Transcript Equine Behavior

Equine Behavior
What Affects Behavior?
Environment
 Experiences
 Diet
 Exercise
 Stress
Genetics
 Gender
 Type
 Breed
 Family
group
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Smell
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Identify other horses
Mating
Locate water, feed
Vomeronasal organ
Pheromones
Ears & Hearing
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Detect sounds
Determine location of
sound
To provide sensory
information
Hear in range 14 Hz to 25
kHz (humans 20 Hz to 20
kHz)
Auricle – 180o rotation
Ear position generally
relates to visual attention
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Touch
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Responsive to pain,
pressure, cold and
heat
Sensitive areas
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Eyes, ears and nose
Withers, ribs, flanks
and legs
Suffers fatigue
VISION
Monocular field
Up to 215o
Binocular field
60-70o
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Primary detector of danger
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Acute ability to detect
movement
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Monocular & Binocular vision
Marginal zone
Monocular field
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Monocular field of vision:
215o for each eye
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Binocular field of vision:
60o-70o
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Often raise head to observe
close objects
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Lower head to observe faraway
objects
Visual Signs
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Ears
Tail
Mouth & lips
Eyes
Nostrils
Horse Behavior
Social Organization
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Harem groups –
Domestic horses,
Przewalski horse & some
zebra
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Territorial breedersDonkeys & some zebras
Social Organization
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Harem
Family
Mares
Stallion
Bachelor Group
Ten Natural Survival Traits
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Depends on flight as its
primary means of survival
One of the most perceptive
of all domestic animals
Very fast response time
Can be desensitized from
frightening stimuli
Horses forgive, but do not
forget
Ten Natural Survival Traits
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Horses categorize
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A) something not to fear, so ignore or
explore
B) Something to fear, so flee
Horses are easily dominated
Horses exert dominance by
controlling the movement of their
peers. Horse accept dominance when:
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We or another animal cause them to move
when they prefer not to
We or another animal inhibit movement
when they want to flee
Ten Natural Survival Traits
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The body language of a horse is unique to the
equine species
Horse is a precocial species (newborn foals are
neurologically mature at birth)
Types of Horse
Behavior
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Ingestive behavior
Eliminative behavior
Epimeletic behavior Care-giving & careseeking behavior
Types of Horse Behavior
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Sexual
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Polygamous
One offspring
Seasonal Breeders
Fetal behavior
Parturient behavior
Horse Behavior
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Self-care behavior
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Autogroom
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Mutual Groom
Homeostatic influences
Grooming
Rest
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Awake 80%
Drowsiness 8%
Sleep 12%
Types of Horse Behavior
Investigative Behavior
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Play behavior
Exploratory behavior
Types of Horse Behavior
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Allelomimetic Behavior
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Mimicry
Types of Horse Behavior
Agonistic Behavior
Types of Horse Behavior
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Dominance/Submission
(Social Order)
Horse Behavior
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Spacing
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Individual distance
Group distance
Social distance
Flight distance
Home range
Territorial
Activity
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Diurnal
Travel up to 16 km/d (10
mile/d)
Home range, can be up
to 1000 ha.(2500 acres)
Range: 0.8-303 sq. km
(0.5-188 sq. mile)
Average Time Budgets For
Horses
10%
10%
20%
60%
Eat
Stand
Lie
Other
Behavioral Considerations in
Equine Handling
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HERD INSTINCT
HOMING INSTINCT
FLIGHT
DOMINANCE
HEIREACHY
TERRITORIAL
BEHAVIOR
SELF-DEFENSE
HABIT
Stress
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Good Stress – The
stressful condition in
which the horse can find
a solution that will relieve
the stress
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Harmful Stress – A
stressful condition in
which there is no
possible solution or
escape.
Responses To Harmful Stress
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Habituate
Develop abnormal behavior
Permanent fear memory
Equine Stereotypes
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Oral
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Cribbing
Tongue movements
Lip movements
Equine Stereotypes
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Locomotion
 Head movements
(bobbing, tossing,
shaking, swinging,
nodding)
 Throat rubbing
 Pacing
 Weaving
 Fence or stall walking
Equine Stereotypes
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Locomotion
 Circling
 Stomping
 Kicking
 Pawing
 Digging
 Tail rubbing
Equine Stereotypes
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Self-Mutilation
 Self-biting (flank, chest, shoulder)
 Wall-kicking
 Lunging into objects
EQUINE VICES
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AGGRESSIVE VICES
 Biting
 Charging
 Crowding
 Rearing
 Kicking
 Striking
 Fighting
EQUINE VICES
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METABOLIC VICES
 Coprophagy or dirt eating
 Cribbing
 Mane and tail chewing
 Wood chewing