Final - Problem Behaviours in Horses Flashcards
What are 4 sterotypies/abberant behaviours of stable horses?
- Cribbing (crib-biting)
- Horse bites hard surface, pulls back and sucks in air
- May be accompanied by wood chewing - Wind sucking
- Sucks in air without biting hard surface - Pacing (box or stall walking)
- Horse continuously paces or walks in circles in stall - Weaving
- horse stands in one spot and shifts weight/rocks from one front leg to another; may swing head and neck from side to side
What should always be ruled out before any behavioural therapy is adopted for “unwelcome” behaviours?
Physical causes
- can compromise horse welfare
- can compromise horse performance
When are bits used? What for?
A mechanical approach to behaviour
- Used when trainers encounter a horse that rapidly enters conflict and does not want to comply.
- Increased pressure to overcome resistance and bits magnify the pressure that riders can apply
- Many types of bits available on the mkt; none really provide all the answers
- When aversive stimuli have failed to elicit the desired response and have begun to cause behavioural conflict, the application of force is contra-indicated
Although tempting to treat unwelcome behaviours in isolation, what is the best approach to show better results?
A holistic approach
- horse-human relationship is nurtured
- use of punishment should be seen in this light as well, as it can undermine the relationship
What are 2 commonly accepted horse behaviour modification techniques/
- Habituation
- Eg. overcoming fear-related responses - Counter-conditioning
- Relies heavily on the shaping of alternative responses through operant conditioning
- Including: R+ and subtle R-
What should be kept in mind when trying to modify behaivour?
Keep in mind the causal factors responsible for the problem behaviour; must address the underlying cause
- Horse owners and trainers should be extremely competent in learning theory
Problem: Biting and bite threats
Causes: aggression to deter approaching personnel
Therapy: total refurbishment of the horse-human bond
Problem: Claustrophobia
Cause: Innate fear of enclosed spaces; learned fear of aversive human responses
Therapy:
- Clicker train to approach, stand beside and enter enclosures
- Reinstall leading cues
Problem: Difficult to bridle
Causes: Learned evasion of discomfort from bit, crown piece and brow band
Therapy:
- Partially dismantle bridle and apply in parts to identify the most aversive element
- Counter-conditioning; clicker training to stand quietly in usual area used for bridling
- Shape tolerance of key elements of the bridling process
Problem: Difficult to saddle-up
Causes: Learned evasion; response to past pain
Therapy: Counter-conditioning; clicker training to stand while being saddled
Problem: Difficult to shoe
Cause: Learned evasion from fear
Therapy:
- Habituation
- Counter-conditioning; clicker training
Problem: Dislike of grooming
Causes: Innate ticklishness; learned evasion
Therapy:
- Habituation
- Counter-conditioning
Problem: Fear of veterinarians
Causes: Innate aversion to pain and learned evasion to associated stimuli
Therapy:
- Habituation
- Counter-conditioning- first the owner, then the vet; clicker training of appropriate responses
Problem: Hard to catch
Causes: Learned evasion
Therapy: Clicker training for approaching personnel; extinguish associations with being removed from group
Problem: Refusal to load
Cause: learned evasion, claustrophobia
Therapy: reinstall leading cues; clicker training for approaching and entering vehicle
Problem: Refusal to stand while being mounted
Cause: Learned evasion of bit pressure; anticipation of kinetic behaviour
Therapy: Reinstall leading cues; clicker training; shape the horse to stand quietly for increasing periods before moving forward
Problem: Rearing
Causes: Learned evasion; habituation to pressure from head collar or halter; aggression
Therapy: Reinstall leading cues
What are 4 agonistic responses to conflict?
- Bucking
- response used to fight conspecifics and dislodge predators - Rearing
- response used to fight conspecifics and predators - Balking and bolting home
- motivation to return to home range or social group is greater than motivation to respond to rider’s signals - Rushing fences
- behavioural mechanism unclear
- horse travels too rapidly toward fences- thought to be making attempt to reduce the aversiveness of the stimulus by running towards it
What are 3 performance problems under saddle?
- Fatigue
- lack of energy as distinct from lack of willingness to respond - Tripping, toe dragging, stumbling and clumsiness
- poor locomotion due to fatigue, conformation or excessive hoof growth - Hitting fences
- failure to elevate limbs, especially the leading foreleg while jumping
What are 5 rider faults aka poor application of learning theory which confuses the horse?
- Nagging
- repeated application of aversive stimuli regardless of response - Poor timing
- application of signals after the response has been offered - Inconsistency
- failure to relieve pressure to reinforce every desirable response - Failure to reinforce
- ignoring the need to relieve pressure - Inappropriate punishment
- punishment for fear responses
What does equine behaviour therapy rely on?
- Consideration of the ethological relevance of unwelcome behaviours
- Elimination of pain and discomfort as proximate causes
- The application of learning theory to resolve learned responses
What can help to identify the causal factors of an unwanted behaviour?
Consideration of the motivation for undesirable responses in ethological terms
