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New Research: Horses Become Bolder With Age

A new study has shown that horses get bolder with age, but they don't necessarily become more independent. These results indicate that boldness and independence are two separate traits, said Drs. Bibiana Burattini, Kate Fenner, Ashley Anzulewicz, Nicole Romness, Jessica McKenzie, Bethany Wilson and Paul McGreevy.

“Boldness” is an umbrella term to describe horses that are not shy, nervous or easily spooked, while “independence” is an individual's ability to function without social support from other horses.

The study team used 1,940 responses to the Equine Behavior Assessment and Research Questionnaire (E-BARQ), a 97-question study being used to develop a global database of horse behavior. The tool allows responders to benchmark their horses against thousands of others with regards to training, behavior and welfare. Respondents to this study came from 33 different countries; they represented 78 different breeds. In total, 58 percent of responders owner geldings and 38 percent owned mares; the rest owned stallions

The research team used the study responses to compare boldness and independence in horses with a horse's age. They discovered that older horses that were started under-saddle at a young age were bolder and more independent than those horses started under tack at an older age. This was not surprising as the team noted that the shier horses may be started later in hopes that they would calm down as they matured. They also discovered that:

Australian Stock Horses were bolder and more independent than crossbreed horses
Brown and chestnut horses were less bold than bay horses
Dressage and therapy horses were less bold than those used for other disciplines
Stallions were bolder than geldings
Thoroughbreds and companion horses were less bold than crossbred horses
Heavy horses and ponies tended to be bolder
Working equitation horses were more independent that pleasure mount

The team concluded that boldness and independence are separate traits, and only boldness was associated with equine age. They suggested the increase in boldness may be related to the a horse's accumulated exposure to various events and stimuli as it ages.

The team notes that understanding how age affects behavior can assist in matching a rider with a horse, as well as with projecting how a young horse will mature behaviorally.

Read the full study here.

Additional Proof That Corticosteroids Don’t Increase Laminitis Risk For Horses

Drs. Katya Potter, Kim Stevens and Nicola Menzies-Gow have completed a study that challenges the belief that corticosteroids increased a horse's risk of developing laminitis. The scientists note that the concern of laminitis is based on only a handful of reports, though multiple studies have been done dispelling the notion that all horses given corticosteroids are at risk of the painful hoof condition.

The veterinarians reviewed case histories of 410 horses that had been treated at two equine clinics. Half of the horses had received standard doses of corticosteroids as part of their treatment protocol; the other 205 were “control” horses that were treated at the clinic, but did not receive corticosteroids. The scientists recorded the age, breed, sex and medical history of each horse and then noted if the horse developed laminitis in the two weeks after treatment. They found that only four of the 410 horses developed laminitis: two that had received corticosteroids and two that had not.

They also completed a second part of the study where they collected the same information on 1,565 horses treated at both clinics with corticosteroids. They found that 10 horses developed laminitis, meaning that less than 1 percent of horses given corticosteroids developed laminitis.

The researchers determined that this is no higher an incidence than the general equine population; the risk of developing laminitis was similar whether they had been treated with corticosteroids or not. However, the study revealed some similarities among the horses that developed laminitis: Some had previously developed laminitis or were obese; others had equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) or pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID). Many of those who developed laminitis were ponies.

The scientists note that it is impossible to determine if the administration of corticosteroids contributed to the occurrence of laminitis—it is just as likely that they developed laminitis because of other risk factors, and it's just is coincidence that it occurred while the horse was being treated with corticosteroids.

The team reminds owners who have a horse that is overweight or has an endocrine disorder that they should be cautious about laminitis year-round, not just when the horse is receiving corticosteroids.

Difficult To Deceive: Horses Know Human Intention

Researchers have found that horses understand much more about human intention than once thought. Drs. Miléna Trösch, Emma Bertin, Ludovic Calandreau, Raymond Nowak and Léa Lansade created a study that used three scenarios to test how well horses understand human intention, reports The Horse.

The team used 21 privately owned horses and introduced them to an unfamiliar person who had carrot slices. The person was behind a plastic window. In one scenario, the human had no intention of giving the carrot slices to the horse, moving them out of reach every time the horse reached for them. In the second study, the person tried to give the horse the carrots, but had trouble getting past the plastic barrier. In the third scenario, the person wanted to give the horse the carrots, but kept dropping them.

The study team discovered that the horse reacted differently based on the humans' intentions. This indicates that they understand human goals, even if humans failed to reach those goals. When the person tried to give the horse the carrots, the horses seemed to try to communicate with them and touched the plastic window separating them. When the human didn't have any intention of giving the horse the carrots, the horses essentially gave up, and spent more time looking away from the human and not facing them.

Until this study, it had not been scientifically proven that horses are capable of understanding human intention.

Colic No. 1 Reason For Emergency Vet Calls Study Finds

A University of Nottingham study has found that colic, wounds and lameness are the most common reasons for veterinarian to make emergency calls to visit horses after hours. The study was based on 2,602 emergency calls to two major vet practices between 2011 and 2013.

Drs. Adelle Bowden, Polina Boynova, Marnie Louise Brennan, Gary England, Sarah Freeman, John Burford, Tim Mair and Wendy Furness found that 35 percent (923) of the emergency calls were placed for colic issues; after-hours calls for wounds encompasses 511 calls (11 percent). Emergency calls for lameness accounted for 288 calls (11 percent). Most of the calls (58 percent) needed only a single treatment, but a quarter of the calls needed follow-up treatments.

According to the veterinarians, only 480 of the 2,602 cases were considered critical; 43 percent of those were related to colic. In total, 13 percent of the horse's emergency calls were made for were euthanized. It is unclear if this was related to acute disease or the deterioration of a pre-existing condition.

The study team noted that many of the emergency calls had critical outcomes and the majority were euthanized. They note that this is an important welfare concern that requires additional investigation.