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Horse Behaviour Flashcards

(73 cards)

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1
Q

What is the oldest ancestor of the horse

A

Przewalski’s horse (pony-shaped Mongolian wild horse)

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2
Q

When do feeding bouts increase in time

A

At dawn and in late afternoon

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3
Q

What is the horses panoramic vision

A

330-350 degrees

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4
Q

What colours can horses see well

A

Yellow and blue (dichromatic)

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5
Q

What is dichromatic

A

Can see two primary colours well

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6
Q

How do horses identify toxic or safe plants

A

Using taste (harmful = bitter)

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7
Q

Where is allogrooming common in horses

A

Along mane, less common on back or rump

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8
Q

What is a harem

A

Social group in horses consisting of a number of females and young and one male

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9
Q

What does the stability of the harem depend on

A
  1. The stallions herding instinct
  2. Strong social attachment between members
  3. Stallion rejects intruders
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10
Q

How does the hierarchy work in small vs large herds

A

Small = linear
Large = triangular (A may dominate B who may dominate C who can dominate A)

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11
Q

When does estrus decrease in mares

A

At the height of the breeding season

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12
Q

What is “winking”

A

repeated exposure of vulva tissue

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13
Q

How long is the gestation period

A

340 + 5 days

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14
Q

When do feral vs stabled horses foal

A

Feral = early morning
Stabled = at night or dawn

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15
Q

How does confinement affect a horse

A

Compromise feeding (eat and move), social, kinetic beh & health

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16
Q

How much time does a stabled vs pasture horse spend grazing

A

Stabled = 10% (consume rapidly)
Pasture = 70%

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17
Q

How is elimination behaviour different in stalls

A

Horse cannot avoid their own waste, males might urinate more frequently on fresh bedding

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18
Q

How is kinetic behaviour affected by stabling

A

Restricted space makes it hard to roll
Post-inhibitory rebound after being stall-bound may lead to unwanted behaviours during training (overdo behaviour once they have the space)

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19
Q

Why do horses roll

A

Expend energy, trying to get scent on them to cover up their space

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20
Q

Why do people use feral horses for behavioural comparison rather than Prezwalski horse

A

Prezwalski came from a shallow gene pool (11 animals) over the past 20 generations

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21
Q

Why do horses seek companions

A

Safety, comfort, detection of food, insecure when isolated

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22
Q

What does a horse rely on for self preservation

A

Caution, speed, agility,

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23
Q

Why does restricted movement and periods of fasting affect horses

A

Needs to eat and move (move to ruminate)

