Equine Behavior Flashcards
Describe normal equine behavior classification
Gregarious (normally group/herd)
What is the name of a herd of horses?
Harems
What is the instinct that is still inherited strong in equine behavior?
Flight and Fright
List some causes of aggressive equine behavior
- Pain
- protection
- redirection
- Fear
If a horse’s ears are positioned flat against its head and it is swishing its tail, it may be showing what behavioral gesture?
Threat/Aggression
Describe a horse’s ear position when the they feel irritated, painful or unhappy
They are laid back but NOT flat
A horizontal ear position means?
Relaxed, unthreatened
Perked up ears and forward indicates what behavioral gesture?
Alert, eager
List some descriptive facial features of the equine pain scale
- ears backward
- orbital tightening
- tension above eye
- prominenet chewing muscles
- strained nostrils/flared
- pronounced chin
Around how many hours a day does a horse graze?
10-12 hrs
Why do horses self-groom?
Comfort and thermoregulation
List some self-grooming behaviors
- skin twitch
- shaking
- hind foot scratching
- snorting
- rolling
How may some mares respond to nursing foals?
- continue to eat
- brief reject
- may show some aggression
- reject foal altogether
- extend hind limbs
How does a mare communicate if her foal is out of sight?
Whinnying
What vocal cue may a mare show when her foal is within sight?
nickering
What is the submissive gesture used by foals/young horses when they approach an adult?
snapping/champing/teeth clapping - “clacking”
What is it called when a foal ingests feces during the first 3 months of age?
Coprophagy
At what point with human influence does a foal get weaned?
4-6 months of age
Define a stereotypical behavior
Repetitive, highly stylized, seemingly functionless motor response and sequence
When is a foal weaned in natural influence?
Few weeks prior to next foaling
List oral equine stereotypies
- cribbing
- tongue movements
- lip movements
Head movements (bobbing/tossing), pacing, weaving, pawing, etc are examples of what type of equine stereotypical behaviors?
Locomotor
Why may a horse exhibit a behavior disorder?
to cope with a deprivation of environmental features
List stable vices etiologies
- too much confinement
- little grazing time
- lack of interaction
