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welfare & behaviour yr1 > Horse behaviour > Flashcards

Horse behaviour Flashcards

1
Q

What is the name of the 1st horse called?

A

The Dawn horse or the Hyracotherium

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2
Q

Give another name for the Hyracotherium

A

Eophippus

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3
Q

What size were Eohippus’s?

A

Approx the size of the Fox
(20 - 35 kg)

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4
Q

Where did the Eohippius live + what was their diet?

A
  • Environment = Forests
  • Diet = herbivorous (leaves + succulents)
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5
Q

True or False.

The Eohippus had larger premolars, than it’s molars.

A

False, the molars were larger than the premolars

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6
Q

True or False.

The Eohippus had pads on its toes, instead of hooves.

A

True!

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7
Q

What length were the Eohippus’s legs + how many digits did they have on their front + hind-legs?

A
  • Length of the legs = short
  • Foreleg digits = 4
  • Hindleg digits = 3
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8
Q

Evoluntionary, what 5 physiological traits formed in horses?

A
  1. Increased body size
  2. Brain developed + specialised
  3. Their functioning toes decreased in numbers
  4. Hooves developed, to replace the toe pads
  5. Their limbs lengthed + the lower limbs fused
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9
Q

What are the main aims of the survival techniques that horses exhibit?

A

To avoid predation, based on detecting predators early in order to escape them

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10
Q

Are horses prey or predatory species?

A

Prey

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11
Q

What is the horses main form of escaping predation - fight, flight or freeze?

A

Flight

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12
Q

What phrase is used to define the type of prey species that horses are?

A

A Flight response animal

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13
Q

Why is flight the best predatory response for horses?

A

Because they are large animals, often found grazing in open environments.
+
Therefore, hiding is very unsuccessful - requiring flight response to survive

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14
Q

What 2 things do horses have to effecitvely perform, in order to avoid predation, during flight?

A
  1. React immediately
  2. Depart quickly
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15
Q

Name the main 4 anatomical + physiological adaptations that has aided the horse with its successful ability to flee predators

A
  1. Large space for lung expansion
  2. Large space for heart contraction
  3. Horses legs have adapted to reduce to single-toes for greater balance
  4. Concentrated muscle mass at the top of the limbs, for the horse to cover ground at high speed + quickly
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16
Q

True or False.

Being highly observant + highly reactive is not apart of the evolved predatory response, but due hormonal activity.

A

Obviously false, as it is a well adapted behavioural response to flee from danger

Just had couldn’t think of anything quick enough to compare lol sorry

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17
Q

Why do horses run first + think later?

A

Because they are highly evolved to escape predation, with their well-developed senses, always alert + anticipating danger in their surroundings, so their 1st response is to run 1st, think later!

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18
Q

True or False.

Horses live in herds, in the wild.

A

True, they are safer in numbers

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19
Q

What are the 3 reasons that horses are sensitive to their surroundings?

A
  1. Fear of the unkown, due to prey species + not having control of the situation
  2. Fear of pain, due to prey species + pain is associated with vulnerability to predators
  3. Constantly looking out for predators, to remain safe
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20
Q

Why is dominance important to maintain with the herd?

A

To establish roles + maintain them within the herd, with a hierarchy

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21
Q

What behaviour establishes herd hierarchy?

A

Aggressoin

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22
Q

What method of communication is used within the herd?

A

Body language

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23
Q

What is the type of group that is used to describe the herd that horses live in?

A

Harem

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24
Q

True or False.

A harem group includes 1 or more stallions, multiple mares + the mare’s offspring.

A

True

25
Q

Which ranking stallion performs most of the breeding within the harem?

A

The highest ranking stallion

26
Q

Does the most dominant mare guide the herd or is it deemed the boss?

A

Both!

27
Q

Do horses hide their young (Foals) in the wild?

A

No, they are ‘followers’ from birth + encouraged to follow their mother or the herd

28
Q

What age does weaning occur in foals, in the wild?

A

9 months old

29
Q

(In the wild)

How many months do foals remain within the herd for ?

A

18 months

30
Q

What 3 things do foals learn before they leave the herd at 18 m/o?

A
  1. How to communicate with adult horses
  2. What to eat + not eat
  3. Survivial techniques
31
Q

What percentage of their day to horses eat for?

