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Moehlman, P. D. (1998). Feral asses (Equus africanus): intraspecific variation in social organization in arid and mesic habitats. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., 60(2-3), 171–195.
Abstract: Feral asses have been studied in the arid habitats of the southwestern United States [Moehlman, P.D., 1974. Behavior and ecology of feral asses (Equus asinus). PhD dissertation, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 251 pp.; Moehlman, P.D., 1979. Behavior and ecology of feral asses (Equus asinus). Nat. Geogr. Soc. Res. Reports 1970, 405-411.; Woodward, S.L., 1979. The social system of feral asses (Equus asinus). Z. Tierpsychol. 49, 304-316] and in the mesic habitat of Ossabaw Island, Georgia [Moehlman, P.D., 1979, ibid; McCort, W.D., 1980. The feral asses (Equus asinus) of Ossabaw Island, Georgia. PhD dissertation, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, 219 pp]. The feral ass populations in these two locales exhibited intraspecific variation in polygynous mating systems and social organization which were consistent with the ecological classification of mating systems of Emlen and Oring (1977) [Emlen, S.T., Oring, S.W., 1977. Ecology, sexual selection, and the evolution of mating systems. Science 197 (4300), 215-223]. Feral asses in the arid environment have a `resource defense' polygynous mating system, and those in the mesic habitat exhibit `female (harem) defense' polygyny. The intraspecific variation observed in feral asses encompasses the interspecific variation observed in the family Equidae.
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Moehlman, P. D., Fowler, L. E., & Roe, J. H. (1998). Feral asses (Equus africanus) of Volcano Alcedo, Galapagos: behavioral ecology, spatial distribution, and social organization. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., 60(2-3), 197–210.
Abstract: Feral asses were studied on Volcano Alcedo, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, during the wet season of 1980. On the volcano rim during March/April, two stable groups were observed to have a `female (harem) defense' polygynous mating system [Emlen, S.T., Oring, S.W., 1977. Ecology, sexual selection, and the evolution of mating systems. Science 197 (4300), pp. 215-223] and social behavior patterns and feeding ecology similar to feral asses living in a habitat where forage and climate are similar, e.g., Ossabaw Island, Georgia [Moehlman, P.D., 1979. Behavior and ecology of feral asses (Equus asinus). Nat. Geogr. Soc. Res. Rep., 1970, pp. 405-411; Moehlman, P.D., 1997. Feral asses (Equus africanus): intraspecific variation in social organization in arid and mesic habitats. J. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., this issue; McCort, W.D., 1980. The feral asses (Equus asinus) of Ossabaw Island, Georgia., PhD Dissertation, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, 219 pp.].
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Moehlman, P. D., Kebede, F., & Yohannes, H. (1998). The African wild ass (Equus africanus): conservation status in the horn of Africa. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., 60(2-3), 115–124.
Abstract: From 1989 to 1996, surveys were made in most of the historic range of African wild asses in Somalia, Ethiopia, and Eritrea. From the 1970s to the mid 1990s populations of African wild asses (Equus africanus, Fitzinger, 1857) in Somalia and Ethiopia have declined from approximately 6 to 30 per 100 km2 to 1 or 2 per 100 km2. Given the current IUCN criteria, they are Critically Endangered (CR) and face extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future, as their populations have been reduced by at least 80% over the last 10+ years (IUCN, 1994). Basic research is needed on this species as scientific information on its reproductive biology, behavior, ecology, and genetics is very limited. Improved support needs to be provided to existing parks and reserves and new multiple use reserves need to be established.
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Momozawa, Y., Kusunose, R., Kikusui, T., Takeuchi, Y., & Mori, Y. (2005). Assessment of equine temperament questionnaire by comparing factor structure between two separate surveys. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., 92(1-2), 77–84.
Abstract: To establish a method for assessing equine temperament by use of a questionnaire, we carried out two surveys. The subject animals were all thoroughbreds maintained at the same farm. Respondents were the primary caretaker and two colleagues working with each horse. Factor analysis was performed on the responses to each survey. In both surveys, five factors were extracted and four of them were common between the two surveys. The common factors were [`]Anxiety', [`]Trainability', [`]Affability', and [`]Gate entrance'. There were sufficient internal consistencies in responses about [`]Anxiety', [`]Trainability', and [`]Affability' in the two surveys to indicate the validity of this questionnaire in evaluating these factors in equine temperament.
