Equine Behaviour E-Book

Daniel S. Mills

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 390

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013

Beschreibung

Understanding the flexibility and limits of behaviour is essential to improving both the horse's welfare and its performance. This book tackles the fundamental principles which will enable owners, riders, trainers and students to understand scientific principles and apply them in practice. Subjects covered include the analysis of influences on equine behaviour, the perceptual world of the horse, learning and training techniques including the latest developments in "join-up" and "imprint training".

Leseprobe

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgements

Part One: Understanding Behaviour Concepts

1 Approaches to the Study of Behaviour

What is behaviour

Ethology versus psychology

A brief guide to conducting a behaviour study

Conclusion

References and further reading

2 Origins of Behaviour

An evolutionary approach to understanding behaviour

Lamarck versus Darwin

Genes not individuals

Evolutionary throwbacks and genetic jumps

Adaptation and apparent stupidity in domestic horses

Evolution and the variety of behaviour

Conclusion

References and further reading

3 The Evolutionary History of the Horse

Introduction

Early evolution of the horse

The arrival of Equus

The origins of the modern breeds

Domestication and its consequences

References and further reading

4 The Lifetime Development of Behaviour

Instinctive and learned behaviour, what is the difference?

Sensitive phases for special times and specific associations

Using play for better management

Using natural biases in development to improve management

Conclusion

References and further reading

Part Two: Mechanisms of Behaviour

5 The Processing of Information

Introduction

The nervous system

Neural transmission

Central processing

Behavioural motivation

Autonomic and somatic nervous systems

References and further reading

6 The Special Senses

Sight

Hearing

Chemoreception

Cutaneous sensation

References and further reading

7 Communication and Social Organisation

Communication

Social organisation

The composition of the group

The social structure of the group

The dynamics of the group

How horses defend their resources

Conclusion

References and further reading

8 Sexual and Reproductive Behaviour of Horses

Basic genetic foundation of the individual’s sexuality

Normal mare specific behaviour

Normal sexual behaviour of the stallion

Modifiers of the genetic blueprint

Conclusion

References and further reading

Part Three: The Flexibility of Behaviour and its Management

9 Learning and Training

Psychological processes

A few basic procedures

Applying reinforcement to train new behaviours

Punishment and its problems

General guidelines to training new behaviours

Learning beyond a change in behaviour

Training techniques for problem behaviours

Conclusion

References and further reading

10 Welfare

Understanding welfare

What is right is not always the same as what is good

Measuring welfare

Is the domestic horse a fish out of water?

Stereotypies

Principles of treatment for stereotypies and other behaviour problems

Conclusion

References and further reading

Appendix

Index

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First published 1999

12    2009

ISBN: 978-0-6320-4878-6

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataMills, D.S.Equine behaviour:principles and practice/D.S. Mills and K.J. Nankervis.p. cm.Includes bibliographical references and index.ISBN 978-0-6320-4878-6 (pbk.)1. Horses – Behavior. I. Nankervis, K.J. II. TitleSF281.M58   1999636.1 – dc2198-55558CIP

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Preface

Almost everyone who feels qualified to call himself or herself a horse-person will have studied equine behaviour to a certain extent. Initial interest in equine behaviour often arises when we have a problem and ask ‘Why won’t my horse do what I want it to do?’ Thereafter, naturally, the study of equine behaviour is motivated from a ‘How can I get it to do what I want?’ standpoint. It is very easy, then, to look for ‘recipes’ which sort out the current problem but which fail to address the underlying, often fundamental issue.

The answer to our first question may simply be ‘because it is a horse’. If only we were to understand what being a horse is about, then we would recognise that the problem lies with us, either in our approach to a situation, or in our expectations of the horse. We must learn to accept that, however knowledgeable we are in the business of training horses, we cannot get around the fact that our two species have fundamental differences in priorities. If we insist then, on riding on and competing with horses, we should strive to do it to the best of our ability, so that both parties come out feeling like winners. Xenophon summed it up bluntly two and a half thousand years ago when he wrote:

‘Seeing that you are forced to meddle with horses, don’t you think that common sense requires you to see that you are not ignorant of the business?’

It is hoped that this book will go some way towards addressing this need, in a perhaps light-hearted fashion that nevertheless should not belie the basic seriousness of the concern we should all feel for the welfare of the horses in our care.

D.S. MillsDe Montfort University

K.J. NankervisNewmarket

August 1998

Acknowledgements

This book is based on lectures given by us to De Montfort University students over the last few years. It therefore owes a lot to them for their comments on what were, in effect, practice drafts of the original text. We are also grateful to Christine Nicol, Debbie Goodwin and Jonathan Cooper for comments on an earlier draft of the text. We would also like to thank our publishers for their support (and patience) during the book’s production, and Tamsin Bacchus for her work in copy editing the text. Finally, we would also like to thank our partners, Connie and Tom, for all their help throughout.

This book is dedicated to everyone who has a serious interest in improving the welfare of horses, through a better understanding of their behaviour.

Part 1

Understanding Behaviour Concepts

In this section we introduce the principles behind the study and interpretation of animal behaviour. Anyone can watch animal behaviour but that is not the same as making a scientific study of it. In order to do this, we must understand and apply certain rules. An explanation of these helps us to understand why a horse behaves in a certain way, as well as why it does not behave in another way (the limits of its behaviour). These limitations are just as important when we consider how we should manage our horse best. With such understanding we are also in a position to test our own ideas scientifically with either field or laboratory experiments. This is the way in which scientific knowledge increases and our understanding of the needs of the horse improves.

1

Approaches to the Study of Behaviour

We may be motivated in our study of behaviour by the hope that we can improve the performance of our own horse in some particular way, seeking to make it do what we want, but in studying horse behaviour and its origins and management in general terms, we should not forget that not all horses are winners. You may be disappointed that the horse you had high hopes for turns out to be completely talentless, despite your strenuous efforts to ‘understand’ him. The problem may not lie with the method used, but with the potential of the horse. In other words, the horse’s behaviour is a product of both its biology and its environment or ‘nature and nurture’, as many people call it. We should not get so wrapped up in our role in ‘nurturing’, that we forget about the ‘nature’ of horses in general and that horse in particular.

What is behaviour?

Behaviour is what living animals do, and what dead animals don’t do. Behaviour is an expression of physiology. There are two broad ways in which we tend to describe behaviour:

(1) We can detail the physical actions involved in a behaviour; how one part moves relative to either another part of the body or the environment. For example, we might say that a horse has extended its foreleg, or that it is galloping.

(2) Alternatively we may describe the consequences of the behaviour or the suspected aim. For example, we might say that one horse is threatening or attacking another. This will often involve an element of interpretation, which can cause problems.

A horse dozing in a field is performing just as much behaviour as a horse that is fighting, riding a bike, or turning somersaults! These are all complex actions which involve the integration of several behavioural acts. The mechanism that allows a horse to sleep standing up is, in itself, a really neat piece of engineering. Contrary to popular belief, however, horses still need to spend a certain amount of time lying down in order to sleep properly. Management can have an effect on even this. Houpt (1991) reports that horses which are usually stabled sleep less for the first month after turn out, and do not even get down to sleep on the first night. Since sleep is essential for the normal functioning of an animal during its waking hours we should not be surprised if the performance of the horse is affected by such a management change. This simple example highlights an important theme: we cannot understand an animal’s behaviour without referring to its environment. Horses do certain things in certain environments.