Stall architecture influences horses’ behaviour and the prevalence and type of stereotypies
Despite the spatial and social restrictions it causes, single stall housing still prevails in sport and riding school horses, leading to the emergence of abnormal behaviours such as stereotypic or abnormal repetitive behaviours (SB/ARB). In the present study, we investigated the impact of the type (visual/tactile) and amount of social information that could be exchanged […]
Indicators of Horse Welfare: State-of-the-Art
Animal welfare is defined as a chronic state reflecting an individual’s subjective perception of its situation. Because it is possible to be in a good welfare state and nevertheless experience acute fear or pain, and conversely, short-term positive emotions can be experienced during impaired welfare states, welfare as a chronic state has to be clearly […]
How owners determine if the social and behavioral needs of their horses are being met: Findings from an Australian online survey
Horse owners and carers are responsible for judging the health and welfare status of animals in their care, deciding if and when professional advice should be sought and following any recommendations for treatment. However, little is known about how horse owners perceive and determine the well-being of horses in their care, or the themes that […]
Effect of density and relative aggressiveness on agonistic and affiliative interactions in a newly formed group of horses
Group housing provides horses with social contact, a lack of which is associated with health and behavior problems. Despite the benefits of group housing for horses, horse owners are concerned about aggression and resulting injuries. This study focused on agonistic and affiliative interactions in a focal group of (originally) 12 horses with short-term and longer […]
Is There Evidence of Learned Helplessness in Horses?
Learned helplessness is a psychological condition whereby individuals learn that they have no control over unpleasant or harmful conditions, that their actions are futile, and that they are helpless. In a series of experiments in which dogs were exposed to inescapable shocks, this lack of control subsequently interfered with the ability to learn an avoidance […]
Don’t Fence Me In: Managing Psychological Well Being for Elite Performance Horses
This article posits that stereotypical behavior patterns and the overall psychological well being of today’s performance horse could be substantially enhanced with care that acknowledges the relationship between domesticated horses and their forerunners. Feral horses typically roam in stable, social groups over large grazing territories, spending 16-20 hr per day foraging on mid- to poor-quality […]
The positive aspects of correct negative reinforcement
In the scheme of contemporary animal training, horse training is virtually unique because it relies on negative reinforcement (NR) rather than positive reinforcement (PR). Furthermore, horse trainers are largely unaware that they are using NR in training. Instead, they believe in the benevolent nature of the horse and see their task in training as one […]
The Hearing Ability of Horses
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Horses: Behavior and welfare assessment
The behavior of horses, as with other species, can be an important indicator of their welfare. Obvious changes occur with disease process, but others can reflect subtle changes in environment too. Stereotypies are relatively common in horses and are generally considered to be an indicator of poor welfare. Recent research indicates that the situation may […]
Positive interactions lead to lasting positive memories in horses, Equus caballus
Social relationships are important in social species. These relationships, based on repeated interactions, define each partner’s expectations during the following encounters. The creation of a relationship implies high social cognitive abilities which require that each partner is able to associate the positive or negative content of an interaction with a specific partner and to recall […]