Horse behaviour-

Horse behaviour

Several things make a horse
unique in the animal kingdom

- Horses are strongly social. They are herd animals, which are at a highest comfort level when they maintain a visual contact with other horses. (principle in horse housing)

- Horses are herbivores. They eat plants. They rely on grazing grasses and leaves for feed.

- Horses are seasonal breeders

- Horses are capable of strong pair-bond relationship.

	A herbivores feeding behaviour
	Plant eating animal
	Spend more time consuming food
	Less time searching for food
	Horses are less likely to kill carnivores and are more likely to try to escape from a carnivorous threat.

Ingestion

Definition :

Taking of food or water into digestive tract.

1.The normal feeding pattern of horses is grazing for several hours then resting.

Depending on :

A- weather condition.

B- distance to water ,

C- forage availability and quality,

D- level of nutrition demand.

2.How ?

-Taking bites of grass …  1 or 2 step … taking other bites.

-So horses moving during grazing. (Opportunistic feeders)

-Prefer graze over large area

-Avoid fecal-contaminated areas

-If pasture with sufficient grass eat top and leave bottom

-If pasture overgrazed eat close to roots.

Lactating mare graze more than  pregnant

-Immature prefer sucrose and barley not sour, bitter, salt solution.

3.Social facilitation

a.Eat more in groups.

b.Prefer eat from floor , shallow manger for Enabling it to see in all directions between legs ( antipredator strategy)

4. Selectivity 

 horses are selective in their food  because they have anatomical / behavioral  combination ( large mouth + movable lips)

5.Horses cannot vomit  So intestinal disorders mainly resulted in Colic

Water intake

 “you can lead a horse to

water but you can’t make it drink.”

1- water amount : 10-12 gallon/day , Typically, horses do not drink water frequently

2- water source : clean , fresh

3- How  do horses drink? Sucking then swallow.

Elimination

•Associated with urination, defecation.

•Position of urination

urination of horse is every 4 to 6 hours

1.Neck lowered , extended

2.Tail is raised

3.Hind legs  is abducted , extended posterior.

.Male smells urine area 

•Position of defecation

     defecation of horses ( every 2 to 3 hours):

1. Raise the tail, may hold it off one side.

2. Defecate during walking except ponies.

3. Stallion defecate in small area ,but mare & geldings scattering the feces.

Resting

 Posture of laying down

1- gathering legs under body.

2- bent knee, chest and fore quarter contact ground before hind quarter.

Posture of getting up :

1- fore limbs scratched out.

2- fore quarter rise first then hind quarter.

Recumbency

Two forms:

A. Lateral :

lie down on one side with flexed one fore leg.

B. Sternal :

Lying down on his sternum but 

not symmetrically

N.B horse never lie down on his back

  

Recumbancy : two forms

Sleeping 20% of day or night.

  Slow wave sleep(SWS)

Two hour/day

while standing

Rapid eye movement(REM)

  Nine periods ,5 minute for each one

 -  While Laying down

( lateral recumbancy or sternal recumbancy)

 -  Muzzle touch ground , relaxed head.

-  Unlike ruminants horse show tachycardia, leg movements, increase respiratory. rate

Investigatory

 -horse’s inspection surrounding area by use of the sense   smell and movements.

-Until investigatory complete 

horse may be nervous and 

frightened.

- investigation  in foal is Stronger  than adult.

-May nibble your hands or clothing 

Locomotion

-Gait : is horse’s manner of

 moving its legs during

 movements. (= way of going )

-Beat : a foot striking the ground.

-Why we study horse gaits ??

a- to detect lameness.

b- training for special performance.

-Horse have 4 gaits:

Walk, Trot, Pace , Gallop and Canter.

-Basis For Determining The Gait

A. Footfall sequence   B. beat    C. suspension.

Walk

- Four beat gait

-left hind leg

-left Fore leg

-right hind leg

-right fore leg

-No suspension

4 miles / hour 

Trot

- Two beat gait

-left hind + right fore

-   Suspension phase

-left fore + right hind

6 miles / hour 

Pace

- Two beat gait

-left hind + left fore

-   Suspension phase

-right hind + right fore

More fatser than trot 

Gallop

-Four beat gait

-Start by maximum trotting then all feet collected 

under body , off ground.

-right hind (1) left hind (2) right fore(3) left fore (4) 

then suspension phase

-the four beats

-The fastest.  25 miles / hour 

Canter or lope :

3-beat gait right hind leg (1) - left hind and right fore (2) - 

left fore (3) suspension

Social

-In free ranging herd

One male + 20 female ( hareem system)

-Oldest or larger Female is the 

highest ranking female and Leads the herd in flight and 

daily journeys to rest or grazing area.

-Stallion leads herd from behind

-Typical heirachy : respectively

 ..

Adult male , adult female , junivel male , junivel female , 

male foal , female foal.

In large bands with more 

stallion :

-The dominant stallion does most of breeding

-The subdominat stallion does most of 

fighting with stranger stallions approach the band.

-Inter species relationships horse dominate cattle.

 

 the most aggressive horse was the dominant one. 

Agonistic

•Signs of serious aggression

1- Biting or biting attempts with ear flattened to head , 

retracted lips.

2- Kicking or kicking attempts with laying ears back ,  

 turning hind quarters toward other horse.

Introduction of two strange horses together

-Approach each one with their head held high.

-Necks arched , ears pointed forward.

-encounter face to face, Smelling 

-Threaten to strike with fore legs.

-May smelling each other’s necks, withers, flank, genitals 

and rump.

-One horse may laying it’s ears back , 

turning it’s hind quarter toward other 

and kick with one or both hind legs. 

encounter face to face, Smelling , 

exhaling each other’s nostril.

Signs of very aggressive horses :

-Laying their ears back.

-Fore legs striking.

-Tail lashing

-Running toward others with lower 

neck, extended head, open mouth, 

trying to bite.

posture of submissive horse:

-Tail tucked in.

-Ears turned inward.

-Snapping ( opening , closing mouth 

with retracting lips)

-What I should do for submissive 

horse?

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Tags: equine