Abstract: Draft mares and their mule foals were observed from the day of birth to Week 17 of each foal's life. The rate of nursing was recorded and the duration of nursing activity to the nearest second. The rate at which foals engaged in nursing activity varied at each age. The duration of nursing bouts varied slightly as the foals matured. Aggression was recorded during both nursing and non-nursing activity for both the mares and foals. Maternal aggression was highest during nursing activity, especially during the pre-nurse nuzzling period. Maternal aggression increased as the foals matured. Mother-directed foal aggression was primarily in response to maternal aggression. Spatial relationships between each focal dyad were recorded when the foals were upright, not nursing and when they were recumbent. Spatial relationships differed based on the foal's state. The activity in which the mare engaged while her foal was recumbent was recorded. The movements of the mares were also recorded during foal recumbency. Mares approached or maintained their distance from their recumbent foal more than they left their recumbent foal in all weeks of the study, except Week 2.

Abstract: The structure of the play of colts and fillies living on pasture was studied from birth (n = 15) for up to 24 weeks. Foal play was categorized as running and bucking alone, running and bucking in a group, interactive (contact or combat) play, play with an object, and play at an adult. The rate of play decreased with increasing age and ambient temperature. Fillies and colts played with equal frequency, but engaged in some different types of play at different rates. There was no difference between colts and fillies in the proportion of play bouts of running and bucking in a group or playing with an object. Fillies engaged in running and bucking alone more than colts. Colts engaged in interactive play and play at an adult more than fillies. While there was no significant difference between colts and fillies in the duration of either type of running and bucking play, the interactive play bouts of colts were significantly longer than those of fillies. Both mares and stallions were tolerant of foal play which involved use of their body as a play object, including mounting play. Both fillies and colts engaged in mounting play. Foals used various natural objects found in the pasture for repeated bouts of play with inanimate objects, a behaviour which may explain, from a developmental perspective, the occasional use of “tools” in adult equids. The sex differences in type of play were consistent with the social structure of unmanaged adults in which males must compete with each other in order to associate with females.

Abstract: A 3-year study was carried out on the developmental behavior of foals from birth to 24 weeks of age and the behavior of mares living with foals. Mutual-grooming partners of foals were primarily other foals. The peak frequency of mutual grooming occurred during Weeks 9-12, when fillies mutual-groomed 1.6 times h-1 and colts mutual-groomed 0.9 times h-1. Fillies mutual-groomed more frequently than colts (P < 0.025). Fillies mutual-groomed randomly with colts and other fillies (P < 0.05), whereas colts mutual-groomed almost exclusively with fillies (P = 0.03). At all ages studied, if a foal's nearest neighbor was not its mother, it was more likely to be another foal than would be expected if the foal was associating randomly with non-mother ponies. Fillies were more likely than expected to have a filly rather than a colt as their nearest neighbor (P = 0.01). Thus, during their first few months of life, the foals studied exhibited patterns of behavior which were consistent with the development of the usual social milieu of unmanaged adults, in which several mares form a cohesive herd with one or more stallions associating with them.

Abstract: For the past decade, the Washington Park Zoo, Portland, Oregon, has had an active behavioral research program. The research department is both a zoo-supported research facility for visiting researchers and staff, and an educational facility that teaches practical behavioral research methods to undergraduates. The research education program utilizes students from any of a dozen local colleges and universities. Students receive academic credit for their participation. Active keeper-participation plays a major role in many research projects. Not only does keeper-cooperation facilitate research, but their knowledge of the individual animals often proves invaluable. In addition to involvement in student projects, keepers have also conducted their own research projects.

Abstract: In contrast to horses in pastures, it is thought that free-ranging horses do not perform latrine behaviour, i.e. a behavioural pattern whereby the animals graze and defecate in separate areas. However, few studies deal with this particular subject, reporting contrasting conclusions. We hypothesize that horses free-ranging in large heterogeneous areas do not perform latrine behaviour. Thus, we believe that grazing and elimination behaviour are spatially related: where horses graze, they will also defecate. Behavioural data were collected from Konik horses, Haflinger horses, Shetland ponies and donkeys, grazing in different nature reserves (54-80 ha). Data for the different equids were analyzed separately, as well as data for mares and stallions (Konik and donkey stallions only). We investigated the proportion of the number of defecations/urinations while grazing on the total number of defecations/urinations; furthermore, we searched for the sequence of behaviours representing latrine behaviour in the strict sense. Additionally, we analyzed the correlation between grazing behaviour and eliminative behaviour on both vegetation type level and patch level. All the female equids often continued grazing while defecating. During urination, grazing ceases in the majority of instances. Cases where a mare terminated grazing in a certain vegetation type and sward height to eliminate in another vegetation type or in another sward height within the same vegetation type were rarely observed. On the vegetation type level as well as on the patch level, there was a highly significant (P<0.001) positive correlation between grazing time and number of eliminations (or eliminating time). The high values of the correlation coefficients (in case of the defecation variables r ranges between 0.553 and 0.955; in case of the urination variables r ranges between 0.370 and 0.839) illustrate that the spatial distribution of the eliminative behaviour can be explained to a high degree by the spatial distribution of the grazing behaviour. Results in the case of the stallions are preliminary, but indicate the same pattern. Horses, free-ranging in large heterogeneous areas, do not perform latrine behaviour, but defecate where they graze. Possibly, animal density is of major importance to explain this behavioural difference with horses in pastures. We suggest that also spatial vegetation heterogeneity and plant productivity of the grazed area, as well as parasite status of the grazing animals could play a role.