A. 60 - 90%
B. 30 - 45%
C. 50 - 70%
D. 45 - 60%

A

C. 50 - 70 %

32
Q

What is the term used to describe the type of grazers horses are?

A

Selective grazers

33
Q

What percentage of a horses time is generally spent eating?

A

60%

34
Q

If a horse spends generally 60% eating, what percentage is spent standing?

A

20%

35
Q

If a horse spends generally 60% eating and 20% standing, what percentage is spent lying down?

A

10%

36
Q

If a horse spends generally 60% eating and 20% standing, 10% lying down, what percentage is spent doing other things?

Can you tell i got this from ppt pie chart lol..

A

10%

37
Q

At what age do female horses stop playing with their foals?

A

When they reach maturity

Playing + running together

38
Q

True or False.

Females are more likely to be platful throughout their lies than males.

A

False, males are!

39
Q

Why is it important enrichment for horses to be able to have the opportunity to play with each other?

A

To help with:
1. Socialisation
2. Development
3. Learning

40
Q

Name 5 things you can provide horses as enrichment

A
  1. Areas of different herbs to smell
  2. Objects to scratch on
  3. Wood to chew on (bark)
  4. Different surfaces + heights to investigate
  5. Safe + new objects to explore + learn
41
Q

What percentage of the horses foraging diet is bark in the wild?

A

10%

42
Q

Have horses evolved to live with humans or have we domesticated them?

A

We’ve domesticated them, which is why it an be tricky to meet their basic needs

43
Q

What is the most common cause of behavioural problems in horses?

A

Stress, because their needs are not being met

44
Q

List as many signs of stress in horses as you can

(There are 9 written down)

A
  1. Stamping
  2. Door kicking
  3. Grunting
  4. Lying down
  5. Bucking
  6. Rearing
  7. Biting
  8. Bolting
45
Q

Why can stabling be stressful for horses?

A
  • Because, naturally in the wild, horses cover many miles a day.
  • Not just for grazing but for socialising.
  • They are severly restricted within the stable + unable to fufill this natural behaviour
  • As flight animals, if they feel fear or threatened, they are unable to flee
46
Q

How can a busy yard be stressful for the horse?

A
  • Because they can view over the stable door of aspects of what they can do in the world
    +
  • They are unable to physically participate or react appropriately to any passers-by
47
Q

As flight animals, if they feel fear or threatened + they are unable to flee, what may the horse do instead?

A

Re-direct the fleeing instinct, which may create an unsafe + dangerous situation

48
Q

(To the stable door)

What unwanted behaviour can be caused boredem, caused by restrictive movements in the stables?

A

Kicking the door

49
Q

What affect does limited turnout have on horses?

A

Takes away the ability for the horse to exhibit their natural behaviours

50
Q

5 potential things..

If the natural behaviour of roaming is restricted, due to limited turnout, what types of problems can occur?

A
  1. Limited grazing time = poor diet + not eating as much
  2. Limited interactions = increases stress levels
  3. Cause confusion + nervous behaviour = due to inability to express natural behaviours
  4. Limits relaxation time = due to busy yards, limited time being turned out = not feeling safe within their environment
  5. Unable to socialise with turnout companions
51
Q

In the wild, once mating has finished, why does the mare step forward?

A

So the stallion can rest on the mares back, so he doesn’t need to restarin himself, by lifting his bodyweight up + back

52
Q

In domesticated foals, what age are they weaned from?
+
How quick can this be achieved?

A

6 months
+
Can be very abrupt

53
Q

Why does abrupt weaning put the foal + mare under huge stress?

A

Because it deprives thee foal of further:
* Development of communication
* Discipline
* Saftey
Which they would get from the herd

54
Q

How can the foal be weaned gradually from the mare?

A

By allowing:
* The mare to keep the foal in their sights
* Leaving a mature + tolerant mare in the field with them
* Gradually moving the mature mare away

55
Q

Can you hand rear foals?

A

Yes, but they must guide + discipline them when they consistently display unsociable + unsafe behaviours

56
Q

What should you do as soon as possible, to prevent the risk of the foal becoming ill-mannered?

A

Introduce the foal to a sympathetic adult horse

57
Q

What 4 other problems can occur from young horses being stabled?

A
  1. Restricts their natural growth, due to lack of space to lie down + stretch
  2. Increased boredom
  3. Built up enerby
  4. High stress levels in young
58
Q
A

welfare & behaviour yr1 (12 decks)

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