Horse behaviour Flashcards
What is the name of the 1st horse called?
The Dawn horse or the Hyracotherium
Give another name for the Hyracotherium
Eophippus
What size were Eohippus’s?
Approx the size of the Fox
(20 - 35 kg)
Where did the Eohippius live + what was their diet?
- Environment = Forests
- Diet = herbivorous (leaves + succulents)
True or False.
The Eohippus had larger premolars, than it’s molars.
False, the molars were larger than the premolars
True or False.
The Eohippus had pads on its toes, instead of hooves.
True!
What length were the Eohippus’s legs + how many digits did they have on their front + hind-legs?
- Length of the legs = short
- Foreleg digits = 4
- Hindleg digits = 3
Evoluntionary, what 5 physiological traits formed in horses?
- Increased body size
- Brain developed + specialised
- Their functioning toes decreased in numbers
- Hooves developed, to replace the toe pads
- Their limbs lengthed + the lower limbs fused
What are the main aims of the survival techniques that horses exhibit?
To avoid predation, based on detecting predators early in order to escape them
Are horses prey or predatory species?
Prey
What is the horses main form of escaping predation - fight, flight or freeze?
Flight
What phrase is used to define the type of prey species that horses are?
A Flight response animal
Why is flight the best predatory response for horses?
Because they are large animals, often found grazing in open environments.
+
Therefore, hiding is very unsuccessful - requiring flight response to survive
What 2 things do horses have to effecitvely perform, in order to avoid predation, during flight?
- React immediately
- Depart quickly
Name the main 4 anatomical + physiological adaptations that has aided the horse with its successful ability to flee predators
- Large space for lung expansion
- Large space for heart contraction
- Horses legs have adapted to reduce to single-toes for greater balance
- Concentrated muscle mass at the top of the limbs, for the horse to cover ground at high speed + quickly
True or False.
Being highly observant + highly reactive is not apart of the evolved predatory response, but due hormonal activity.
Obviously false, as it is a well adapted behavioural response to flee from danger
Just had couldn’t think of anything quick enough to compare lol sorry
Why do horses run first + think later?
Because they are highly evolved to escape predation, with their well-developed senses, always alert + anticipating danger in their surroundings, so their 1st response is to run 1st, think later!
True or False.
Horses live in herds, in the wild.
True, they are safer in numbers
What are the 3 reasons that horses are sensitive to their surroundings?
- Fear of the unkown, due to prey species + not having control of the situation
- Fear of pain, due to prey species + pain is associated with vulnerability to predators
- Constantly looking out for predators, to remain safe
Why is dominance important to maintain with the herd?
To establish roles + maintain them within the herd, with a hierarchy
What behaviour establishes herd hierarchy?
Aggressoin
What method of communication is used within the herd?
Body language
What is the type of group that is used to describe the herd that horses live in?
Harem
True or False.
A harem group includes 1 or more stallions, multiple mares + the mare’s offspring.
True
Which ranking stallion performs most of the breeding within the harem?
The highest ranking stallion
Does the most dominant mare guide the herd or is it deemed the boss?
Both!
Do horses hide their young (Foals) in the wild?
No, they are ‘followers’ from birth + encouraged to follow their mother or the herd
What age does weaning occur in foals, in the wild?
9 months old
(In the wild)
How many months do foals remain within the herd for ?
18 months
What 3 things do foals learn before they leave the herd at 18 m/o?
- How to communicate with adult horses
- What to eat + not eat
- Survivial techniques
What percentage of their day to horses eat for?
A. 60 - 90%
B. 30 - 45%
C. 50 - 70%
D. 45 - 60%
C. 50 - 70 %
What is the term used to describe the type of grazers horses are?
Selective grazers
What percentage of a horses time is generally spent eating?
60%
If a horse spends generally 60% eating, what percentage is spent standing?
20%
If a horse spends generally 60% eating and 20% standing, what percentage is spent lying down?
10%
If a horse spends generally 60% eating and 20% standing, 10% lying down, what percentage is spent doing other things?
Can you tell i got this from ppt pie chart lol..
10%
At what age do female horses stop playing with their foals?
When they reach maturity
Playing + running together
True or False.
Females are more likely to be platful throughout their lies than males.
False, males are!
Why is it important enrichment for horses to be able to have the opportunity to play with each other?
To help with:
1. Socialisation
2. Development
3. Learning
Name 5 things you can provide horses as enrichment
- Areas of different herbs to smell
- Objects to scratch on
- Wood to chew on (bark)
- Different surfaces + heights to investigate
- Safe + new objects to explore + learn
What percentage of the horses foraging diet is bark in the wild?
10%
Have horses evolved to live with humans or have we domesticated them?
We’ve domesticated them, which is why it an be tricky to meet their basic needs
What is the most common cause of behavioural problems in horses?
Stress, because their needs are not being met
List as many signs of stress in horses as you can
(There are 9 written down)
- Stamping
- Door kicking
- Grunting
- Lying down
- Bucking
- Rearing
- Biting
- Bolting
Why can stabling be stressful for horses?
- Because, naturally in the wild, horses cover many miles a day.
- Not just for grazing but for socialising.
- They are severly restricted within the stable + unable to fufill this natural behaviour
- As flight animals, if they feel fear or threatened, they are unable to flee
How can a busy yard be stressful for the horse?
- Because they can view over the stable door of aspects of what they can do in the world
+ - They are unable to physically participate or react appropriately to any passers-by
As flight animals, if they feel fear or threatened + they are unable to flee, what may the horse do instead?
Re-direct the fleeing instinct, which may create an unsafe + dangerous situation
(To the stable door)
What unwanted behaviour can be caused boredem, caused by restrictive movements in the stables?
Kicking the door
What affect does limited turnout have on horses?
Takes away the ability for the horse to exhibit their natural behaviours
5 potential things..
If the natural behaviour of roaming is restricted, due to limited turnout, what types of problems can occur?
- Limited grazing time = poor diet + not eating as much
- Limited interactions = increases stress levels
- Cause confusion + nervous behaviour = due to inability to express natural behaviours
- Limits relaxation time = due to busy yards, limited time being turned out = not feeling safe within their environment
- Unable to socialise with turnout companions
In the wild, once mating has finished, why does the mare step forward?
So the stallion can rest on the mares back, so he doesn’t need to restarin himself, by lifting his bodyweight up + back
In domesticated foals, what age are they weaned from?
+
How quick can this be achieved?
6 months
+
Can be very abrupt
Why does abrupt weaning put the foal + mare under huge stress?
Because it deprives thee foal of further:
* Development of communication
* Discipline
* Saftey
Which they would get from the herd
How can the foal be weaned gradually from the mare?
By allowing:
* The mare to keep the foal in their sights
* Leaving a mature + tolerant mare in the field with them
* Gradually moving the mature mare away
Can you hand rear foals?
Yes, but they must guide + discipline them when they consistently display unsociable + unsafe behaviours
What should you do as soon as possible, to prevent the risk of the foal becoming ill-mannered?
Introduce the foal to a sympathetic adult horse
What 4 other problems can occur from young horses being stabled?
- Restricts their natural growth, due to lack of space to lie down + stretch
- Increased boredom
- Built up enerby
- High stress levels in young
