Horse Behaviour. Dr. Krisztina Nagy, PhD. Large Animal Clinic Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Szent István University, Budapest, Hungary

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Horse Behaviour. Dr. Krisztina Nagy, PhD. Large Animal Clinic Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Szent István University, Budapest, Hungary"

Juniper Buddy Montgomery
5 years ago
Views:

1 Horse Behaviour Dr. Krisztina Nagy, PhD Large Animal Clinic Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Szent István University, Budapest, Hungary

2 About me MSc (2004): Zoology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Szent István University PhD (2009): Postgraduate School of Veterinary Science, Szent István University Working area: horse behaviourist, biostatistician, researcher, horse riding instructor Field of interest: stress-coping, stereotypies, personality test

3 Evolution of horses (?) About horses Eohippus million years -fox-sized, 4 toes -teeth: eating leaves -living in forest Modern horse -2 million years -walking on 1 toe -eating grass -in grass-lands

4 Wild relatives of the domestic horse Wild horses (Equus ferus): Tarpan: extinct ( 1909), przewalski horse/ thaki ( 1969) Zebra (plains zebra, Grévy's zebra, mountain zebra), wild ass (ancestor of the domestic donkey)

5 The przewalski horse sole surviving genuine wild horse in the world not to be confused with, the mustang (America) or brumby (Australia) a descendent from domestic breeds gone wild

6 The przewalski horse 1969: last individual horse seen in the wild 1992: reintroduction to Mongolia ~ 1900 horses in the world (9 ancestors) 250 horses free-ranging in Mongolia, in Hungary: 140 horses

Domestication domesticated as one of the last mammals (3000-4000 years ago) more impact on

7 Domestication domesticated as one of the last mammals ( years ago) more impact on humans than most other domesticated species - dispersion of culture and language (Clutton-Brock, 1992)

livestock, sport or working animals) Now most owners keep them as companion

8 Previously They have been selected for riding and haulage various economic reasons (e.g. livestock, sport or working animals) Now most owners keep them as companion animals they provide emotional support to their owners (Wells, 2004) similarly to children, they are often regarded as family members (Albert and Bulcroft, 1987)

9 Results of domestication Large scale of colour and size Reduced sexual dimorphism Oestrus during whole year Neoteny (Thoroughbreds) ~ 400 breeds

10 What will we learn? Horse behaviour Ethology and animal behaviour Proximate ( how ) and ultimate ( why ) questions New methods used in applied animal behaviour science How to ask questions which can be answered scientifically (how to form a hypothesis which can be tested statistically)?

11 Ethology and animal behaviour 4 questions which should be asked of any animal behaviour (Tinbergen) How? (Proximate mechanisms) Causation (mechanism, regulation) Development (ontogeny) Why? (Ultimate mechanisms) Function (Adaptation) Evolution (Phylogeny) Example (feeding behaviour of the horse)

Feeding behaviour 12-16 hours/day (small gastric, large caecum) early morning and late afternoon (+25% night feeding) patch foraging

12 Feeding behaviour hours/day (small gastric, large caecum) early morning and late afternoon (+25% night feeding) patch foraging behaviour (selective) Social facilitation (eats more in companion) Social learing (foal from mother) Neophoby for new tastes Knows the feeding time

13 Time budgets for horses Free ranging horses Stabled horses

Alpha-mare:shows the way to resources, initiating

14 Social animals small harem (1 stallion+3-4 mares+foals) or bachelor group (2+ years old young stallions) Alpha-mare:shows the way to resources, initiating activities dominant stallion: mate, protect + keep the herd together

15 Stable mirror

16 Pair bonds Social groupings have evolved for individual protection against predators, and cohesion is maintained by a variety of mutually beneficial behaviors such as: mutual grooming standing together tail-to-tail fly-swatting

17 Mutual grooming between horse and human

18 Different levels of aggression dominance hierarchy in the herd/group (less aggression) sometimes more stallion in the herd: more stable harems (mares stay)

Home range - 1 km² - 50-70 km² (not protecting territories) - Scent-mark

19 Home range - 1 km² km² (not protecting territories) - Scent-mark behaviour (communications between stallions):the highest ranking animal often marks last

