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Carroll SL, Sykes BW, Mills PC. Understanding and treating equine behavioural problems. Vet J 2023; 296-297:105985. [PMID: 37127134 DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2023.105985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Behaviour-related issues are common in horses. Many 'undesirable behaviours' pose important safety concerns for the human handlers / riders / carers, as well as welfare concerns for the horse. Undesirable behaviours can also devalue a horse, or result in the horse being re-homed, relinquished, or euthanased. Undesirable behaviours occur for a range of reasons. These include physiological causes, poor management, and the use of inappropriate or poorly applied handling and training techniques. The potential contribution of each of these aspects must be considered when attempting to reduce or eliminate undesirable behaviours. Effectively modifying the existing behaviour includes investigation and treatment of potential physiological causes, assessing and adjusting existing handling, husbandry and management, and undertaking behaviour modifying training. Unlike in the treatment of dogs and cats, the use of psychotropic agents is uncommon in equine behaviour medicine but the benefits of using these agents in appropriate cases is gaining recognition. This review discusses potential causes for the development and maintenance of undesirable behaviours in horses and highlights the various considerations involved in determining the most appropriate course for reducing or eliminating these behaviours. There is also a brief discussion about the potential role of psychotropic agents as an additional component of an overall behaviour modification plan to reduce or eliminate undesirable behaviours in horses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon L Carroll
- School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Benjamin W Sykes
- School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, Australia; School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Paul C Mills
- School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, Australia
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Ruet A, Arnould C, Lemarchand J, Parias C, Mach N, Moisan MP, Foury A, Briant C, Lansade L. Horse welfare: A joint assessment of four categories of behavioural indicators using the AWIN protocol, scan sampling and surveys. Anim Welf 2022. [DOI: 10.7120/09627286.31.3.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Domesticated horses ( Equus caballus) can be exposed to a compromised welfare state and detecting a deterioration in welfare is essential to modify the animals' living conditions appropriately. This study focused on four categories of behavioural indicators, as markers of poor
welfare: stereotypies, aggressiveness towards humans, unresponsiveness to the environment and hypervigilance. In the scientific literature, at least three assessment methods can be used to evaluate them: the Animal Welfare Indicators (AWIN) protocol, behavioural observations using scans and
surveys. The question remains as to whether all these three methods allow an effective assessment of the four categories of behavioural indicators. To address this issue, the repeatability at a three-month interval and convergent validity of each measure (correlations between methods) were
investigated on 202 horses housed in loose boxes. Overall, the repeatability and convergent validity were limited, highlighting the difficulty in assessing these indicators in horses. However, stereotypies and aggressiveness measures showed higher repeatability and convergent validity than
those of unresponsiveness to the environment and hypervigilance. Behavioural observations using scans enabled the four categories of behavioural indicators to be detected more effectively. Suggestions of improvements are proposed for one-off measures such as those performed with the AWIN protocol.
