of injury and how to introduce a new horse into an established group. This study investigated two hypotheses: (1) pre-exposure of young horses in neighbouring boxes reduces the frequency of aggressive interactions when the same horses are subsequently put together in a paddock compared to horses without this previous box experience, (2) the occurrence of aggressive behaviour, in particular contact aggression in the paddock can be predicted after observing the horses' social interactions in neighbouring boxes. Danish Warmblood mares (n = 20), 2 years old, were kept in two groups of 10 horses. In total, 60 encounters were arranged whereby each horse was confronted pair-wise with six horses from the other group, three according to each treatment: treatment I--box (B) and subsequent paddock meeting (BP), and treatment II--only paddock meeting (P). Horses met in neighbouring boxes for 5 min and together in the same paddock for 10 min. The frequencies of aggressive and non-aggressive interactions were analysed from video recordings. Total aggression levels between BP and P did not differ, but [`]contact aggression', i.e. bite, kick, strike, push, tended to be lower in BP compared to P (median BP = 1, P = 2; p = 0.083) and there were less bites in BP than P (median BP = 0, P = 1; p = 0.050). Frequencies of [`]non-aggressive' interactions, e.g. friendly approach, nasal sniff, were lower in BP than P (median BP = 2.5, P = 10; p < 0.01). Results further revealed that [`]bite threat' performed in boxes correlated with [`]contact aggression' in the paddock (r = 0.46, p = 0.011). In conclusion, pre-exposure of young horses in neighbouring boxes may reduce [`]contact aggression', especially biting, in the paddock and [`]bite threat' shown in boxes may help to predict contact aggression when horses are later turned out together. The reduced non-aggressive interactions in the paddock in the BP test were probably a consequence of horses having exchanged these behaviours in the preceding B test. Exposing young horses in boxes next to each other may be a helpful tool before mixing them because horses meet in a safe environment that could assist in reducing the type of aggression where horses are most at risk of being injured. |
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0168-1591 |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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5089 |
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Edouard, N.; Fleurance, G.; Dumont, B.; Baumont, R.; Duncan, P. |
| Title |
Does sward height affect feeding patch choice and voluntary intake in horses? |
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Journal Article |
| Year |
2009 |
Publication |
Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
Abbreviated Journal |
Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. |
| Volume |
119 |
Issue |
3-4 |
Pages |
219-228 |
| Keywords |
Patch selection; Intake; Sward height; Horse; Pasture |
| Abstract |
The numbers of horses grazing at pasture are increasing in developed countries, so a proper understanding of their feeding selectivity and of the tactics they use for extracting nutrients from swards is essential for the management of horses and grasslands. Resource acquisition in herbivores can be optimised through the modulation of their intake and patch selection, both being strongly dependent on the characteristics of swards. However, the principles by which horses adjust their grazing behaviour in response to variations in sward features are not completely understood. The aim of this study was to determine whether the behaviour of horses conforms to optimal foraging models. We hypothesized that, faced with binary choices between vegetative swards of a good and similar quality at three different heights, horses would select the taller sward, i.e. that allowing a higher reward in terms of dry matter intake rate. Three groups of three 2-year-old saddle horses were grazed on a semi-natural pasture that was managed to produce three contrasting sward heights at 6, 11 and 17 cm, in a Latin-square design. The instantaneous intake rate was determined from bite rate measured at pasture on the three sward heights, and bite mass estimated from measurements using swards offered indoors in experimental trays. Daily dry matter intake was estimated individually by total faecal collection and an estimation of digestibility from faecal nitrogen. Short-term (first 30 min) and daily preferences were assessed from the time spent grazing each sward offered in pair-wise tests at pasture. The results show that daily voluntary intake (an average of 21 g DM kg LW-1 day-1) and total grazing time (an average of 14 h day-1) were independent of sward height and of the choice of patches offered. In choice situations, the animals spent more time grazing on the taller sward, both during the first 30 min and at the daily scale. These results show that horses choose between vegetative patches of a good and similar quality according to the predictions from optimal foraging models, and select the one that they can ingest faster. Further research will now have to explore how the horses will adapt their feeding behaviour when they face a trade-off between sward height and quality. |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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5094 |
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Schweitzer, C.; Arnould, C. |
| Title |
Emotional reactivity of Japanese quail chicks with high or low social motivation reared under unstable social conditions |
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Journal Article |
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2010 |
Publication |
Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
Abbreviated Journal |
Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. |
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125 |
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3-4 |
Pages |
143-150 |
| Keywords |
Emotional reactivity; Quail; Emotions; Fear; Social behaviour |
| Abstract |
Repeated encounters with unfamiliar conspecifics in large groups of domestic birds create a potentially stressful social environment which can affect the birds' emotional reactivity and consequently their welfare. As social relationships between young quail are particularly influenced by their social motivation (i.e., the motivation to seek close proximity with conspecifics), it is likely that the reaction of quail to repeated encounters with strangers depends on their social motivation. The aim of this study was to assess the emotional reactivity of quail chicks with high (HSR) or low (LSR) social motivation housed under stable and unstable social conditions. Quail chicks were housed either in stable pairs, i.e. remaining with the same cagemate until testing (NHSR = 19 and NLSR = 18 pairs), or in unstable pairs, i.e. changing cagemate daily from 6 to 13 days of age (NHSR = 20 and NLSR = 19 pairs). Emotional reactivity was measured using a novel object test on day 14, and an emergence test and a tonic immobility test on day 15. The social condition affected the number of induction attempts of quail chicks in the tonic immobility test but only in the LSR ones. This number of inductions was lower under the stable than under the unstable social condition in this line. Moreover, the HSR chicks showed greater disturbance than the LSR ones in the three behavioural tests. In conclusion, social instability did not affect the emotional reactivity of HSR quail chicks, which was high, regardless of social condition. In contrast, repeated cagemate changes seemed to decrease the emotional reactivity of LSR quail chicks. These results suggest that low social motivation makes easier the adaptation to the potential social instability encountered in large flocks. |
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Approved |
no |
| Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
5132 |
| Permanent link to this record |
