Equine Training and Behaviour

FdA equine management

Lauren Bull

Assignment One- Behavioural Case Studies It can be proven that domesticated horses can adapt to their environment. However it has also been proven that horse can develop abnormal behaviour when brought in to a domesticated environment, as it is an environment that is not familiar to the horses. Looking at various horses from the TRC, there are many in which have behavioural disorders this is usually due to the past and how the horse has been brought up. There are many different factors that can come in too place when a horse has a behavioural issue, some off which that are more severe than others. Also some of which that can be prevented or stopped, others which a horse will always have and will just have to find other ways around the behavioural issue. Looking at Unbenkor also known as Benky, from the TRC, this is a horse that has developed a behavioural disorder over time. This horse used to have no behavioural issues and used to be to do in all ways however, this horse is used to being out and being in a routine along with other horses. However this horse has recently been but on to box rest due to a reoccurring abscess in his front left hoof, therefore has not be able to be in his normal routine. This has therefore now affected its behaviour amongst people whilst in this stable, this horse as now started to bite and kick anyone in which enters its personal spaced or stands anywhere close to its stable. This is a very vast change in behaviour and happened very quickly, therefore can be directly linked to the fact that the horse is on box rest due to its injury, their arent really anyways in which to prevent this behaviour from happening, due to the fact that this horse has to be on box rest and that is when the behavioural issues have started. However to try and reduce this type of behaviour, there are various different boredom breakers that you could give this horse to help keep the horses mind busy, to stop the mind referring to this bad behaviour. However some people would be obliged to deal with the horse in this

Equine Training and Behaviour

FdA equine management

Lauren Bull

state, as this is the horses way of stress coping with being taken away from their natural environment. There are many various techniques in which can be undertaken to help this horse with its way of stress coping, and helping to channel the horses bad behaviour in to positive behaviour. Some could say that this behaviour is due to compensation for lack of environmental stimulation, due to the fact that the horse isnt being turnout, and has been taken away from its natural environment the horse is compensating in different, was and in this case channelling all the unnatural events into negative behaviour, due to being turnout is natural and innate behaviour for the horse to be at grass, Learning and many other higher processes are secondary modifications of innate mechanisms (Niko Timbergen 1952). Genes can also influence behaviour, however they cannot cause behaviour, like for example if a foals mother was to weave there may be secondary thought within the horses mind about weaving. It is not natural for a horse to be cooked up in a stable; however some horses react better and in a more positive way to domestication than others. It is clear that in this case this horse does not react in a good way to domestication. All horses are different and react to different situation in different ways, no two horses will ever react the same to a situation maybe similar but never the same. A horses train of thought is linked directly to survival, they do what they have to in which to survive, learning in the horse relates directly to survival requirements and is generally accepted that it is appropriate to discuss issues of cognition (Equitation Science- Paul Mc Greevy and Andrew Mc lean 2010). Another reason in which this horse, may have changes when taken away from their environment, known as environmental enrichment. It could be the fact that the horse feels the need to be turnout due to its social behaviour and feels as though it needs contact with other horses this could change the way in which the horse behaves, also dietary needs, as a horse need to be turnout to grass to complement its dietary needs, if this is then taken away from the horse this may then change the mindset of the horse and make the

Equine Training and Behaviour

FdA equine management

Lauren Bull

horse want to rebel against the lack of it dietary requirements. The environment in which we provide for the domesticated horse affects its behaviour and therefore, its welfare, (Equitation Science- Paul Mc Greevy and Andrew Mc lean 2010).

