Equine Behavior

What Affects Behavior? Environment Experiences Diet Exercise Stress Genetics Gender Type Breed Family group

Smell Ears & Hearing 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 Binocular field 60-70o Marginal zone Monocular field

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 Family = mare and her offspring Mares 9 months – foals weaned If the foal is a female, she will remain close to her dam until she is a 2 or 3 year old If the foal is a colt, at around 18 months it may be chased out of the breeding group by the stallion

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 Protective Behavior Sexual Behavior Agonistic Behavior- Combat Allelomimetic Behavior-Play Shelter Seeking Behavior Investigative Behavior Ingestive – behavioral activities associated with eating & drinking Eliminative – behavioral activities associated with defecation & urination Epimeletic – behavior related to giving care & attention, most common between a mare & foal

Types of Horse Behavior Sexual Polygamous One offspring Seasonal Breeders Fetal behavior Parturient behavior

Additional 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 (allelomimetic) Exploratory behavior (Investigative)

Types of Horse Behavior Allelomimetic Behavior Mimicry

Types of Horse Behavior Agonistic Behavior Agonistic-Aggressive activity by an animal along with submissive behavior of another. Includes both aggression and submission between or among animals. Examples include biting, kicking, pawing, stomping, rearing. Types of aggression – Pain, space and annoyance related; Frustration-boredom; Resource; Maternal; Sex related

Types of Horse Behavior Dominance/Submission (Social Order)

Horse Behavior Spacing Individual distance Group distance Social distance Flight distance Home range Territorial Spacing behavior – Behavior of animals relative to the space they occupy and distance relationships with other animals. Individual distance – Distance an animal attempts to maintain between itself and other animals Group distance – Distance a group of animals attempts to maintain between it and other groups. Personal or individual space – Space occupied by an animal Social distance – Max. distance animals will allow in terms of separation from a group or another individual. Flight distance-Distance an animal attempts to maintain between itself and other individuals such as those that threaten well-being or may offer something the animal assumes to be undesirable. Home range – Area selected and used routinely by a group of animals. Territorial – Animals define and mark an area and defend it from use by other animals.

Activity Diurnal Travel up to 16 km/d (10 mile/d) Home range, can be up to 2500 acres Range: 0.8-303 sq. km (0.5-188 sq. mile)

Average Time Budgets For Horses

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 This is where fight or flight responses will come into play 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