20 The highest ranking animal often rolls last too

21 Standing up The main muscular effort used in standing after a period of recumbency comes from the hindquarters.

22 Sleeping

24 Interactive Play foals and adult horses among foals (locomotory play)

25 Play fighting (bachelor groups)

26 Perception: Vision almost 350

28 Blind area is influenced by the horse s head carriage

29 Horse (left eye) The visual field of a horse Human

30 Approaching a jump with the horse s head up

31 Human Horse

32 Approaching a jump with the horse s head down

33 Compare to humans - normal vision focus on far away objects with their eyes relaxed (similar) - more sensitive to movements than acuty (2/3 of humans) - dichromatic vision (max: 429nm, 539nm, Carroll et al., 2001), 27 greyscale tones (Grzimek, 1952) - sees well even in dusk - acclimatisation is slower than humans (going out from stall)

34 Trichromatic (humans) Colour vision Dichromatic (horses) (color-blind humans)

35 Chemoreception smell and taste are linked neurologically horses familiarize themselves with foreign objects by smelling them sniffing: part of greeting rituals between horses forced exhalations: helps deep inhalations that allow the horse to sample odor molecules.

36 Flehmen response

37 Taste they feel all the basic 5 tastes very important in selecting food use of peppermint essence (mask the flavor of food and water): travel

38 Hearing very well developed direction in which the ears point:direction a horse s attention is focused ears move independently of each other (10 muscles, 180 : locate the source of the sound) locate compares poorly with hunting species (Ca, Hu), but well equipped to hear faint noises (4.5 km) broader range than most mammals: 55Hz - 33kHz very low frequencies: earthquakes (hoof)

39 It has its attention on the handler

40 Touch

41 Vibrissae around the eyes and muzzle Vibrissae around the eyes and muzzle have a rich afferent nerve supply detect distance, vibrational energy (sound), foal: find the teat, tactile information (along with lips) trimming of whiskers has been outlawed in Germany (2002) Sensitivity of the skin varies skin nociceptors: become less responsive if the stimulus is repeated at frequent intervals

43 Thank you for your attention!

44 Applied equine behaviour research Dr. Rezső Kovács, DVM, Phd student Dr. Krisztina Nagy, PhD

45 You are wellcome to contact us

48 Reproductive behaviour

49 Blanket on the mare

Reproducitve cyle of mares Puberty: 12 15 months old, freeranging: 3rd spring Seasonally polyestrous Cyclical active estrus (7.1 4.2 d.

50 Reproducitve cyle of mares Puberty: months old, freeranging: 3rd spring Seasonally polyestrous Cyclical active estrus ( d.) and diestrus ( days) throughout the breeding season ( days) Foal heat: 8 days after parturion Clitoral winking in an estrous mare

51 Behaviour of the stallion first weeks: mounting attempts on their dams 3 month: erections 12 month: spermatozoa in testes 28 months: puberty Seasonality: all year But: responsiveness to sexual cues and spontaneous erections in masturbating stallions (penis being bounced against the abdomen) increases in spring

52 Social groupings of free-ranging horses

53 Leaving the natal band Colts leave natal band: time of the birth of their siblings or when they are forced at 3 years old Fillies: search other stallions or stay (25%, matrilineal dynasties) Mares leave (harem splits): winter/less grass Sneak matings: subordinate stallion with fillies or subordinate mares (low conception rates)

54 Where social flux is constant agonistic interactions must be modulated Horses adapt poorly to the constant introduction of newcomers to a social group give time fence food:at distance

55 Introducing a new horse single-sex groups better than mixed-groups even number of horses large groups (shows less aggression) small groups: mix old with young 1 stranger with 1 inhabitant 2 strangers together

56 Maternal-infant bond

57 Foal rejection and Fostering bonding that occurs as a result of the licking and nuzzling in the first hours of life is very important

58 Twin foals (birth rate: 1:10 000)!

59 Hybrids Mule: donkey+horse Horse+zebra

60 Foal stands up quickly

61 Suckling

62 Grazing

63 Resting

64 Playing

65 Weaning

66 Weaning When? 4-6 months ( free-ranging)

67 Weaning: profound stress When? How? Total separation: aberrant behaviors reflect thwarted kinetic and foraging needs Partial separation (fenceline contact): less vocalisation and locomotion Weaned in pairs (pair bonds) Management and feeding! (Waran, 2004)

68 Abnormal behaviour

69 Stereotypic behaviour in horses Locomotor stereotypies: Weaving (4%), box-walking (2%) Oral stereotypies: wood-chewing(18%) crib-bitng (wind-sucking) (4%) (Wood-chewing horse ) (Crib-biting horse)

to cope and/or central nervous system dysfunction (Mason és Rushen, 2006) only in

