equine behavior and learning

instinctive behavior

• do not need to be taught, born with this knowledge (genetics)

• standing

• suckling

• running

• vocalizations

precocious

fend for themselves at birth, ready learned behavior for immediate survival

learned behavior

• results of responses and consequences to their environment

• longer to develop, stepwise

• environment important influence

characteristics of equine behavior

• flight animal

• very perceptive

• fast learner

• fast reaction time

• can be desensitized

• excellent memory

• can be dominated without force

• display body language

• pecking order

• precocial species

types of behavior

• reactive

• ingestive

• eliminative

• sexual

• care-giving/seeking

• agnostic

• mimicry

• investigative

• grooming

• sleep and rest

wild horse behavior

• learn a lot from wild horses

• apply to our domestic horses

wild behavior - social organization (types)

• harem bands

  • harem stallion

  • several mature mares

  • immature offspspring

• bachelor bands

  • 15-20 stallions

  • mixed non-breeding juveniles

  • lone stallion

wild behavior - social organization advantages

• more eyes - increased survival

• group advantage for predation

• defend resources

• genetic future

wild behavior - social organization disadvantages

• injury from group (stampede, etc.)

• limited resources

• infectious disease

wild behavior - time management

• foraging

  • usually 50-80% of time, depends on season/weather/vegetation

• rest

  • 20-30% of the time, standing recumbent

• drinking

  • depends on availability

• self grooming

  • usually does not depend on time of day but depends more on conditions

social communication

• among individuals and groups

• often difficult to cross species

communication

• involves senses

• visual - facial expressions, body, heat, and ear positions

• auditory - calls, grunts, hooves

• chemical - breath, urine, feces, pheromones

• tactile - mares and foals, between stallions, courtship and mating

domestic horse behavior

• depends on housing and management

• horses kept at pasture will often organize into “bands”

• stabled horse - time management depends on feeding

• breeding horses

  • mares and stallions

  • foals weaned earlier and abruptly

learning

• change in the potential to perform a behavior as a result of experience

• gaining knowledge

• modification of behavior for a given stimuli

• classical conditioning

• operant conditioning

stimuli

• something that causes a behavior

• unconditioned - causes a response with no practice

• conditioned - response is learned through practice. learned stimuli aka “cue”

modification of reactions to stimuli

• habituation - gradually decreasing instinctive reaction to a repeated stimulus (getting used to a stimulus). ex. imprint training

• sensitization - involves becoming more responsive to a stimulus as a result of experience

classical conditioning

• established behavior occurs in response to new stimuli

• pavlov’s dog

• UCS, UCR, CS, CR

• ex. bring horses carrots every time you give vaccines so the horses will associate you with treats instead of the needle

operant conditioning

• behaviors modified by their consequences

• uses reinforcement - events following a behavior

  • appetitive - increase likelihood of desirable behavior, reward

  • aversive - decrease likelihood of undesirable behavior, punishment

positive reinforcement

reward (pleasant stimulus) is offered in association with behavior

negative reinforcement

unpleasant stimulus is removed when behavior is stopped

aversive reinforcement

• punishment

• object is to decrease undesirable behavior

• problems

  • lack of focus

  • aversion

  • habituation

  • aggression/timidity

horse training examples

• imprint training

• catching and haltering

• leading

• loading onto a trailer

• longeing (lungeing - UK)

  • allonge (French - to lengthen)

imprint training

• used commonly for young horses

• first 48-96 hours of life → enhanced learning

• aim is to desensitize early

catching and haltering

• bring in a treat (positive reinforcement) if horse is being hard to catch

longeing

• to work with young horses or to get a little extra steam on them

• person stands in middle holding lunge line and whip

• horse ends up walking around around in a circle away from whip

leading

• horse should learn to walk with you right at the shoulder

• use a lead

loading onto trailer

• could have treats leading up to the trailer

• use a lead or a longe line to get them to move away from pressure and into the trailer

what is an undesirable behavior

• any behaviors that you do not want your horse to perform

• harmful to the horse

• harmful or dangerous for humans

• harmful to barn or equipment

what causes undesirable behaviors

• time management

• boredom

• lack of socialization

• improper training

• pain

natural behaviors/defense mechanism undesirable behaviors

• biting

• bucking

• shying

• rearing

stereotypies (undesirable behaviors)

• cribbing

• weaving

• stall walking

• pawing

biting

• humans

  • hand-feeding

  • orphans

  • attention seeking

• horses

  • hierarchy

• how do you prevent?

  • keep out of reach

  • keep out of situations that elicit

bucking

• hind legs up into the air

• causes

  • playful

  • pain

• how to prevent/treat?

  • make sure horse gets turned out a lot

  • bring head up after jumping

  • keep moving horse forward

  • vet if pain

rearing

• horse’s front legs go up into the air, can also strike out

• horse feels cornered

• dangerous for riders and handlers

• how to prevent/treat?

  • lots of training

  • have a long lead

  • wet sponge attached to heat (horse thinks it’s bleeding if it rears)

shying

• horse side steps quickly or turns and runs to escape (bolts)

• causes

  • startled by something they don’t recognize

• how to prevent/treat

  • lead horse around new things

stereotypies or vices

• repetitive, relatively invariant behaviors with no apparent function

• do not occur in wild horses

• occur in up to 34% of domesticated horses

what causes stereotypies

• confinement

• lack of grazing time/oral enrichment

• lack of socialization

• frustration or boredom

• stress and anxiety

oral stereotypies

• cribbing

• wood chewing

confinement related stereotypies

• weaving

• stall walking

• pawing

cribbing

• horse places incisor on solid surface, pulls back, and sucks in air

• windsucking: cribbing without the solid surface

cribbing complications

• colic

• wears down incisors

• damages barn

• gastric ulcers?

• self-rewarding behavior

wood chewing

• common, even in wild horses

• lack of fiber - most common in winter

• damaging to barn

• can be dangerous for horse

how can we stop wood chewing?

• supplement fiber

• other nutritional supplements?

• topical deterrents (unpalatable)

• muzzles

• electrical fencing

how can we prevent cribbing?

• cribbing collars

  • prevent contraction of muscles

  • must wear regularly

• cribbing muzzle

  • must have metal bottom

• metal door covers

• cribbing rings - no!

• deterrents (unpalatable sprays)

• medications

weaving

• horse continuously rocks head and body from side to side

• common in confined horses

• can lead to

  • over-use injuries in front limbs

  • shoe wear

  • weight loss

• how do we prevent?

  • gates where horses can put their heads out and be social but can’t get the side to side behavior - anti-weave doors

stall walking

• horse walks circles in stall

• often due to loneliness

• can lead to

  • overuse injuries

  • weight loss

  • damage to floors

  • messy stall

• how to prevent

  • non-glass mirror in stall

  • companion

pawing

• common in the wild

• domesticated horses - boredom or attention

• reinforced when owner tries to reprimand

• how do we prevent?

  • avoid having your horse standing tied for a really long time

  • try not to reinforce behavior by giving a treat, gives them attention they want

  • ignore it

  • stall padding

general treatment of stereotypies

• remove the cause! boredom and isolation

• socialization - visual or physical

• increase activity

• adequate forage

  • grazing/turnout time

  • hay

• environment enrichment

  • toys, mirrors, windows, etc.