1. Equine Behavior

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

3. 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

4. Touch Responsive to pain, pressure, cold and heat Sensitive areas
Eyes, ears and nose
Withers, ribs, flanks and legs
Suffers fatigue  

5. 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

6. Visual Signs
Ears
Tail
Mouth & lips
Eyes
Nostrils

8. Horse Behavior Social Organization
Harem groups – Domestic horses, Przewalski horse & some zebra
Territorial breeders-Donkeys & some zebras

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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)

13. 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

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

15. Additional Horse Behavior
Self-care behavior
Homeostatic influences
Grooming
Rest
Awake 80%
Drowsiness 8%
Sleep 12%
Autogroom
Mutual Groom

16. Types of Horse Behavior Investigative Behavior
Play behavior (allelomimetic)
Exploratory behavior (Investigative)

17. Types of Horse Behavior
Allelomimetic Behavior
Mimicry

18. 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

19. Types of Horse Behavior
Dominance/Submission (Social Order)

20. 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.

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

22. Average Time Budgets For Horses

23. Behavioral Considerations in Equine Handling
HERD INSTINCT
HOMING INSTINCT
FLIGHT
DOMINANCE HEIREACHY
TERRITORIAL BEHAVIOR
SELF-DEFENSE
HABIT

24. 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.

25. Responses To Harmful Stress
Habituate
Develop abnormal behavior
Permanent fear memory

26. Equine Stereotypes
Oral
Cribbing
Tongue movements
Lip movements

27. Equine Stereotypes Locomotion
Head movements (bobbing, tossing, shaking, swinging, nodding)
Throat rubbing
Pacing
Weaving
Fence or stall walking

28. Equine Stereotypes Locomotion Circling Stomping Kicking Pawing Digging
Tail rubbing

29. Equine Stereotypes Self-Mutilation
Self-biting (flank, chest, shoulder)
Wall-kicking
Lunging into objects

30. EQUINE VICES AGGRESSIVE VICES Biting Charging Crowding Rearing Kicking
Striking
Fighting

31. EQUINE VICES METABOLIC VICES Coprophagy or dirt eating Cribbing
Mane and tail chewing
Wood chewing