70 Stereotypic behaviour Apparently functionless, relatively invariant repetitive behaviour(mason, 1991) Repetitive behaviour induced by frustration, repeated attempts to cope and/or central nervous system dysfunction (Mason és Rushen, 2006) only in captive animals: indicator of poor welfare (pacing tiger) (self-sucking diary cow ) (bar-biting sow)

New definition poses new challenges to research the

know about their origin possible central nervous system

behaviour detrimental to the health of the animal is

71 New definition poses new challenges to research the development of stereotypies is a long process and little is know about their origin possible central nervous system dysfunctions are difficult to study coping function of a behaviour detrimental to the health of the animal is questionable (tail-chasing dog) (self-plucked cockatoo) (wall-licking giraffe )

72 Aetiology and treatment of crib-biting behaviour in horses PhD thesis, 2009 Krisztina Nagy Supervisor: Dr. Gábor Bodó

73 Why horses perform crib-biting behaviour? Genetic background Neurobiological factors Housing & management conditions, stress Learning from each other (?)

74 Why horses perform crib-biting behaviour? Gastrointestinal dysfunction: Crib-biting is primarily associated with feeding of concentrates Impaired basal ganglia function: Upregulated mesoaccumbens dopaminergic system Coping mechanism relieving some of the stress (?)

75 Why horses perform crib-biting behaviour?

76 Consequences Basal ganglia (n. caudatus, n. accumbens, putamen) dysfunction may diminish learning abilities crib-biters were less successful, required longer time to perform an instrumental task (Hausberger et al., 2007) learned association persisted longer during extinction (Hemmings et al., 2007) Crib-biters are more stress sensitive (Bachmann et al., 2003, Minero et al., 1999) Is it more difficult to work with a crib-biter?

77 Health Consequences tooth-erosion, weight loss gastric inflammation/ ulceration (Nicol et al., 2002) epiploic foramen entrapment colic (Archer et al., 2004, 2008) decreased economical value, unsoundness Profound erosion of the incisor teeth of a severe crib-biter

78 Treatment possibilites Not successful (endogen opioid - serotonin system is involved in the process ) Prevention is most important!! Pasture Ad libitum hay Social contact

79 Aim of my PhD studies 1. Examine the risk factors of stereotypic behaviour (effect of a stereotypic neighbour) 2. Compare classification methods used in risk factors analysis (logistic regression - decision tree) 3. Differences in personality traits between crib-biting and control horses 4. To develop a crib-biting triggering stress-test 5. To assess the success-rate of the modified Forssell s procedure, its implication for the welfare, and to compare the stress coping ability of surgically treated horses to that of collar treated, crib-biting and control (non-stereotypic) horses

80 Why horses perform crib-biting behaviour? Plan a study How to select horses in the study What questions to ask, who to ask, how to ask What to measure/record Conduct the study Analyse the data Interpret your findings Publish!!

81 Why horses perform crib-biting behaviour? Which risk factors to focus on? Use findings of previous studies in horses or other animals! Have a hypothesis and a prediction (biological interpretation) How to examine whether they are learning from each other the crib-biting behaviour? Questions Methods

82 Study 1. Risk factors associated with crib-biting Questionnaire survey (298 horse, 9 riding schools) Factors usually used: Age, gender, housing & management, usage Unwanted behaviours (e.g. aggression) New aspect: Presence of an aggressive or stereotypic neighbour (not further than 3 box)

83 Prevalence This study In the world Weaving 3% 4% Box-walking 4% 2% Wood-chewing 10% 18% Crib-biting 5% 4% More frequent in horses used for pleasure riding ( 2 test, p<0,001) (33 out of 126 horses), compared to competition horses (12 out of 161 horses)

84 Logistic regression Risk factor OR 95%-os CI p-value Weaving neighbour 20,8 1,7-315, Aggression 11,4 2,4-82, Crib-biting neighbour 6,6 0,6-66,

85 Crib-biting neighbour (OR=6) Control horses Crib-biting horses Present Not Crib-biting neighbour Does this give an answer to our question (crib-biting is learnt)?

86 Study 2. Decision tree

87 Forbidden to use stalls Germany: from 2004 Denmark: from 2007 Switzerland: from 2012

CHAP Summary 8 TER 155

CHAP Summary 8 TER 155 CHAPTER 8 Summary 155 SUMMARY Feral horses are social animals, which have adopted early predator detection and flight as their prime defence mechanisms. They rely on survival strategies centered on the