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Momozawa, Y., Ono, T., Sato, F., Kikusui, T., Takeuchi, Y., Mori, Y., et al. (2003). Assessment of equine temperament by a questionnaire survey to caretakers and evaluation of its reliability by simultaneous behavior test. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., 84(2), 127–138.
Abstract: We carried out a questionnaire survey of the caretakers, using 86 riding horses kept in the Equestrian Park, Tokyo (Japan Racing Association). The questionnaire survey used a 5-point scale and a 3-point scale to assess several caretakers' impressions of each horse's temperament, on the basis of the norm and the horse's tendencies in ordinary care and daily training. Factor analysis of the temperament scores obtained with the 5-point scale questionnaire revealed three mutually independent factors that we named “anxiety”, “novelty seeking” and “understanding”. In order to verify the reliability of this questionnaire survey, a balloon reactivity test was conducted using the same horses. Each horse was introduced into an unfamiliar indoor arena (7 mx12.5 mx3 m) in the center of which two balloons slowly revolved. The horses' responses were assessed by recording changes in their behavior and heart rate (HR) during the 5 min experimental period. By comparing the questionnaire survey and the balloon reactivity test, it was found that the horses evaluated as highly anxious by the caretakers tended to show greater HR increases and defecate more often during exposure to the balloon stimuli than did the other horses. Additionally, the horses assessed by caretakers to have problems with ordinary care and/or training showed greater increases of HR and frequency of defecation in the balloon reactivity test, and the horses assessed as having `a long adaptation time to unfamiliar objects' were found to be unwilling to touch the balloons. Thus, the horses' behavior during the balloon reactivity test was highly consistent with their temperament as determined by the questionnaire. These results suggest that the questionnaire survey would be an effective means to assess equine temperamental traits, especially those related to anxiety.
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Motch, S. M., Harpster, H. W., Ralston, S., Ostiguy, N., & Diehl, N. K. (2007). A note on yearling horse ingestive and agonistic behaviours in three concentrate feeding systems. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., 106(1-3), 167–172.
Abstract: The objective of this study was to compare behaviours of yearling horses fed concentrates under each of three management systems. Over two consecutive years, 16 yearling horses (n = 8/year; 4 fillies, 4 geldings, full siblings between years) were observed over a 60-day trial period/year at 15:30 h each day. The experimental design consisted of three factors (sex, feeder type, and year); repeated measures on feeder type: tire feeders (control system), individual tub feeders, and manger feeders. Frequency of agonistic interaction was affected by feeder type and sex. Fillies performed more than three times the total number of agonistic behaviours per feeding session as geldings. In both years, horses spent the most time eating and had the fewest agonistic interactions when fed in tire feeders.
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Munksgaard, L., DePassillé, A. M., Rushen, J., Herskin, M. S., & Kristensen, A. M. (2001). Dairy cows' fear of people: social learning, milk yield and behaviour at milking. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., 73(1), 15–26.
Abstract: We examined the effects of the presence of an unfamiliar, a gentle or an aversive handler during milking on behaviour and milk yield, and whether cows can learn to approach or avoid a handler by observing the neighbouring cow?s responses. In Experiment 1, Danish Friesian cows (n=16) were treated gently (offering hay and concentrates) by one handler and aversively (hit every 15s on the head with the hand) by another handler for six periods of 2min each. The two handlers wore different coloured overalls, and each cow received either gentle or aversive treatment in the first week and the other treatment the following week. All cows kept a longer distance to the aversive than to the gentle handler in a 1min test after treatment. Milk yield and residual milk did not differ when the aversive or the gentle handler was standing in front of the cow during milking, although the cows moved their legs and tail less when the aversive handler was present. When an unfamiliar person was standing in front of the cows during milking, behaviour and milk yield did not differ from control milkings. Cows and heifers (n=10) that had observed their neighbours receiving gentle treatment by one handler and aversive treatment from another handler did not differ in the distance they kept from these two handlers. In Experiment 2, cows (n=15) that had observed the neighbours receiving a gentle treatment (eight times for 2min) kept a shorter distance to that handler after treatment of their neighbours, and the distance they kept was correlated with the distance kept by the neighbouring cows. This suggests that responses of observer cows may be affected by the responses of the cows being treated. The cows rapidly learned to avoid an aversive handler, but although the cows showed clear avoidance response to the aversive handler there was no effect on milk yield when the aversive handler was present at milking.
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Murphy, J., Sutherland, A., & Arkins, S. (2005). Idiosyncratic motor laterality in the horse. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., 91(3-4), 297–310.