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24
Q

What kind of feeder is the horse

A

Generalist herbivore

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25
What factors affect horses foraging behaviour
Temp down = less foraging Longer feeding bouts at dawn/late afternoon Breaks between are short (for maintenance, social, repro)
26
Describe a horses vision
Panoramic vision = 330-350 Binocular vision = 60-70 Image magnification 50% better than humans Night vision (tapetum lucidum) Dichromatic vision (yellow/blue) Discriminate between shades of grey (troubles with green/grey)
27
What does over bending do to a horses vision
Blind area directly in front
28
Describe horses hearing
Funnel shaped (arc 180) Impaired hearing = drooped ears, not moving towards sound
29
How can horses protect their hearing
Lay their ears flat
30
Describe horse smell
Well developed olfactory Vomeronasal organ / flehmen
31
What is the response shown by the vomernasal organ
Flehmen (lip curl)
32
What does horses taste help them do
Discriminate between safe and toxic plants
33
Describe a horses touch
Very sensitive (muzzle/ears/eyes/groin/heel bulbs)
34
Where do horses allogroom
Along mane, less common over back/rump
35
What grooming styles are used in horses
Rolling, shaking, rubbing, scratching, nibbling
36
Who do social groups consist of in feral horses
Harem groups, one male (usually), variable number of females and horses Bachelor groups also exist
37
Why is the constant presence of a male in a harem important
Detection of heat is assured
38
What does the stability of the harem depend on
Herding instinct of stallion, social attachment between members, rejection of intruders
39
Describe the dominance hierarchy in horses
Once established, stable Males tend to rank higher (bite/kick, threats)
40
When is dominance displayed in domesticated groups
In competitive situations (restricted food source)
41
What’s the difference between dominance hierarchies of small herds vs large herds
Small = linear hierarchy Large = in the middle there is triangular relationships
42
How are dominance hierarchies asserted
Height or body weight (sometimes age; juvenile could be smaller but stronger), length of time in band Daughters of dominant mare tend to be dominant
43
What kind of estrous are horses
Seasonally polyestrous Duration of estrus decreases at height of the breeding season
44
Describe an unreceptive vs receptive mare
Unreceptive = kicks, squeals, lays ears Receptive = stands still, spread legs, tail to one side, lower pelvis, expose vulva tissue repeatedly (wink)
45
Describe horse sexual behaviour
Foreplay (male smells, nibble, lick, flehmen)
46
When does copulation first occur in horses
15 months to three years (sexual maturity/opportunity)
47
What is a horses gestation period
340 +/- 5 days
48
When does foaling occur in feral horses, how does this differ between stabled TB
Early morning hours TB foal at night/dawn
49
What occurs directly after birth
Mother stays laying, nuzzles foal Once standing, nuzzle and vigorously lick Form bond Mare stands by foal as it lays, prevents contact with herd
50
How long might a foal stay with its mother
Up to two years
51
Why does a horses behaviour change with confinement
Compromises feeding, social, kinetic behaviour and health
52
Why does feeding behaviour change in stabled horses
Limits feed choice, concentrated ration consumed quickly
53
How much time do pastured vs stabled horses spend foraging daily
Pastured/feral = 70% Stabled = 10%
54
How does behaviour change in stabled horses
Perform operant tasks (undoing bolts) Prevent detection of predators/escape Cannot avoid waste Fresh bedding = urination in males
55
How is kinetic behaviour affected by stabling
Restricted space (rolling behaviour difficult, maintenance behaviours)
56
What kind of behaviour might a horse display after a period of confinement
Post-inhibitory rebound (unwanted behaviours)
57
What are the two types of recumbancy, describe them
Lateral (laying flat out on ground) Sternal (head in air)
58
What’s the difference between przwalski and domesticated horses time budget spent doing different things daily
DOMESTICATED 50-75% foraging 15-35% standing-resting 10,000 paces daily PRZWALSKI 15.7% standing-resting 1.2% lying sternal, 4.1% laterally
59
What are the four stages of equine sleeping patterns
1) wakefulness 2) drowsiness 3) slow wave sleep 4) paradoxical sleep
60
Horses show polyphasic sleep patterns, what does this mean?
Sleep for short durations over multiple time points
61
When does slow wave sleep occur, what does REM sleep require
Slow wave = standing or lying REM requires lateral recumbancy
62
What affects the longevity of resting behaviour in horses
Housing and bedding (straw=^) Comfort (pregnant mares rest more in stables)
63
Where do cold bloods vs warm bloods originate
Cold = small, heavily set horses Hot = finer-boned, shorter
64
What characteristics and breeds are preferred for show jumping
Agility, obedience, boldness, responsiveness, aware of feet Ex TB, draft/TB, welsh cob/TB, WB
65
What characteristics and breeds are preferred for dressage
Controlled, powerful, responsive, calm, classically correct, regular paces, confident Ex draft/TB, WB
66
What characteristics and breeds are preferred for eventing
Stamina, agility, compliance, calm, responsive Ex TB, draft/TB, WB, WBx
67
What characteristics and breeds are preferred for endurance
Long distance, bond, calm, compliant, drink readily Ex Arabians, arabX, appaloosas
68
What characteristics and breeds are preferred for racing
Reactive, desire to run, reluctance to be at back Ex TB, Arabians, QH
69
What characteristics and breeds are preferred for trotting and pacing
Tolerance of harness/handling, desire to run Ex STB
70
What characteristics and breeds are preferred for ball sports
Reliable, responsive, hardworking, agile, learn Ex polo ponies, small TB, QH
71
What characteristics and breeds are preferred for leisure
Adaptable, calm Ex any breed, saddlebred, QH, STB, ArabianX
72
When are feeding bouts the longest
Dawn, later afternoon
73
Why would a horse take a break between feeding bouts
Maintenance, social, reproductive behaviour

An Sc 378 (21 decks)

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