Equine Behavior Flashcards
Normal equine response to sudden sounds, movements, etc.:
Flight > fight animals
- spooked horse will bolt
Normal equine response to fear:
Will often give warning (head cocked; snort)
Stay relaxed; don’t pull on harness (they will pull back against you!)
When do horses typically respond with fight?
If they cannot escape or “flight”
- kicking, striking, biting
- will almost give warning first
Describe equine herd behavior
Pecking order
- concerns for equal access to resources. injuries, etc.
How has domestication negatively impacted horses?
Increased inactivty, decreased social time => behavioral problems
Describe threatening behavior (aggression)
flattened ears, retracted upper lip, rapid tail movements, pawing at ground, squealing, threats to kick
When do horses typically show aggression to people?
In stalls or confined space
fear, pain-induced, hormonal (sexual), dominance-related, learned
When do horses typically show agression towards other horses?
sexual competition, fear, dominance, territorial
What usually triggers compulsive behaviors in horses?
Boredom, lack of stimulation (from confinement, management practices, insufficient husbandry)
List common compulsive behaviors (8)
- pacing
- weaving
- cribbing (aerophagia)
- wind-sucking (aerophagia)
- wood-chewing (lignophagia)
- Pica (geophagia)
- Head-shaking
- self mutilation
How to decrease locomotory compulsive behavior (pacing, weaving)
turn out; exercise; increase forage; increase socialization; decrease anxiety source
Decribe cribbing
- grasping of a solid surface (fence) with their front teeth and pull back, contracting the neck muscles and emitting a characteristic grunting sound
Consequnces of cribbing
dental wear; colic; fence/barn/anything destruction
Aerophagia treatment
incr. dietary fiber, exercise, social acitivty; cribbing collar; remove ledges; install electric fence
What triggers wood-chewing (lignophagia)?
Lack of roughage in diet, high-concentrate diets, confinement, lack of exercise/stimulation