Abstract: Idiosyncratic motor behaviour was investigated during four experimental procedures in 40 horses (males = 20, females = 20) to establish if horses revealed evidence of significant right or left laterality. The experimental procedures included (1) detection of the preferred foreleg to initiate movement (walk or trot), (2) obstacle avoidance within a passageway (right or left), (3) obstacle avoidance when ridden and (4) idiosyncratic motor bias when rolling. The influence of the horses' sex on both the direction and the degree of the laterality was explored within and between experimental procedures. The findings showed that the direction, but not the degree of idiosyncratic motor preference in the horses was strongly sex-related. Male horses exhibited significantly more (t = 3.74, d.f. = 79, P < 0.001) left lateralised responses and female horses exhibited significantly more (t = -6.35, d.f. = 79, P < 0.01) right lateralised responses. There was also significant positive correlation (P < 0.05) between four of six possible inter-experimental relationships. The results suggest two discrete trends of laterality associated with the sex of the horse. The primary cause of idiosyncratic motor laterality may be genetically predetermined, influenced by environmental factors or a combination of these two and the current findings may support the development of sex-specific training schedules for the horse. Further, work in this area might assist in defining the mechanisms of brain hemisphere lateralisation and allocation of cognitive function in the horse.
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Murphy, J., Waldmann, T., & Arkins, S. (2004). Sex differences in equine learning skills and visuo-spatial ability. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., 87(1-2), 119–130.
Abstract: There is evidence of superior visuo-spatial ability in males compared to females in most species investigated to-date. However, no known studies have addressed this issue in the equine. Equine visuo-spatial ability was investigated using a novel test apparatus with a sample of 62 horses (males=34 and females=28) during a series of six tests, where the horses were required to access a food source. The test apparatus consisted of a series of four adjacent stalls, each of which had a feed bin and a moveable barrier. The test apparatus was designed such that the breastplate barriers controlled and limited access by the horses to feed bins in all but one stall during each test. Male horses performed such that there were significant differences (P<0.05) in the ability of the subjects to complete all six tests in a mean time of 30 s or less per test. There were significant differences in mean completion times for male subjects between test 1 and test 2 (P<0.05), test 1 and test 3 (P<0.001), test 1 and test 4 (P<0.05) and test 1 and test 5 (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in mean completion times between any of the six tests for female subjects. Males had a lower mean total number of errors during all tests. Male horses also successfully completed significantly more tests than females (P<0.05). These results provide the first behavioural demonstration of superior visuo-spatial ability in male horses, similar to that reported in other species.
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Murray, L. M. A., Byrne, K., & D’Eath, R. B. (2013). Pair-bonding and companion recognition in domestic donkeys, <em>Equus asinus</em>. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., 143(1), 67–74.
Abstract: Pair and social bonding has been documented in various taxa, where pair formations are often described as being driven by kinship or sexual motivation. However, pair-bonding between unrelated individuals where sexual motivation is not a factor is not well documented. Many social relationships and pair-bonds between members of a dyad are facilitated by each individual's ability to recognise their partner using cues which are characteristic of that particular individual. The aims of this study were i) to investigate the existence of pair-bonding in domestic donkeys and ii) to determine whether members of a dyad could recognise their companion during a Y-maze recognition test. Subjects were 55 unrelated donkeys (38 gelded males, 15 females) in seven groups of mixed or same sex, comprising 4?14 individuals. Spatial proximity (nearest-neighbour) was observed three times a day over a 22-day period. Using a simulation approach based on observed data to generate randomised nearest-neighbour matrices, the statistical significance of social relationships was estimated. Of these, 42 (79.2%) were involved in significantly (p<0.05) non-random nearest-neighbour relationships, most of which were reciprocal pair relationships. Based on the spatial data, 24 of the donkeys which had shown significant reciprocal nearest-neighbour preferences for one individual (companion) were then used in a Y-maze recognition test in which they were presented with a choice of their companion and either a familiar donkey from the same group or an unfamiliar donkey from a different group. Donkeys? spatial location in the Y-maze demonstrated a preference for their companion versus familiar (one sample Wilcoxon signed rank test, W=239, p=0.002) or unfamiliar donkeys (W=222, p=0.041). These results verify anecdotal evidence from donkey handlers that donkeys often form pair-bonds, and show that reciprocal social preference and recognition are the basis of these. Pair-bond formation and companionship among donkeys have potential implications for their management, husbandry and welfare.
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