Campitelli, S., Carenzi, C., & Verga, M. (1982). Factors which influence parturition in the mare and development of the foal. Appl. Animal. Ethol., 9(1), 7–14.
Abstract: Observations are reported of 127 foals born to 127 mares. In particular, comparisons are made between the mare's tendency to foal at night, the length of gestation, the weight of the foal and the weight of the foetal membrane, the time taken by the foal to attain a standing position and the time taken by the mare to expel the foetal membrane and the age of the mare and the season.
The new facts that emerge from the results are: (a) foals from middle-aged (6–11 years) mares are heavier; (b) variations of gestation length are related to the month of conception (just a trend, not a statistically significant result); (c) time for the foal to stand is related to the foal sex (females: 56.3 minutes; males 70.6 minutes, on average), and to the time taken by the mare to expel the foetal membrane; (d) parturitions take place mainly (80%) during the hours of darkness. In spring, the percentage of night births (85%) is higher than in winter (78%).
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Minero, M., Canali, E., Ferrante, V., Verga, M., & Odberg, F. O. (1999). Heart rate and behavioural responses of crib-biting horses to two acute stressors. Vet. Rec., 145(15), 430–433.
Abstract: The heart rate and behaviour of 14 adult saddle horses, eight crib-biters and six normal controls, were investigated. Initially, the relationship between crib-biting and heart rate was investigated while the horses were undisturbed. The horses were tested when restrained with a lip twitch, and assessed when they were exposed suddenly to the rapid inflation of a balloon. The heart rate of the crib-biters during crib-biting was lower than during other behaviours. The crib-biters had a higher overall mean heart rate (P<0.05) suggesting that they may have had a higher basal sympathetic activity. After the application of the twitch, all the horses had a transient increase in heart rate which returned to basal values more rapidly in the crib-biters. The crib-biters were less reactive to the lip twitch, five of the six investigated remaining calm, and after the release of the twitch, they spent more time nibbling (P<0.05) than the control horses. The crib-biters reacted more strongly to the inflation of the balloon (three of the six reacted), and after it had been inflated they spent more time walking in the box.
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