There are various different techniques that could be used to help this horse to improve its behavioural issues in the stable whilst on box rest. Because this horse is on box rest it has been take away from its natural habitat and has also had its routine changed, so therefore as had a lot of change, horses are animals that dont really like change, and prefer to know what it is they are doing. At the TRC, the horses are used to being in a set routine and know what they are doing, so for the horse to be taken away from this routine it is quite a dramatic change for the horse to deal with. Too allow the horse to settle in, a different environment such as a stable all the time, there are different things that could be done to help that certain environment to feel more comfortable. The horse could be given a boredom breaker such as a toy, to help the horse to relax and also to give the horse something to do. They horse could be fed ready grass, too give the horse the correct nutrients and vitamins that it would receive from the grass if was turned out, this would allow the horse not too feel deprived in any nutrients and vitamins to ensure the horse is feeling the best that it can, this may also influence the way in which the horse is behaving in the stable, because if the horse is not lacking in valuable vitamins and nutrients that it would receive from the grass it will allow the horse to feel better within its self, creating a positive behaviour. There may be various different factors in which are influencing the horse to behave in the way it is whilst in the stable. There are many different techniques that could be used to help the horse to feel at home whilst in the stable, you could find a plant in which the horse likes to eat which will remind it of being out and free, then but hanging baskets up with the plants in and put them around the horses stable to make the horse feel more comfortable whilst in the stable. Horses bad behaviour in the stable usually stems from the horse being anxious, it has been proven that Mirrors with in the stabled environment, help dramatically with the anxiousness

Equine Training and Behaviour

FdA equine management

Lauren Bull

and loneliness of the horse, as this makes the horse believe that they have another horse in the stable with them, and because horses are used to being in herds, this enables them to feel more comfortable about the environment that they are in, because they do not think that they are on their own, so this is a psychological approach to improving a horses behaviour within the stable, as this is leading them in to false pretence as there is not actually, another horse in the stable with them, Professor Daniel Mills, Among his recognised practical achievements he has developed the Lincoln stable mirror to assist horses with isolation problems and successfully used animal pheromones to control badly behaved pets (Mills D.S. (1994) Bereavement Counselling. In: Veterinary Nursing Eds Lane D.R. & Cooper B. Pergamon Press, Elsevier Science Ltd, Oxford, England. 207-212). These suggestions are only suggestions off improvement to try and help the horses behaviour, however these implications still may not work, as the environment is still very unnatural to the horse, so therefore will cause the horse to still feel uncomfortable, which will allow the bad behaviours to be expressed.

Another thing in which can be done with a horse that has behavioural problems in the stable whether it be its fault or not, is to have one person dealing with that in particular horse, so that the horse can get used to that one person and build up trust and confidence in humans, also if only one person is dealing with that horse, it allows no confusion to be pasted on to the horse, which will ensure that its behavioural problem does not get worse, also having one person looking after the same horse all the time is less overwhelming for the horse, and allows the person and horse to build a relationship, and a routine, which will benefit both the horse and the owner, as horses are able to recognise different individuals and never forgot about anything that has happened in the past the may even, link that individual back to a certain situation in which they have been in together, These results suggest that recognition of humans may lie in a global, integrated, multisensory representation of specific individuals, that includes visual and vocal identity, but also expectations on the individual's behaviour in

Equine Training and Behaviour

FdA equine management

Lauren Bull

a familiar situation.- (Sankey C, Henry S, Andr N, Richard-Yris M-A, Hausberger M (2011)).

All the techniques that have been discussed would all be useful to helping a horse get out of bad habits whilst in the stable. However the reason horses miss behave in stables is because they are not familiar with the environment, and it is all quite new to them, therefore they will be quite nervous and anxious about the situation that it has been putting. A horse may also develop behavioral problems, when it has been used to being in a familiar environment, like it has been living out and now has suddenly been brought in to this new environment, this environment is different to any environment that it has ever been in before, therefore does not know the difference between good or bad behavior whilst in this environment. When humans domesticate horses they should intend to make the environment that the horse is in as natural as possible, as horses are used to being in herds in the wild and are not used to human contact, it is not a bad thing that horses have been domesticated, as some horses cope differently than others, whereas some do react, in a way in which is deemed unacceptable to certain individuals. Horses will also function better when in a routine, as they do not like change and like to know what it is they are required to do.

Equine Training and Behaviour

FdA equine management

Lauren Bull

Reference list Mills D.S. (1994) Bereavement Counselling. In: Veterinary Nursing Eds Lane D.R. & Cooper B. Pergamon Press, Elsevier Science Ltd, Oxford, England. 207-212.- websites

Sankey C, Henry S, Andr N, Richard-Yris M-A, Hausberger M (2011) Do Horses Have a Concept of Person? PLoS ONE 6(3): e18331. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0018331- website

Equitation Science- Paul Mc Greevy and Andrew Mc lean 2010- Book

Niko Timbergen 1952- founded from resources- powerpoint presentation