Intro to Equine Behaviour Flashcards
Describe vision in horses
dichromatic, wide field, monocular + binocular, very sensitive to movement
Describe smell in horses
very sensitive with individual olfaction recognitions, VNM + flehmen response
Describe hearing in horses
acute, up to 33,000Hz, ability to move ears independently
Do horses have taste preferencces
yes
are horses sensitive to tactile stimulation
yes
How do horses relate to one another
they are social, can have agonistic or affiliative behaviours between conspecifics
What are horses designed to do
forage, graze for more than half the day
do horses have a gall bladder
no
what type of fermenters are horses
hind gut fermenters
name some common housing practices of horses
stalling, individual housing, meal feeding, high concentrate feeding over forage (all have medical and psychological consequences)
3Fs of equine welfare`
friends, forage, freedom
What are some signs of stress/fear/anxiety in horses
gaze fixed on something, tension in neck, nostrils flared, pinned ears
body language of a relaxed horse
droopy lower lip, half closed eyes
what is trigger stacking
where small stressors/ triggers increase sensitivity of patient overtime –> when learner goes over threshold for resilience, even a small stressor can cause a huge response
threshold
when a horse begins to display behaviour indicative of fear, anxiety and stress towards a stimulus
What are some equine low stress handling techniques
carefully select environment, address basic needs when possible, provide conspecifics, ***decrease trigger stacking and stay under threshold, use distractions, handle gently and calmly, use pain meds and sedation when needed, have positive associations with vet handling
3 horse handling techniques to use during an aversive vet procedure
- feeding
- rubbing over eyes
- rubbing over withers
what are the ABCs of behaviours
A = antecedent
B = behaviour
C = consequence
What are the 6 steps to analyzing behaviour
- describe the target behaviour in clear, observable terms
- describe antecedent events that occur and conditions that exist immediately before the behaviour happens
- describe consequences hat immediately follow the behaviour
- examine the antecedents, the behaviour and the consequence in science
- devise new antecedents and/or consequences to teach new behaviours or change existing ones
- evaluate the outcome
what are some considerations when assessing function of behaviour
observe behaviours objectively, keep it simple, do not assign unnecessary human constructs
classical conditioning
repeated association of a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus, until the neutral stimulus elicits a conditioned emotional response
operant conditioning/operant learning
a method of learning that creates associations between a voluntary behaviour and the consequence of that behaviour
what relationship does classical conditioning and operant conditioning have
often concurrent processes
*** be really familiar with -/+ reinforcement, -/+ punishment
desensitization
reducing response to a stimulus through gradual controlled exposure
counterconditioning
changing an animal’s conditioned emotional emotional and physiological response to a stimulus
marker/ bridge/ bridging stimulus
auditory, tactile, or visual cue that communicates precise moment that is being reinforced
what works as positive reinforcement in horses
- food is a highly salient, primary reinforcer
- scratches can work well, but not all tactile stimulation is reinforcing and there is variety in ind. preference
- experiences/ access to resources
how can horses be taught to take food rewards safely
through positive reinforcement
how do you respect the client when using food as a reward/ distraction
do not hand feed if client has concerns, use buckets, hay nets
what is important to keep in mind for the human and effective use of negative reinforcement
- light touch, soft hands, use least amount of pressure neeed
- have to release pressure in order to actually reinforce
- still use “shape” techniques - reinforce smallest steps towards desired behaviour
- look for less intrusive interventions in the moment for future handling
