Lecture 17 - Equine Behavior Flashcards
What is the social structure of horses called
harem
Describe the components of a horse’s social structure
one breeding stallion
3-5 mares
immature offspring
What is a bachelor band?
all male, non-breeding group
T/F: equine weaning is typically sudden although families will stay together
False - very gradual weaning (1-3 years), females leave to join new harm
Define: precocial
can see, hear, stand, and move upon birth
What percentage of a horse’s time is spent foraging?
50-80%
Contrary to their foraging time, only _____ of a horse’s time is spent resting
20-30%
Within the 1st hour after birth, foals should be able to
stand and nurse
within the 1st day following birth, foals should be able to
run, explore, groom, solitary play
At what age do foals begin exploring forages
2 weeks
how many times does a foal nurse in an hour
3-6 times
Where is the equine blind spot
directly in front and behind
In what ways do horses communicate
1 - visual
2 - tactile
3 - olfactory
4 - auditory
What is important about horses with gastric ulcers always having access to hay
not the hay, but the move and graze time budgeting
What is very different about stall kept vs. how horses normally are
isolated and feeding schedule
T/F: pasture kept horses will form harems where a gelding with act as the lead stallion
True
Gradual weaning _____ stress and _____ gastric ulcer incidence
decrease; decrease
what age do we wean foals
6 months
What are the 3 Ms of behavior
- Motivation
- Management
- Modification
What are the 3Fs of treating behavioral problems
- Friends
- Forage
- Freedom
How do we treat behavior with friends?
access to social partners helps social bonds
How do we treat behavior with forage?
allowing foraging, treks to water, and activities to be done as a group to mimic normal behavior
How do we treat behavior with freedom?
ability to move
T/F: much frustration and unwanted behaviors occur because a basic species need is not being met
True
Who worked with classical conditioning
Pavlov
Classical Conditioning
association of neutral stimuli with pleasant/unpleasant stimuli
change emotional response
Habituation
non-associative learning
innate response is decreased after repeated or prolonged exposure
Operant Conditioning
learning a certain behavior has a consequence (good or bad)
trial and error
Flooding
sensitization to stimuli
take out before fully relaxed
Systematic desensitization
expose in small incremental steps
What is the law of effect
behavior with a pleasant consequence is repeated
reinforcement
do more of that behavior
punishment
do less of that behavior
positive
add something
negative
remove something
what is escape/avoidance conditioning
learning certain behaviors can stop/avoid something bad
The critical period of development
a finite amount of time while very young (imprinting)
The sensitive period of development
socialization range
When does the fear period begin in foals
~7 days old
when should foals ideally be exposed to environmental stimuli
during 1st 7 days and into the juvenile period
T/F: the majority of equine behavioral complaints is due to masking pain
True
What are the indicators of pain used on the horse grimace scale
1 - stiffly backward ears
2 - orbital tightening
3 - tension above the eye
4 - strained chewing muscles
5 - strained nostrils
what are body postures indicating pain in horses
1 - ears back
2 - wide eyes
3 - flared nostrils
4 - tense lips
5 - tail swish
What other tools are available for determining pain vs. behavioral drivers
1 - palpation
2 - lameness exam
3 - imaging
4 - 24hr video
5 - endocrine eval