Regardless of the assessment method, very limited correlations were observed between the four categories of behavioural indicators, suggesting that they should all be included in a set of indicators used to assess the welfare state of horses, in conjunction with physiological and health measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Ruet
- INRAe, UMR 85 PRC, CNRS, UMR 7247, IFCE, University of Tours, 37380, Nouzilly, France
| | - C Arnould
- INRAe, UMR 85 PRC, CNRS, UMR 7247, IFCE, University of Tours, 37380, Nouzilly, France
| | - J Lemarchand
- INRAe, UMR 85 PRC, CNRS, UMR 7247, IFCE, University of Tours, 37380, Nouzilly, France
| | - C Parias
- INRAe, UMR 85 PRC, CNRS, UMR 7247, IFCE, University of Tours, 37380, Nouzilly, France
| | - N Mach
- INRAe, UMR 1313 GABI, AgroParisTech, University of Paris-Saclay, 78352, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - M-P Moisan
- University of Bordeaux, INRAe, Bordeaux INP, NutriNeuro, UMR 1286, 33076 Bordeaux, France
| | - A Foury
- University of Bordeaux, INRAe, Bordeaux INP, NutriNeuro, UMR 1286, 33076 Bordeaux, France
| | - C Briant
- INRAe, UMR 85 PRC, CNRS, UMR 7247, IFCE, University of Tours, 37380, Nouzilly, France
| | - L Lansade
- INRAe, UMR 85 PRC, CNRS, UMR 7247, IFCE, University of Tours, 37380, Nouzilly, France
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Rumpel AS, Alievi MM, Jardim Filho JO, Rozo CAC, Schuster LAH, da Silva AV, Ferreira MP. Can the training regimen influence night time physical activity in racehorses? Vet Anim Sci 2021; 14:100208. [PMID: 34622089 PMCID: PMC8482476 DOI: 10.1016/j.vas.2021.100208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Physical activity has been widely investigated in horses to elucidate locomotion characteristics and behavior. However, research in real environment of training stables is limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of training regimen on night time physical activity of racehorses. Physical activities of twenty animals were monitored during the night time using accelerometers. The animals were compared in terms of training regimen: horses subjected to training on continual days, and horses subjected to training on intermittent days; age and sex were also considered. The variables analyzed were: counts per minute, percentage of time in (sedentary, light, moderate and vigorous) physical activity. Statistical analysis was performed by the PROCGLM procedure (ANOVA) and the means were calculated by Tukey's test. The training regimen impacts the physical activity of thoroughbreds. The mean counts per minute showed a higher physical activity in the intermittent trained animals in relation with continuously trained animals. The continuously trained animals presented a greater percentage of time in sedentary physical activity than those intermittent trained. However, intermittently trained horses spent a larger percentage of time in moderate and vigorous physical activity, in comparison with continuously trained animals. In conclusion, racehorses subject to training on continual days have lower physical activity in the night time than those that train on intermittent days.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aires Santana Rumpel
- Graduate Program in Animal Medicine: Equine, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.,Department of Animal Medicine, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Meller Alievi
- Graduate Program in Animal Medicine: Equine, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.,Department of Animal Medicine, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | | | - Cesar Augusto Camacho Rozo
- Graduate Program in Animal Medicine: Equine, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | | | | | - Márcio Poletto Ferreira
- Department of Animal Medicine, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
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Salau J, Hildebrandt F, Czycholl I, Krieter J. "HerdGPS-Preprocessor"-A Tool to Preprocess Herd Animal GPS Data; Applied to Evaluate Contact Structures in Loose-Housing Horses. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:E1932. [PMID: 33096646 PMCID: PMC7589659 DOI: 10.3390/ani10101932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Revised: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensors delivering information on the position of farm animals have been widely used in precision livestock farming. Global Positioning System (GPS) sensors are already known from applications in military, private and commercial environments, and their application in animal science is increasing. However, as trade-offs between sensor cost, battery life and sensor weight have to be made, GPS based studies scheduling long data collection periods and including a high number of animals, have to deal with problems like high hardware costs and data disruption during recharging of sensors. Furthermore, human-animal interaction due to sensor changing at the end of battery life interferes with the animal behaviour under analysis. The present study thus proposes a setting to deal with these challenges and offers the software tool "HerdGPS-Preprocessor", because collecting position data from multiple animals nonstop for several weeks produces a high amount of raw data which needs to be sorted, preprocessed and provided in a suitable format per animal and day. The software tool "HerdGPS-Preprocessor" additionally outputs contact lists to enable a straight analysis of animal contacts. The software tool was exemplarily deployed for one month of daily and continuous GPS data of 40 horses in a loose-housing boarding facility in northern Germany. Contact lists were used to generate separate networks for every hour, which are then analysed with regard to the network parameter density, diameter and clique structure. Differences depending on the day and the day time could be observed. More dense networks with more and larger cliques were determined in the hours prior to the opening of additional pasture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Salau
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Olshausenstraße 40, 24098 Kiel, Germany; (F.H.); (I.C.); (J.K.)
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