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So Scary: Handlers Can Help Horses Overcome Fear Of Novel Objects

Polish researchers recently completed a study designed to help determine why horses are afraid of other animal species. Dr. Anna Wiśniewska and her research team focused specifically on cattle, which many horses seem terrified of.

Cattle and horses have traditionally lived together and were familiar with each other. In many modern operations however, most cattle and horses live separately, so they very rarely encounter one another. Horses kept in suburban areas may go their whole lives without exposure to bovines or other hooved animals.

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When horses that are not used to cows are exposed to one outside of their familiar barn, they may act fearful and try to avoid the cow. The research team from the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, the University of Chester in England, and the Polish Academy of Sciences created a study to determine if horses were more fearful of cows than other novel objects.

They created an experiment using 20 healthy riding horses; they put each horse individually in an arena familiar to them and exposed them to two different cows tethered in the space and a box on wheels. They also exposed them to nothing so they had a control.

The arena was marked off in sections, with section one being closest to the cow and section three being furthest away. The researchers then measured how much time the horses spent at different distances from the cow, as well as the horse's heart rate. The horse's reactions were also recorded.

Two months later, each horse was led either toward one of the cows or toward the box. The horse's heart rate was monitored. While loose, the horses avoided the area closest to the cow and the box; horses that were led became more fearful the closer they got to the cow and the box.

The results showed that the horses were as afraid or more afraid of the cow than a box. The scientists say this reaction suggests that the horse's fear of novel objects may also be a part of a horse's fear of unfamiliar species.

The team concludes that as prey animals, horses are sensitive to unknown and frightening stimuli, and they often act in fear despite years of domestication and selection against fearful behavior. This instinct to avoid fearful objects, living or not, may be exacerbated when the horse is restrained (in this case led toward the object). They also concluded that with handler support, trained horses can be easily habituated to objects they once found scary.

Read the full study here.

Catch Me If You Can: How To Capture a Loose Horse

There's nothing quite like the feeling that comes on when hearing cries of “loose horse!” on a sale ground, horse show, farm or trail. EQUUS magazine recently offered readers a few tips on what to do — and what not to — to help safely recover a loose horse.

Never chase a horse; this will only cause him to run faster. Stand still when he first gets loose to see if he will return to you on his own. If you're out with other riders, ask them to either stay still nearby or move slowly in one direction as a group. This may encourage him to rejoin his “herd.”

A loose horse on a trail ride often heads for home, whether that's his actual barn or where his trailer is parked. If the horse isn't readily found, a call to 911 is imperative if the horse is anywhere near a busy road. Loose horses often head to open, grassy areas. They also tend to go uphill and follow a trail or path.

If the horse still can't be located, call police and sheriff departments and file a report. Notifying any park or facility authorities and local animal shelters is also helpful. A coordinated search effort may be necessary, including using search-and-rescue groups. Putting up posters of the loose horse and contacting farms even many miles from where you think the horse may be can also prove fruitful.

Swarms Of Mosquitoes Kill Horses And Livestock After Hurricane Laura

The mosquito population in Louisiana exploded after the rains from Hurricane Laura receded. Thousands of the insects attacked horses, cows, deer and other livestock, causing them to pace or run in the heat until they were exhausted.

Some areas of the state faced massive clouds of the bloodsucking insects in the days after Hurricane Laura made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on Aug. 27, reported a Louisiana State University AgCenter veterinarian. Spraying efforts have since brought the mosquito population under control.

Though residents in the area are used to mosquito population spikes after heavy rains, the amount of mosquitoes seen after Huricane Laura were unprecedented. It is estimated that farmers located near where the hurricane made landfall lost between 300 and 400 head of cattle, said Dr. Craig Fontenot, a vet based in Ville Platte.

Thankfully, the species of mosquito involved in the outbreak doesn't transmit human disease easily, but people are still urged to take precautions. At the height of the outbreak, any exposed skin was immediately covered in insects. Though humans could wear long pants and sleeves, livestock were unable to get away from the insects, many of them pacing or running until they were exhausted, leaving them susceptible to weight loss and disease.