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Equine Behavior
What Affects Behavior?
Environment
Experiences
Diet
Exercise
Stress
Genetics
Gender
Type
Breed
Family
group
Smell Identify other horses
Mating
Locate water, feed
Vomeronasal organ
Pheromones
Ears & Hearing
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
Touch
Responsive to pain,
pressure, cold and
heat
Sensitive areas
Eyes, ears and nose
Withers, ribs, flanks
and legs
Suffers fatigue
VISION
Primary detector of danger
Acute ability to detect movement
Monocular & Binocular vision
Monocular field of vision: 215o for each eye
Binocular field of vision: 60o-70o
Often raise head to observe close objects
Lower head to observe faraway objects
Monocular field
Up to 215o
Monocular field
Binocular field
60-70o
Marginal zone
Visual Signs
Ears
Tail
Mouth & lips
Eyes
Nostrils
Horse Behavior
Social Organization Harem groups –
Domestic horses,
Przewalski horse & some
zebra
Territorial breeders-
Donkeys & some zebras
Social Organization
Harem
Family
Mares
Stallion
Bachelor Group
Ten Natural Survival Traits
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
Horses categorize 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: 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
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
Ingestive behavior
Eliminative behavior
Epimeletic behavior -
Care-giving & care-
seeking behavior
Types of Horse Behavior
Sexual
Polygamous
One offspring
Seasonal Breeders
Fetal behavior
Parturient behavior
Horse Behavior
Self-care behavior
Homeostatic influences
Grooming
Rest
Awake 80%
Drowsiness 8%
Sleep 12%
Autogroom
Mutual Groom
Types of Horse Behavior
Investigative Behavior
Play behavior
Exploratory behavior
Types of Horse Behavior
Allelomimetic Behavior
Mimicry
Types of Horse Behavior
Agonistic Behavior
Types of Horse Behavior
Dominance/Submission
(Social Order)
Horse Behavior
Spacing
Individual distance
Group distance
Social distance
Flight distance
Home range
Territorial
Activity
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
60%20%
10%
10%
Eat
Stand
Lie
Other
Behavioral Considerations in
Equine Handling HERD INSTINCT
HOMING INSTINCT
FLIGHT
DOMINANCE HEIREACHY
TERRITORIAL BEHAVIOR
SELF-DEFENSE
HABIT
Good Stress – The
stressful condition in
which the horse can find
a solution that will
relieve the stress
Harmful Stress – A
stressful condition in
which there is no
possible solution or
escape.
Stress
Responses To Harmful Stress
Habituate
Develop abnormal behavior
Permanent fear memory
Equine Stereotypes
Oral
Cribbing
Tongue movements
Lip movements
Equine Stereotypes
Locomotion
Head movements
(bobbing, tossing,
shaking, swinging,
nodding)
Throat rubbing
Pacing
Weaving
Fence or stall walking
Equine Stereotypes
Locomotion
Circling
Stomping
Kicking
Pawing
Digging
Tail rubbing
Equine Stereotypes
Self-Mutilation
Self-biting (flank, chest, shoulder)
Wall-kicking
Lunging into objects
EQUINE VICES
AGGRESSIVE VICES
Biting
Charging
Crowding
Rearing
Kicking
Striking
Fighting
EQUINE VICES
METABOLIC VICES
Coprophagy or dirt eating
Cribbing
Mane and tail chewing
Wood chewing