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Online Videos Demystify Equine Behavior, Answer Common Questions

Three equine scientists have launched a new YouTube channel to debunk horse behavior myths and answer common questions from horse owners. The Equine Science Talk International team is comprised of Dr. Konstanze Krüger, Germany's first professor of equine science and a specialist in horse behavior and cognition, Isabell Marr, a horse trainer and instructor, and Dr. Laureen Esch, a veterinarian and equine dentist. Their combined expertise give the videos unique insight into equine science and its practical application.

Some of the topics the trio discuss include punishment and reinforcement; blanketing and clipping; and rollkur. Each topic is explained through a scientific lens and the researchers then explore what this mean in everyday context.

Though the videos were produced in German, journalist, horse trainer and equine behavior researcher Kate Farmer translates them.

Majority Of Equine Owners Cannot Detect Lameness

A new study shows that the vast majority of horse owners cannot determine if a horse is lame under saddle. However, scientists note that owners who pay close attention to equine behavior may pick up on clues that the horse is in pain even if they can't determine if it's lame while being ridden, reports The Horse.

The ridden horse pain ethogram (RHpE) is a list of 24 behaviors that have been scientifically confirmed to relate to pain; when the pain is removed, the behaviors disappear. The behaviors include things like pain-related facial expressions and pinning of the ears for at least five seconds. Lame horses showed at least one-third of the behaviors included in the ethogram.

Dr. Sue Dyson and a team of scientists applied the ethogram to 60 riding horses in the United Kingdom. The horses were given lameness exams and checked for saddle fit. They were then assessed for the presence of absence of the 24 behaviors listed in the ethogram while being ridden by their regular riders; all riders believed their horses were sound.

The study showed that 73 percent of the horses showed subtle, intermittent lameness in one or more legs; more than 50 percent of horses demonstrated a gait abnormality like bunny hopping or not stepping underneath themselves at the canter.

Lameness was strongly linked to a RHpE score of eight or more. The most-common behaviors included pinning the ears for at least five seconds, staring intently for at least five seconds, dragging the back feet or stumbling repeatedly.

Dyson says that riders missing lameness in their horses is not indicative of lack of attention, but more reflective of their lack of training in recognizing pain-related behaviors. Riders who learned to ride in lesson programs may have always ridden horses that were exhibiting pain-related behaviors, but were not taught that the behaviors indicated discomfort.

Dyson says owners and riders must become more educated to recognize pain-related behaviors and understand that the demonstration of eight or more of the behaviors indicated that the horse is in pain.

Understanding Equine Perception May Be Key To Training And Welfare

Understanding how a horse uses his five sense to perceive stimuli can be key to his training and horse-human interactions.

Drs. Maria Vilain Rørvang, Birte Nielsen and Andrew McLean reviewed more than 180 studies that investigated equine vision, smell, taste, hearing and touch, and how information about the horse's environment is perceived. Though horses and humans have the same sensory modalities, how the information gathered from them are perceived can be drastically different.

Understanding how a horse perceives sensory information is key since sensory ability, perception and behavior are closely linked. The researchers determined that horses have a highly developed sense of smell; in some cases, their hearing is better than humans. Additionally, horses have a wider field of vision that people, but they see similarly to humans who are red and green colorblind.

The scientists concluded horses perceive the world in the following ways:

Vision

A horse's vision is adapted for detection of and escape from predators; they have a wide focus that allows them only a small blind spot directly behind them. Horses do not have good acuity, and will lift, lower or tilt their head and neck to focus on an object. Horses also have good vision in low light, seeing details better on cloudy days than during bright, sunny days.

Hearing

Equine ears can pivot toward sounds to enhance their hearing. While larger animals tend to hear lower frequencies well, horses are the exception; the lowest frequency detectable by horses is higher than the lowest sound a human can hear. Conversely, horses can hear higher frequencies than humans can. Horses can also recognize people from vocal cues even if they can't see them.

Smell

Little research has been done on horse's sense of smell. Horses have distinct odor profiles; similar profiles can shape a horse's response for interactions with other horses that have a similar smell. The research team notes that a horse's sense of smell could be exploited to draw the horse to certain locations, limiting the need to manually move horses. Additionally, riding in or around areas where a horse might encounter the smell of a predator may pose a safety risk to the rider.

Taste

Horses rarely breathe through their mouth, so it is unclear if horses can differentiate odor and taste from flavor, like humans. Horses can detect sweet, sour, salty and bitter; it is not known if they can detect umami (savory).

Touch

Horses are sensitive to touch; this sense is the main mode of communication between a horse and human, whether riding or handling. Horses are most sensitive around their eyes, nose and mouth; other areas of the body vary in their sensitivity, with the neck, withers, flank, shoulders and back of the pastern generally being the most sensitive.

The study team suggests that tactile stimulation be used with caution, especially when there is force applied, like during twitching. Future studies may investigate how a horse's age, breed, personality and experience may influence how touch is perceived.

The trio conclude that identifying specific sensory reactions in horses may be a way to optimize management and training to improve equine health and welfare.

Can Surgical Removal Of A Mare’s Ovaries Fix Unwanted Behaviors?

A Danish study investigated if removing a mare's ovaries could offer relief from unexplained unwanted behavior. The changes in behavior were assessed by the owners of the horses. Some mares used in the study had ovarian cancer; others had no veterinary-diagnosed reason for their unwanted behavior.

Removing the ovaries was final attempt to resolve the unwanted behaviors as drug use to stop their reproductive cycles had failed and no issues with their reproductive tract could be found. Unwanted mare behavior can range from being uncooperative to aggression aimed at humans or other horses.

Drs. Daniel Taasti Melgaard, Martin Soendergaard Thoefner, Trine Stokbro Korsgaard, Morten Roenn Petersen and Hanne Gervi Pedersen, used the records of 28 mares that had their ovaries removed six to 24 months earlier and followed up with the horse owners, asking them to complete a questionnaire and respond to a telephone interview. Ten of the horses in the study had normal ovaries, 14 of the mares had ovarian cancer in one or both ovaries, and the other ovaries of the other horses were not examined for the presence of cancer.

Eight out of the ten mares (80 percent) with normal ovaries had improved rideability after their ovaries were removed; rideability improved in 57 percent (eight out of 14) in the mares with ovarian cancer. Mare behavior improved in about 40 percent of the cases studied.

The researchers conclude that mares without ovarian cancer may benefit as much from ovary removal as mares with ovarian cancer, showing improved rideability and behavior, though there is no obvious explanation as to why mares with normal ovaries benefited. The team noted that owner perception of improved behavior could be a placebo effect because they assumed the operation would work. They also stress that horses have a through diagnostic workup to rule out other issues before an ovariectomy is performed,

Read the full study here.