ANSC 325 - Midterm 1

Perissodactyl

Horse order

Hippomorpha

Horse suborder

Equoidea

Horse super-family

Equidae

Horse family

60

Alert all the time: ___% of time is walking in a 24h (14-15 hours/day)

12

__ Generations of Selective Breeding = Domestication

Domestication

‘The process by which a population of animals becomes adapted to man and to the captive environment by some combination of genetic changes occurring over generations and environmentally induced developmental events recurring during each generation’ 

• involves changes- both at the genome with corresponding phenotypic changes

• domestication 

= 90% homozygosity / 10% heterozygosity

20

• ___ generations of selective breeding 

= 100% homozygosity / 0% heterozygosity

1. Flexible diet

2. Fast growth rate

3. Breed in captivity

4. Good disposition

5. Mild temperament

6. Modifiable social hierarchy

6 qualities required for domestication

Przewalski’s horse

• All wild horses are feral, descendants from domestic horses

• Except the _________

Natal band

Reproductive Unit of Horses

• Birth or family group, harem

• Stable group of mares, offspring and 1 stallion (or more than stallions-depend on harem size-uncommon), usually adult populations in the group are stable 

Bachelor group

Non-Reproductive Unit of Horses

• Males that left the natal band

• i) colts socializing with other colts (play)

  ii) banished male juvenile and 

  iii) old stallions and 

  iv) weak stallions (failed to protect the harem or natal band) 

• ‘lie in wait the opportunistic competitors’: capture mares +/- sneak mating’s, challenge dominant stallions and a sanctuary for transient male

• Try to get back into the harem

resources, landscape, seasons (migration patterns), proximity of other herds

Group size and home range of horses depends on these 4 things

Social triangle

• Individual rank not a linear process, but a __________

Height, Weight, Age

Position/hierarchical rank is variable, but depends on these 3 factors

Agnostic behaviour

• Characterized as behaviours for: protest, aggression, threat appeasement, defense, avoidance 

• Behaviours required to have a functional herd- and daily activities 

• The frequencies and responses as often associated the size of the herd, complexities of the social triangle 

• Note: important for people to recognize behaviours in horses- if ignored or the individual is unaware of horse - dangerous

Aggression

•  Associated with head threats and bites 

Head threat

Most common display of aggression

Defense

• Associated with hindquarters, kicks

Submission

• A cornerstone of maintain social stability

• Often overlooked as the cues are subtle compared to aggression 

• Reduces to lower rank horses and also conserves resources of dominate horses (less fight- less energy usage) 

• Simplest form- turn their head away from aggressor 

• Head lowering, chewing, licking lips, back off

Ears, Head Bowing, Tail Position

3 most important body parts for communication

Flehmen Response

• Done by horses primarily to small pheromones to find mates

• Using vomeronasal gland/Jacobson’s gland

Yes

• If you had 2 different equine species exposed them to the same stimuli- would they react the same?

Yes and No

• If you had 2 different horse breeds exposed them to the same stimuli- would they react the same?

Temperament

• A set of behavioural tendencies, present in early life and relatively stable across various kinds of situations over time (innate behaviour) 

  • The innate (genetic) behaviour of the animals

  • Nature

Personality

• the ‘behaviour’ results from the environment, such as housing, past experience (training, handling etc.) ‘effects’ on temperament 

  • Behaviour learned from environment

  • Nurture

Gender, Genetics, Socialization, Environment

4 factors impacting equine personality

Genetics

Heritability Score = 1

Temperament/Personality variation due entirely to ______

Environment

Heritability Score = 0

Temperament/Personality variation due entirely to ______