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equine

Horse behaviour-

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.

Daily activity of horse









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 laying down in horse


Posture of getting up :
1- fore limbs scratched out.
2- fore quarter rise first then hind quarter.

posture of getting up in horse


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

recumbancy of horse
recumbancy of horse

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 of horse

Walk

- Four beat gait

-left hind leg

-left Fore leg

-right hind leg

-right fore leg

-No suspension

4 miles / hour 






Trot
trot
- Two beat gait

-left hind + right fore

-   Suspension phase

-left fore + right hind
6 miles / hour 












Pace

- Two beat gait
pace
-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 






gallop



Canter or lope :

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

left fore (3) suspension

canter or lope






horse


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.



identification strange horse








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.




appearance of aggressive horse



posture of submissive horse:

-Tail tucked in.

-Ears turned inward.

-Snapping ( opening , closing mouth 

with retracting lips)

-What I should do for submissive 

horse?

-

posture of submissive horse





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