Unwelcome behaviour in performance animals Flashcards
What animals are included under the category of performance animals?
- Circuses/magic shows
- Bird of prey shows
- Marine mammal shows
- Rodeos
- Greyhound racing
- Horse shows/events
- Horse racing
What is considered to be normal horse behaviour?
- Social herd species (safety, comfort, detection of food)
- Prey animals (cautious, fast and agile)
- ‘Trickle feeder’ herbivores (high fibre, low energy diet)
- Large home range
- Activity time budgets
Why is the behaviour of performance horses important?
- Safe human horse interactions
- animal welfare
What are the contextual factors that may influence behaviour of performance horses?
- Housing environment
- Single stabled vs group stabled
- Do they get time in the paddock?
- What are they being fed?
What behaviours are associated with training problems in horses?
- Unpredictability in the stimulus response relationship = conflict behaviours (redirected, ambivalent and displacement behaviours)
- often mistaken for the horse having a temperament problem
Can ineffective rewards in training lead to conflict behaviours?
yes, ineffective rewards such as petting only can lead to conflict behaviours
Is learned helplessness an issue?
Yes it is a big welfare concern, the animal essentially just shuts down.
What are the basics of training when it comes to horses?
- Positive reinforcement and subtle negative reinforcement (negative reinforcement for the basics and postive secondary reinforcement to refine responses)
When might habituation and counter-conditioning methods be used in training horses?
Habituation and counter-conditioning should be used to overcome fear-related responses.
What are some of the handling problems with horses?
barging/trampling, biting, claustrophobia, difficult to bridle, difficult to shoe, difficult to saddle up, dislike of grooming, fear of being clipped, fear of vets, hard to catch, head rubbing, head shyness, kicking, pulling, rearing, pushing, refusal to back, refusal to load, striking, refusing to stand
Why might we see handling problems such as barging, biting, fear behaviours, etc. in horses?
- Innate response
- prior experience/learned response
- physical pathology
How can we approach handling problems?
- Shaping
- Clicker training
- Counter-conditioning
- Habituation
- Refurbishment of human-horse bond
- Reinstall leading cues
What are some issues assoiciated with intensive management and feeding behaviours of horses?
- Choice is reduced
- Concentrated rations may be consumed more rapidly than a pure forage diet (stabled horse spends 10% of its time feeding compared to 70% in pastured horses)
- Timing and number of feeds important
What are some issues associated with intensive management and social behaviours of horses?
- isolation may be aversive
- Bonded affiliates may be separated and non-affiliates may be housed next to each other = aggression (particularly at feeding time)
- Tactile communication (which is important in group horses) is rarely possible
- Mutually beneficial interactions cannot be performed (e.g. allogrooming, fly swatting)
What are some issues associated with intensive management and kinetic behaviour of horses?
- Kinetic behaviour more difficult to perform than when at pasture e.g. rolling on ground
