Abstract: Darwin’s claim of differences in mental abilities between man and other animals is a matter of degree rather than of kind and appears to apply nicely to a comparison of choice behaviour in humans and equine. Humans and horses make two kinds of decisions, fast reflexive decisions based on heuristics, and slower more considered decisions that require more complex cognitive processing. Heuristic use is adaptive in that decisions based on them are most often useful in helping an organism to survive while requiring little time and cognitive effort. There is considerable evidence that there is an innate basis to many heuristics in humans as well as horses. A case will be made that the investigation of heuristics specific to horses will lead to an understanding of equine behaviour that has not been possible using traditional learning theories alone. Traditional learning theories are restricted in explaining behaviour to appeals to reinforcement regimes or to the formation of associations between novel stimuli and stimuli that cause innate reflexes, but they are of no use when behaviour is controlled by stimuli that have never been reinforced or been systematically paired with other stimuli that cause reflexive responses. For example, a horse in a two-choice discrimination task may choose a familiar stimulus which has never been reinforced over a new stimulus added to the discrimination task, simply due to the use of an heuristic that usually works -- when in doubt, choose a more familiar object over an unfamiliar one. Conflict resolution strategies provide another good example of heuristic vs. slow decision making. In both humans and horses, conflict resolution strategies are used within, but not typically between social groups. Such groups can be defined as community of interest. Depending on the resource that has to be defended, groups may well be small identities, such as human families or horse harems, or large aggregations such as herds in horses, or religious groups or nations in humans. Fast and simple resolution is possible with stable social identities in simple environments, but more complicated and time consuming deliberative processes are required to resolve conflict over long-term resource acquisition, for decisions in complex conflicts situations and complex social settings.

Abstract: Like many other herbivores equids feed on rather evenly distributed resources. Especially in ruminants several studies have proved the influence of social organisations, rank, sex and the depletion of feeding sites on the feeding behaviour of individuals. However, it is not yet understood whether social aspects affect horses´ feeding decisions. Horses roam on vast habitats with constantly changing vegetation. In non-competitive situations domestic horses tend to return to the same feeding site until it is overgrazed. Whereas, for competition over limited food the social status of the individuals appears to be important. Curiosity about the influence of social rank and different social feeding conditions on the horses´ feeding decisions between two buckets, equally filled with high-quality surplus food, led us to create the test situation described here. The observer horses were alternately tested with a dominant and a subordinate demonstrator placed in one of three different positions. We conclude that domestic horses use cognitive strategic decision making in order to decide where to feed in a social feeding situation. When possible they tend to return to the same, continuously supplied feeding site and switch to an “avoidance tendency” when another horse is already feeding from it or in the presence of a dominant horse. Thus the position and the social rank of conspecifics affect the feeding strategy of horses.

Abstract: Verhaltensbeobachtungen erfolgten an 112 Pferden in Mehrraum-Außenlaufställen mit Auslauf und Bewegungsställen. Bei vermehrtem Platzangebot sinkt das agonistische Verhalten in Bewegungsställen außerhalb des Fressbereiches. Mit zunehmender Stallgröße (überdachte Fläche und Auslauf) steigt in beiden Haltungsverfahren das affiliative Verhalten während das agonistische Verhalten mit Verletzungsrisiko sinkt. Daher wird für beide Haltungsverfahren ein möglichst großzügiger Stall je Pferd empfohlen. Die beobachteten Erkrankungen der letzten zwölf Monate zeigen vermehrt Hautkrankheiten in den Mehrraum-Außenlaufställen mit Auslauf, wohingegen Hufgeschwüre in Bewegungsställen auftraten. Wird der Fütterungsaspekt in den Bewegungsställen betrachtet, so ist die Transponderfütterung in Kombination mit ad libitum Fütterung aufgrund des deutlich geringeren, agonistischen Verhaltens beim Fressen, der reinen Transponderfütterung vorzuziehen. Mehrraum-Außenlaufställe mit Auslauf haben den Vorteil der synchronen Nahrungsaufnahme.
[The behaviour of 112 horses was observed in open stables and open active stables. Horses show less agonistic behaviour outside of the feeding area in open active stables as the space for each horse is augmented. Also the affiliative behaviour increases as a function of more space per horse while agonistic behaviour with a risk for injury decreases. These results are independent from the husbandry system. Due to this fact a stable with a larger area per horse is recommended. Diseases of the last twelve month were recorded and show skin diseases in open stables and abscesses in the hooves in open active stables. To consider the feeding in open active stables it was found that horses which were fed with hay controlled by transponders showed more agonistic behaviour in contrast to horses being fed using transponders but with access to hay ad libitum. Thus transponder feeding in combination with ad libitum feeding is recommended. Open stables have the advantage of synchronized feeding.]