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 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

Ears & Hearing

Touch

Responsive to pain, pressure, cold and heat Sensitive areas

Eyes, ears and nose Withers, ribs, flanks and legs

Suffers fatigue

VISION

Monocular field Up to 215o Binocular field 60-70o Monocular field Marginal zone

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

Visual Signs

Ears Tail Mouth & lips Eyes Nostrils

Horse Behavior Social Organization

Harem groups Domestic horses, Przewalski horse & some zebra

Territorial breedersDonkeys & 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 & careseeking behavior

Types of Horse Behavior

Sexual

Polygamous One offspring Seasonal Breeders Fetal behavior Parturient behavior

Horse Behavior

Self-care behavior

Autogroom

Homeostatic influences Grooming Rest

Awake 80% Drowsiness 8% Sleep 12%

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

10% 10%
Eat Stand Lie Other

20%

60%

Behavioral Considerations in Equine Handling

HERD INSTINCT HOMING INSTINCT FLIGHT DOMINANCE HEIREACHY TERRITORIAL BEHAVIOR SELF-DEFENSE HABIT

Stress

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.

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